Tea Party - Post #2
This year's election commentary is dominated by political scientists speculating on the role of the Tea Party and their spokespeople (an example is Sarah Palin).
What is / who is the Tea Party?
What role did they have in primary elections?
What role will they play in the general election?
If they are elected into Congress what will that mean for the Republican and Democratic parties?
Please use specific examples (like specific races). Don't just write in general sweeping statements.
Due: Friday, September 24th
posted by M. Aby @ 6:55 AM
51 Comments:
The tea party is a political movement in which a group of people are protesting against the government just like the colonists were in 1773, the Boston Tea Party. The party was organized because of some certain laws that the government passed.(2) Many people believe that the group is made up of racists and homophobes.(1) Also people believe that it is a part of the Republican party.(3) This Tea Party is basically an interest group that expresses there opinion. From the information that I have read, I feel that the Tea Part is an interest group that would consider themselves as independents. Some of there views on certain laws that were passed are both liberal and conservative. For example, they believe that abortion is wrong and that people shouldn’t be able to do that.(4) This is a very liberal point of view in my opinion. Another example of their idea on a current issue is that of their idea on the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. They believe that this is completely ridiculous because they are just handing money out to people of the United States. They are concerned because they don’t know where it’s coming from.(5) This is a very conservative point of view. Because of their viewpoints, I believe that they are an independent group because they have conflicting viewpoints from both parties.
The Tea Party doesn’t play that big of a role in primary elections because there isn’t that big of a voter turnout anyways, and the people that come out to vote during the primaries are either strong right or strong left. Since I believe that they are an independent group, they will just skew a minimal amount of votes away from both parties. (6)
Since the voter turnout in general elections is increased dramatically, I feel that the there will be votes skewed away from both parties.(7) Many of the people that are running for office and that represent themselves with the Tea Party will steal votes. Since their viewpoints are conflicting, some of the democrats, republicans, and independents will vote for them because they believe that the Tea Party is rational.(8).
If a Tea Party member were to be elected into Congress, I feel that both parties will become weaker. I feel this way because I think that even though people don’t want to realize it, some of the ideas that the Tea Party are representing are actually what the majority of the people in the world want to do. Both parties will be fighting against this party because they will want to get their point across.
This whole party system in my opinion is out of whack. Since we are in a representative democracy, I feel we should elect people based on their views, not their political views.
Sources:
http://www.michigandaily.com/content/viewpoint-tea-party-0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement
http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2010/09/15/129876488/who-is-the-tea-party-republicans-by-another-name
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/Tea-Partiers-oppose-abortion_-not-just-deficits-958613-103556329.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_Economic_Stabilization_Act_of_2008
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/sep2010/pers-s16.shtml
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/sep2010/pers-s16.shtml
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/9/22/904240/-Feingold-in-Trouble,-Tea-Party-trying-to-Steal-Election
My numbers on my sources got deleted, but each one should be numbered 1-8 each one starting at a different Http. Sorry, but thanks.
In 2009 a populist political movement emerged into the United States political arena. They pledged to limit the government’s role, and to lower taxes (4). Their stances on key political issues mirrored that of the Republican Party. They set out to do exactly what they thought the Framers of the Constitution wanted to be done to the United States.
Right now you must be wondering who these people could be, well, they are the Tea Party. In a recent survey conducted by CBS News and the New York Times, they found that a total of 18 percent of Americans consider themselves part of the Tea Party. Within that 18 percent: 89 percent are white, and only one percent is black. We learn that the majority of them have an higher education compared to the America as a whole (37 percent to 25 percent), 56 percent of them make more then 500,000 dollars per year, and that three in four are either 45 years old or older (3). I think that with this we can get a pretty good picture of who these people are and where they come from.
At first I thought that the Tea Party would soon disappear as soon as it appeared, since the Tea Party itself seems quite loosely organized. An example of this is in Indiana and New Jersey: Peter DeStefano is named on the congressional ballot as under the New Jersey Tea Party movement. However the president of the political action committee of the Independence Hall Tea Party, Don Adams, says that DeStefano has no record of him attending any of the group’s events, and that his doesn’t turn up on the Tea Party’s mailing lists (1). Though, this could just be a result of Adams supporting the Republican candidate, Jon Runyan.
