The evolution of the word 'tea bagger'

Tea Party activists are outraged by the revelation that Obama once used the term "tea baggers" to describe them. But the coinage wasn't always considered an insult...

What are the origins of the term "tea bagger"?
(Image credit: Creative Commons)

Was President Obama speaking derogatively when he referred to the Tea Party as "tea baggers"? That's the topic of some debate after a review of Jonathan Alter's book, The Promise: President Obama, Year One, revealed that Obama used the term in November 2009. The grassroots movement didn't always consider "tea bagger" a slur: Early Tea Partiers innocently embraced the term until they discovered its vulgar connotations (see also the 1998 John Waters movie Pecker). In a twist, some conservatives have recently advocated that the word be reclaimed. Here's a look at the evolution of the insult:

Feb. 27, 2009

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