Tea Party Could Hurt Republicans

Roadtoad

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Roadtoad
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From Time:

There are two significant differences between Obama's grass-roots upswell and the rise of the Tea Party adherents. First, Obama attracted people across a wide swath of the political spectrum, from the far left to just right of center; the Tea Party is almost exclusively hard right. Second, the Obamans were insurgent in their mind-set but downright establishment in their technology, organization, fundraising and ability to use the existing rules to beat the power players at their own game. For all its energy, the Tea Party has not had the chance to demonstrate the same sustained capacity for winning methodology and follow-through.

That means that while the Tea Partyers are enthusiastic and have earned a series of short-term victories, they aren't necessarily destined for electoral success this fall. Their penchant for supporting less mainstream, less electable, more erratic candidates, according to some worried senior Republican strategists, might jeopardize Republican chances in at least five Senate races in November and even the GOP presidential nominee in the general election two years hence.
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There's a lot I agree with when it comes to the Tea Party: We are taxed too heavily, government at all levels is running amok without accountability, and there's little pressure to get spending under control.

Having said that, looking at some of the outright kooks they seem to support, it gets a little scary.
 
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Roadtoad said:
From Time:



There's a lot I agree with when it comes to the Tea Party: We are taxed too heavily, government at all levels is running amok without accountability, and there's little pressure to get spending under control.

Having said that, looking at some of the outright kooks they seem to support, it gets a little scary.
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Since the Tea Party movement is essentially a movement of regular people getting personally involved in the politics that affect them and that they care about, I'm not sure what your complaint is.

I mean, why not add one more sane voice, one more rational actor, to a movement whose principles you seem to agree with and support? Isn't that the whole point of the Tea Party? The more people out there not supporting kooks, the better, right?
 
theprestige said:
Since the Tea Party movement is essentially a movement of regular people getting personally involved in the politics that affect them and that they care about, I'm not sure what your complaint is.

I mean, why not add one more sane voice, one more rational actor, to a movement whose principles you seem to agree with and support? Isn't that the whole point of the Tea Party? The more people out there not supporting kooks, the better, right?
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I'm all for another sane voice. I'm all for another rational voice.

But, tell me, Prestige, is Rand Paul sane or rational? Is Sarah Palin? If I'm missing something, please tell me.

Um, Cobalt, I wasn't aware that anyone was required to post in a particular thread.
 
theprestige said:
Since the Tea Party movement is essentially a movement of regular people getting personally involved in the politics that affect them and that they care about, I'm not sure what your complaint is.

I mean, why not add one more sane voice, one more rational actor, to a movement whose principles you seem to agree with and support? Isn't that the whole point of the Tea Party? The more people out there not supporting kooks, the better, right?
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Is Obama is a socialist!!! rational dialouge?
 
They have the energy of the Obamac2008 people, they have the resources and access to the media.

Thier problem is that they will open their mouths at any microphone within arms reach. That generally gives them away as blithering idiots. The message that usually comes out it that they want to cut every government social program into which they have not already stuck their own feeling palps.
 
RT:

They already have. Time is a few months late to the party. No surprise there.
 
leftysergeant said:
They have the energy of the Obamac2008 people, they have the resources and access to the media.

Thier problem is that they will open their mouths at any microphone within arms reach. That generally gives them away as blithering idiots. The message that usually comes out it that they want to cut every government social program into which they have not already stuck their own feeling palps.
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That seems to be the case for some matters. With a son who's a high school teacher, I get an earful about what it is the TP crowd wants changed in Washington State schools. (He teaches as Shelton High, Shelton, WA.) Genuinely scary. (And if Chris had the chance and the time, I'd ask him to post it all here.)
 
I love the Tea Party. They may help the Democrats retain the House and the Senate.

If it was not for our friends the Tea-Baggers, the Democrats would run a real risk of losing both Houses of Congress.

God bless the Tea Party. They sure are earning their secret pay from the DNC.

:)
 
Road Toad,

There's a lot I agree with when it comes to the Tea Party: We are taxed too heavily, government at all levels is running amok without accountability, and there's little pressure to get spending under control.
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Agreed

Having said that, looking at some of the outright kooks they seem to support, it gets a little scary.
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Sadly true
 
Uhmm.. is "less taxes, less government" really a substative position? It's like saying "happiness for everyone" is a position. Without any policy proposals, or even a suggestion of a plan, it's just nonsense.
 
I don't think there's any question that the Tea Party could hurt the Republicans; for example, there will probably be tougher races in Nevada and Kentucky than might otherwise have applied.

The real question is whether the Tea Party will hurt the Republicans enough. My take is that no, the Democrats are headed for a real cataclysm in the fall. I'm pretty much convinced the GOP will will take back the House and would take the Senate if it were possible (but it's probably not).
 
When the GOP implodes, I wonder what sort of party will replace it? Not Tea for certain. I think we will see something more Libertarian, less racist, less beholding to business, more ethical, and conservative of the environment.
 
BenBurch said:
I think we will see something .. less racist, less beholding to business,
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Disclaimer: please do not consider the following questions as evidence that I believe that the Republicans have a measurable amount of racism in their party. Feel free to take that issue to another thread.

Why do you see it as less racist? Do you expect racists to give up being involved in politics or do you expect non-racists to be attracted to the party in such numbers that they will dilute the effect of the racists?

The same for business: why? Why would multi-billion dollar industries not try to have a hand in the creation of a new party that would challenge the Democrats? Why would businessmen and businesswomen of all economic levels not want to participate in such a party? Why would the hundred million people who have listened to right-wing politicians, pundits, and commentators for decades suddenly reverse a belief (business is good for America) that serves as part of the very foundation of their political philosophy?
 
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