The Tea Party is also proving that is does have some packed punches. With Christine O’Donnell, and Carl Paladino winning the Primary elections in Delaware and New York they show that they are gaining a lot of support. Especially since in a the Quinnipiac Poll it shows that Paladino is now only six points below Andrew Cuomo, who is the New gubernatorial favorite (2).
But now if these candidates actually won the open seats that would mean more competition for the Republican and Democrat Party. The Republicans should be nervous about losing some of their party members since about three out of four Tea Party members consider themselves as conservative and about 54 percent think that they are republican (3). The Democrats on the other hand should be worried that they will take over the Houses, since they are very displeased with what is going on in Washington (53 percent say they are, compared to the 19 percent of Americans as a whole). It would also be very difficult for President Obama to try to get anything to done since the biggest issues the Tea Party has against him are, indeed, the Health Care Reform Bill, unemployment, and the economy.
But it will be interesting to see how the Tea Party withstands the elections in November, and see if their Founding Fathers’ ways can gain the attention they want.
1.http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hxAKZnLtirnSKOJtxpCZIHqUq61gD9IDQAR02
2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matt-kane/why-the-tea-party-energiz_b_735149.html?ir=Politics#
3. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20002529-503544.html
4. http://www.teaparty.org/images/2010Elections.pdf
PART I, I know this is long, but it's a good topic!
As the November election looms more attention is being drawn to a recent political movement, the Tea Party. The Tea Party arose in 2009 after the passing of some controversial legislation, including the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and the Health Care Reform legislation (6). Originally a protest group, the Tea Party has ballooned into a major influencer of public policy (2). The tea party's main principles are lower taxes and smaller government, the same issues that our founding fathers dealt with when forming a constitution (2). In fact, the Tea Party name comes from the Boston Tea Party when the colonists were protesting the monopoly on tea that the British government had. This idea is relevant in today's policies because Tea Party activists are most concerned with the growth of the Federal government, and limiting the control that the Federal government has on the individual. While some believe that conservative social issues such as abortion and gay marriage are also on the Tea Party's agenda, this in many cases is untrue (1). The first Tea Party members wanted to get away from hot social issues, and instead focus on more fiscal issues (1). The most interesting aspect of the Tea Party is that there is no single identity for a Tea Party member. While many people relate Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachman, and Senator Jim DeMint to the Tea Party movement, the vast majority of members are conservatives who come from a vast demographic, not uber "new" conservatives. The Tea Party is like an umbrella, all encompassing, and broad (1).
The Tea Party ended up playing a major role in this year's primaries. One of the biggest upsets in the primary season was newcomer and Tea Party member Christine O'Donnell's victory over moderate GOP member Mike Castle (3). This should be concerning for Republicans due to the fact that O'Donnell was shunned by the Republican party. While Castle was leading Democrat Chris Coons in the pre-primary poll, O'Donnell trails Coons by almost 15 points as the general election approaches (3). Another example of the Tea Party's role in the primaries is the Governor's race in Minnesota. Republican Tom Emmer received the backing of Sarah Palin and the Tea Party before the primary, and won the nomination in a landslide. However, recent polls show that Emmer is trailing Democrat Mark Dayton considerably in the polls (5). I think this shows the role that the Tea Party played in the primaries. While the candidates won their primaries, they are not faring exceptionally well in the general election, so far. While having Sarah Palin's backing may be a positive in the primary, it does not seem to help the candidates in the long run. This is because the Tea Party members are really enthusiastic about the election, and are going out of their way to get Tea Party candidates on the ballot. However, when it comes to the general election, representatives like Sarah Palin, skew the public's view of the tea party, alienate Republican party leadership, and pretty much ruin any chance they have of winning many seats (4).
PART II....
Unless the Tea Party can lose their image of being super Conservative, I see them being more of a hinderance than a help to the Republican party in the general election. Many people have strong feelings about Sarah Palin, and since she has been associated with the Tea Party, there are many strong feelings about the Tea Party. Even though Palin believes that, "It is just so inspiring to see real people — not politicos, not inside-the-Beltway professionals — come out and speak out and stand up for commonsense, conservative principles," I believe that the Tea Party movement is more about people who are politically active than the average American (4). I also view the Tea Party as a faction of the Republican party, which is also not a very positive thing. If Republicans dislike a Tea Party candidate then they won't vote for them and thus the Democrats will have a better chance of winning the seat. While the Tea Party was helpful in the primaries, since it generated so much excitement and enthusiasm, it will be difficult to have the same effect on the general election.
