Who says the Left will never understand the Tea Party movement? Sure, they may have a long way to go, but they are making progress.

Take for example, this new ‘documentary’ from… some liberal activist. You can watch the preview if you have a masochist streak, or you can just accept my word that it’s another hack job aimed at grassroots activists – one that will make a nice rental for some sad left-wing coffee parties, starting on November 3. They’ll pop this in the DVD player ($14.99 – with free shipping!) and console each other with tales of how they could never hope to compete against the power of the Right Wing Machine. Because you see, the whole movie is about how the Tea Party movement is an astroturf operation. They have fancy charts and everything, which prove that this was put together by a bunch of shady billionaires. (Remember that projection is one of the signature habits of the professional left.)

But here’s where they are taking baby steps toward the truth: they no longer believe that the millions of people who have come out to tea parties are paid. Right there at the 1:40 mark, they mention that those millions of activists ‘are being secretly guided to suit the agendas of America’s corporate elites.’ And again at 1:55, they say that the people ‘are very much unaware of the front group,’ and of how ‘their thoughts are being manipulated.’ Now that may sound like an ignorant comment designed to soothe wounded egos on the Left, but nevertheless it represents progress.

Recall: it was not all that long ago that the Left seemed to think most of the Tea Party movement were paid political operatives or agents of the Republican party. Now some on the Left have graduated millions of tea partiers out of the ranks of ‘paid hacks,’ and into the ranks of ‘well-intentioned dupes and pawns.’ It may not be much, but it’s progress. At this rate, it might only take a few more years to convince them that this is a coherent movement, one that can change America and bring the nation back to its roots.

Ah… who am I kidding.