Captain America versus the Tea Party!

Maybe it's only the comic book nerds who are paying attention, but the Tea Party is now aiming its frustration at Captain America. You can read about it here, but here's a quick rundown: In Captain America #602, Captain America is trying to infiltrate an extremist, anti-government organization that's taken hold in Idaho. While there, he comes across an anti-government rally, with people who are holding up signs that are awfully reminiscent of the type that you'd see at the Tea Party rallies. The implication is that the extremist organization might be recruiting from amongst the Tea Party types.

Of course, right-wingers are always pretty bad at seeing nuance, and the interpretation is that the comic was implying that the Tea Party protesters are some sort of villainous lot of terrorists. Not only that, but Cap's partner, The Falcon, comments on how it would be hard for him to blend into the crowd, seeing as how he's a black man from Harlem. Apparently, some right-wingers really hate it when you point out that the Tea Party is predominantly angry white people - even though it's, you know, true.

You can read the article to get Marvel's and Ed Brubaker's official explanation as to why it all happened. Personally, I don't care. I'm definitely left-leaning, but I didn't see this as some sort of left-wing propaganda piece. Do some of those Tea Party types look silly when one of the signs reads, "Get your government hands away from my Medicare?" Sure. BUT PEOPLE ACTUALLY HAD SIGNS LIKE THAT. Basically, the comic was just trying to reflect some things that were going on in reality. I never got the sense that there was a direct connection between the rally that Cap sees and the extremist group called The Watchdogs.

I've written about Captain America specifically on this blog quite a few times. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I'm not interested in a politically charged Captain America. Would I read some other comic where Tea Party types were connected with some sort of supervillain organization? Sure, but I don't want to see that with Captain America. He's best when he's apolitical, and if you actually read the issue, you'd see that he still is.