If the Tea Party gains a presence in the House or Senate in the general election, there will be many impacts on the system. While it is well known that the Republicans do not like the Democrats, it is not quite as well known that the Republicans do not like the Tea Party. More moderate conservatives view the movement as wacko and radical, and as a difficult spot for the Republicans to be in (2). The Republicans have the difficulty of trying to reign in the energy and motivation of the Tea Party without succumbing to its incoherence and far right policies, which is a daunting task (2). I see the Tea Party movement eventually dying a slow and painful death because either the Republican or Democrat party will overwhelm it. Its time for the Tea Party members, and those who are associated with it, to start looking forward and see that they must change their stance in order to be successful in November. They also must realize that associating with people such as Sarah Palin, is not necessarily a good idea when it comes to courting the public.
(1)http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/23/AR2010092304069.html
(2)http://www.newsweek.com/2010/09/18/the-tea-party-s-anarchist-streak.html
(3)http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/the-gaggle/2010/09/23/does-a-mike-castle-write-in-candidacy-in-delaware-make-sense.html
(4)http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,2021154,00.html
(5)http://minnesotaindependent.com/64881/minnesota-family-council-gay-marriage-governors-race
(6) http://www.northern-iowan.org/mobile/tea-time-isn-t-racist-time-1.2340208
Lately, there has been a fair amount of talk about a political group known as “The Tea Party” in the news. But what precisely is this Tea Party? I’d like to think that it is group of politicians and citizens alike getting together for some tea and cake, politely discussing the latest political news. Unfortunately, I’d be wrong to think that. Rather, what is known as “The Tea Party” is a controversial group primarily associated with the Republican Party, an offshoot of a political action committee that was created to support John McCain’s presidential campaign in 2008 (1). Despite it’s overwhelming association with the Republican Party, there are in fact different groups within the Tea Party that support different issues, and that that aren’t necessarily Conservative (1). Its name comes from the famous Boston Tea Party of 1773, which took place in retaliation of the British crown (2). The purpose of the organization is to call awareness to issues that challenge the security, sovereignty, and domestic security of the nation (2).
In the primaries, the Tea Party has been doing well, despite some people who have extreme opposition to it. Because the whole Republican Party has been doing well, it would be expected that the Tea Party has been doing well, though it does not make up the entire Party. Key Tea Party proponents running for Congress include Republican Christine O’Donnell from Delaware, running for a place in the House. O’Donnell won 53% to 47% against Moderate Delawarean Michael N. Castle in the latest primary (3).
O’Donnell stated that she believes that she will have support from Democrats and Independents and that if elected, she will work to repeal the health care bill (3). Still, some people within the Republican Party have their doubts about Tea Party candidates such as O’Donnell. Republican strategist, Karl Roves stated, “There’s just a lot of nutty things she [O’Donnell] has been saying that just simply don’t add up.” Others are concerned that the Tea Party will lessen the Republican Party’s ability to win majorities in Congress, because it is splitting the Party in half- those supporting the Tea Party and those who don’t (3). This will give the Democrats a chance to frame the election as a choice between a party that has a split platform, or one that is strong and together, rather than basing it on President Obama’s leadership and what he has and hasn’t done throughout his term as president so far (4).
I think it is very true, that though the Republicans turned out more in the primaries, if they are split between those who support the Tea Party and those who don’t, they could have a major problem in gaining control in either house of Congress come election day. When looking at previous elections in American History when a party was split, the split party was much less likely to triumph. The Presidential Election of 1912 is a fantastic example of such a split. Former President Theodore Roosevelt was disappointed with how the then current president, William Howard Taft, spent his time in office. When Taft was nominated again on the Republican ticket, Roosevelt decided to from his own party, the Bull Moose, or Progressive Party. This split the Republican Party in half, resulting in Democratic candidate, Woodrow Wilson’s triumph (5). If the Republicans aren’t careful in the coming weeks to this year’s mid term elections, the result could end up very much like the election of 1912. The Republicans, who had a fantastic turn out in the primaries, could lose that lead to the Democrats if the Tea Party continues to pull the Republicans apart.
