When then President-Elect Obama gave his victory speech in Grant Park in Chicago on Election Night, he didn’t have the slightest idea that his first prominent adversary would start a “revolution” of sorts in the very same city. Instead of dying down after a few days, the fervor over the “rant of the year” by CNBC Commentator Rick Santelli has become much more significant than Santelli, Obama, or anyone else could have ever expected.

By now most of you have probably seen the video of Santelli, which has gotten well over 700,000 views and counting, on the floor of the Chicago commodities exchange last week blasting the Obama Administration’s mortgage bailout plan, just like he blasted previous bailout plans. This time Santelli stroke a chord with Republicans, Independents, and even Democrats, around the country. When 49 percent of Democrats oppose the mortgage subsidies, you know the Administration went too far. “How many of you people want to pay for your neighbors mortgage?” Santelli asked the room. The room answered just as America has since then, with a definitive “boo.”

Santelli called the bailouts “rewarding bad behavior” and 55 percent of Americans agreed with him in a recent Rasmussen Poll. Who could logically argue with them? In my hometown, I saw people buying homes they knew they couldn’t afford, I saw the price of my parents’ house skyrocket for no particular reason (lucky for my family they decided not to sell and move into another house), I saw people take out mortgages to buy cars they had no business driving. Some people were acting like wealthy but poorly-raised teenagers going on a spending spree with Daddy’s credit card. And now “Daddy” (also known as the U.S. Government), wants to pay off the credit card bill with our money. Silly us who spent wisely, who didn’t partake in the housing bubble, who didn’t sign a mortgage we had little chance of paying off. If only we had been irresponsible then we could have demanded the government rescue us with other people’s money. In this bizarre world, that would have been the sensible thing to do apparently.

The commentator’s comparisons to Cuba were right on the money. Describing how the island used to have “mansions and a relatively decent economy,” but after moving from the “individual to the collective” they are still driving 54’ Chevys. My family members in Cuba actually have a broken down 1950s Chevy Bellaire.

“President Obama, are you listening?” Santelli asked. Santelli’s comments were certainly heard in the White House, but whether or not they were listened to is a different story. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs belittled his argument and dismissed Santelli’s knowledge of what’s good for “Main Street America.” Considering more people on Main Street agree with Santelli then with Gibbs, the Press Secretary might have to start telling Main Streeters they don’t know what’s good for themselves either.

Santelli ‘s call for a “Chicago Tea Party” was answered with dozens of websites, Facebook groups, and events planning tea parties around the nation. Republicans should certainly take advantage of these events. Even if his 15 minutes of fame run out eventually, his rally cry has invigorated a nation to stand up and say enough is enough. Let’s see how President Obama responds tonight.

Last 5 posts by Abel S. Delgado

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• Obama & The Berlin Wall - October 25th, 2009
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• Bureaucratizing Interrogations a Horrible Idea - August 28th, 2009