The Washington Examiner published a statement from Jenny Beth Martin and the Tea Party Patriots, in which they called for an apology from the President and several high ranking Democratic Congresspeople:

On April 29th, the President informed a town hall meeting in St. Louis that he has now become aware of the tea parties, but only from “certain news channels on which I’m not very popular.” He referred to the one million plus Patriots who came out in legitimate and constitutionally protected demonstrations of free speech on April 15th as “folks waving tea bags around…”

…

This sort of condescending approach to the grassroots is a hallmark of politicians all across this land. We, the grassroots are mocked by the President as “folks waving tea bags around.” Discussion of our legitimate complaints and concerns is avoided through the use of derogatory and condescending rhetoric.

We’ve heard similar rhetoric from the Speaker Nancy Pelosi who says the tea parties are an “Astroturf initiative,” and “contrived events backed by those who like tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.” Rep. Jan Schakowsky (IL), called people who attended the Tea Parties “despicable” and “shameful,” “corporate interests” and said the events were created by “Republican lobbyists and politicians.”

At every level, the president and the majority of politicians at a national level refuse to discuss the issues head on, and refuse to acknowledge the fact that a huge, non-partisan, grassroots movement has coalesced around limited government, fiscal responsibility and lower taxes.

The only real reference I can find (in what I will admit was a rather short search) to President Bush mocking those who were protesting or criticising him was when he dismissed those who were saying that he had met with the leaders of Canada and Mexico about a secret plot to create a “North American Union.” He said he found it amusing to contrast what actually happened in the meetings and what some people said it took place, that the difference between reality and what was discussed on TV was “comical.”

That’s it. No references, that I can find, that he ever made fun of Cindy Sheehan or Gold Star Families for Peace. There’s no simple dismissal of Code Pink protesters as just a bunch of people looking for an excuse to make out^[a].

Of course, who can forget the time that President Bush dismissed his opponents simply by pointing out that, “I won?” Oh, no… wait… that wasn’t Bush, was it?

For all that I may have disagreed with Bush’s policies or actions while in office (including his huge increases in spending, though at least he had the excuse of fighting a war), he was a President who always, as far as I’m aware, acted with class. President Obama has yet to act with any class at all.

(WordPress Word Count: 484 (274 without blockquote^[b] ) )

1. Code Pink, an anti-war protest group, has been known to hold “Kiss-ins”, where the slogan is “Make Out, Not War. [↩]
2. If you’re curious about why I’m including these word counts, see here. [↩]