Despite this worry, the once ignored group is now even more popular than either the Democrats or the Republicans. In fact, over half the electorates now identify themselves with the Tea Party in some way (6). The Tea Party might end up being disastrous for the Republican Party or it could be a huge success, not just in the midterm elections but also in the next presidential election in 2012 (6). Only time will tell whether this group, that seems to have swept into the world of politics, will triumph or fail. If they do end up prevailing in the, coming midterm election it is without a doubt that their agenda will be much different from the current Democratic majority.
Issues concerning the Tea Party include smaller government, lower taxes, and stricter interpretation of the Constitution (6). Certainly Health Care will be a concern. As many know, Conservatives were generally against the health care bill. Nevada Republican Sharron Angle went so far as to mock the need for autism treatment and maternity leave to be mandated at a Tea Party rally (7). If the Tea Party is to gain members in Congress, Democrats should definitely be concerned about the recent health care bill. Congress will definitely see pressure from the Tea Party to cut the federal deficit if Republicans are to gain a strong hold of it after the midterm elections (8). Likewise, if there is a major split between Tea Party conservatives and non tea party conservatives could lead to difficult decision making in Congress. If not, the Tea Party could essentially take over the Republican Party and further upset those unaffiliated with the organization.
Regardless of what happens in mid term election, the Tea Party will definitely have an affect on the government. If the Tea Party wins in Congress, there will be many changes in current policy. If they don’t win a majority in Congress, they will still continue to lobby what they believe in, regardless of what the nation thinks of them.
1) http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130020255
2) http://www.teaparty.org/about.php
3) http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/us/politics/15elect.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=tea%20party%20primary%20results&st=cse
4) http://abcnews.go.com/WN/christine-odonnell-tea-party-leaves-gop-hangover/story?id=11676100&page=2
5) http://americanhistory.about.com/od/politicalparties/p/bull_moose.htm
6) http://biggovernment.com/publius/2010/09/20/the-misunderstood-tea-party-movement/
7) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/22/sharron-angle-autism-health-care-coverage_n_735885.html
8) http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68G4GS20100917
With mid-term elections coming up in November, a group called the Tea Party is gaining speed and attracting attention in the news. The Tea Party is a conservative movement whose members are generally Republicans or Republican-leaning Independents [2]. They act the same way as Republicans in most situations, but are sometimes more conservative and want less government and taxes than moderate Republicans [2]. Most of them are unhappy with what Obama and Congress are doing with the country and are very concerned with our huge national debt [2]. Some people are accusing them of being racist because most of their members are white and they disapprove of Obama, who is black. Jonathan Rauch, a Tea Party expert explained that that wasn't true, it's just that their conservative platform is more appealing to well-educated whites [1]. He also said that he thinks they care more about changing the way people think about government so that they are more skeptical of it and don't want it to interfere in their daily lives [1].
The Tea Party played a much bigger role than many people were expecting in the primaries, achieving some huge upsets and gaining more popularity and awareness from the American public. Tea Party candidates defeated many GOP-endorsed candidates in the Republican primaries, which I believe is due to the fact that the people with the strongest views usually vote in the primaries and many of the candidates they defeated were very moderate [3]. The biggest upsets the Tea Party pulled of were in New Hampshire and Delaware [3].
I think that the Tea Party candidates that won the Republican primaries this year will fair poorly in the mid-term elections. This is because the Tea Party is such an extreme group and moderates that vote in the election are much more likely to vote for the less-extreme Democrat candidate in their state [4]. I think that this gives the Democrats a much better chance of keeping their majorities in the House and Senate.
If Tea Party candidates are elected into office, I think the major implication will be that there will be more policy gridlock in Congress. Tea Party members have very strong views and they will not be willing to compromise on most issues, nor will Democrats cede to their extreme ideas, so it will be very hard to get laws passed. Overall, I don't think many Tea Party candidates will be elected though, so I'm not sure how much of a problem there will be.
1) http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2010/09/15/129876488/who-is-the-tea-party-republicans-by-another-name
2) http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2010-07-01-tea-party_N.htm
3) http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/14/politics/main6865712.shtml
4) http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/2010_Elections/tea-party-label-hurt-republicans-midterm-elections-november/story?id=11383822
The Tea Party is not a political party per se; rather, it is a loose network of groups and people who generally support smaller government, lower taxes, eliminating government deficits, individual freedoms, and adherence to the U.S. Constitution. So far, its active members have been mostly conservatives who have voted for Republican candidates in the primary elections in 2010; however, many of the Tea Party’s members have strongly resisted creating formal leadership structures or joining the two existing main parties.
