The more I thought about the concept of a New Iberia TEA (Taxed Enough Already) party, the more I became excited about its potential. The idea of citizens coming together regardless of political and religious affiliation to hold their elected public officials accountable for the perceived out-of-control Washington spending was nothing short of inspiring.

John Stevenson and Lynn Dartez, co-organizers of the New Iberia event, told me before the TEA party that the April 15 gathering would be a nonpolitical party based rally holding all politicians accountable. In a story that ran April 12 in The Daily Iberian, Dartez said “This is not about political parties. It’s about the citizens of New Iberia getting together ... concerned citizens getting together with equally minded citizens.”

Unfortunately, that was not the case Wednesday. What ended up happening played much like a far right-wing political rally with one speaker disrespecting the president of the United States and two different global religions all in one fell swoop by describing President Barack Obama as “a Muslim wannabe.” The only thing sadder than the statement was that it drew applause.

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For more than an hour, speaker after speaker blamed the country’s current $11 trillion debt on Obama, without even the slightest mention of George W. Bush. In fact, when all the main speakers were done, the only other president mentioned by name in a disparaging manner besides Obama was that of Bill Clinton.

No one should argue the point that blame for our current economic mess rests with both parties. Whether Democrat or Republican, everyone in this country feels the burden of the economic crunch. To sit on the City Hall lawn and hear speaker after speaker blame 100 percent of the problems on a president who has been in office for less than four months, without even the slightest mention of the previous administration’s eight years, was disheartening.

My sense from Wednesday’s TEA party was the crowd in attendance was actually there for a public reckoning with all Washington officials (Democrat and Republican) and simply got caught up in listening to a loud minority of Republican backers turn the event into a political witch hunt.

The only thing as pitiful as a Republican blaming all the country’s ills on Democrats is a Democrat doing the same thing with Republicans.

Almost 200 people showed up at City Hall in the middle of a weekday because they are frustrated. They are angry that they’ve worked their whole life only to face an uncertain future and mounting unemployment.

If used for positive change, that frustration can be a wonderful tool for success. Our current elected leaders are charged with formulating the plan to pull this country out of turmoil. Unfortunately, the resulting battlefield has created plenty to fear.

If we use that fear to paint one party or the other as evil then nothing can be accomplished because it stops being a fight for recovery, and starts being a fight for power.

Those who attended the TEA party last week want recovery. Those speakers who used the pulpit to push a power-based agenda through hate mongering failed the call of those people.

STEPHEN HEMELT is city editor of The Daily Iberian. He can be reached at stephen.hemelt@daily-iberian.com.