Many members of the media, and supporters of the Democratic Party, consider the Tea Party controversial. They have called Tea Party members racists and bigots because the majority of Tea Party supporters are white, they are more likely to be married than the country as a whole, and there are more men than women. Media members and Democrats also have labeled Tea Party members as extremists, and lately have taken to suggesting that some Tea Party candidates are mentally unstable. While the battles in politics can be aggressive, this name-calling seems over the top and unfair.
In the primary elections so far, Tea Party members have mostly voted in Republican primary elections. The Tea Party members have been very active in the Republican primaries, and have been credited with inspiring large increases in the number of people voting in those Republican primaries. While Republican officials have enjoyed the higher levels of turn out among Republican voters, the Tea Party activists have also created challenges for the Republicans.
The Tea Party voters are credited, or blamed, depending on one’s view, with the upset victories of newcomers over heavily-favored Republican incumbents in primary elections several U.S. Senate and Representative seats. These results have been especially surprising Alaska and Delaware, but there have been other major surprises in Florida, Colorado, New York and other states.
It is hard to predict what will be the impact of the Tea Party in the general election this fall. Many people, especially Republican supporters, believe the Tea Party will increase the number of voters, especially conservative voters, and this will help the Republicans win more elections. Those predicting this result basically are saying those candidates with Tea Party support will do well in the general elections just as they have in the primaries. Others, especially Democrats, argue that the Tea Party candidates will be viewed as extremists, and will be less successful. Because the Tea Party has no prior track record, it will be very interesting to see what actually happens in the general election.
If a large number of Tea Party candidates are elected this fall, Congress will certainly see some big changes. Tea Party members definitely are less beholden to the two traditional parties, interest groups and lobbyists. Tea Party candidates also are more conservative than Democrats and many traditional Republicans. A Congress with many Tea Party members very likely will be much more conservative than not only the current Democratic-controlled legislature, but also prior Congresses with more Republicans. Tea Party elected officials would almost surely oppose much of the agenda of President Obama, and one could expect lots of conflict between the Tea Party members and the President.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8005318/What-is-the-Tea-Party.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2010-07-01-tea-party_N.html
PART ONE
Starting up in 2009, the Tea Party is a conservative populist (an oxymoron for the ages) movement which has prided itself on protesting the policies of the Democrats in Washington DC. The Tea Party is socially and fiscally conservative, and their core tenets include a drastic reduction in government spending, Constitutionally limited government, and free markets (1). By far, the single most important issue to the Tea Party is the issue of taxes. The Tea Party believes that taxes are too high. but ironically, today's tax rates are lower than they were under President Reagan and only slightly higher than tax rates during the Eisenhower presidency (2). This is significant because Reagan and Eisenhower are remembered most for their small federal government, low federal tax policies. Additionally, the "truth checker," a nifty feature of Politifact.com, shows that many of the popular Tea Party leaders are inflating their campaigns with lies to make their incumbent opponents look bad. Not that this is anything new to politics, of course, but for a political faction whose entire platform is essentially based on the government not being representative of its people, it is doubly unacceptable for their leaders to be making some of the outrageous claims that they are. Sarah Palin, for instance, has spread blatant lies about President Obama's healthcare bill, claiming that it would establish "death panels" to decide whether or not the elderly were deserving of healthcare (3). Palin has also falsely claimed that the Democrats are preparing to impose the largest tax increases in history (4). Finally, fellow Tea Party leader Michele Bachmann has falsely argued that Speaker Pelosi has spent $100,000.00 of taxpayer money on alcohol (5).
In the primary elections, the Tea Party has shocked the Republicans. Before this year's election, many thought that the Tea Party was simply the trendy rebirth of the Republican Party, but now it appears that they are rejecting the Republicans entirely. Their anti-establishment message has left the GOP reeling to make friendly with primary winners like Christine O'Donnell, whom the GOP did not previously take seriously. O'Donnell is just one of many Tea Partiers to win primaries this year, who have won in Massachusetts, Alaska, Utah, Kentucky, and other states (6).
Somewhat related tangent: I just uncovered an article revealing that Christine O'Donnell's campaign finance records are now being reviewed by the Federal Elections Commission, as O'Donnell has been accused of twice violating campaign finance laws by accepting illegal contributions from Tea Party Express and using over $20,000 worth of campaign contributions from 2009 on living expenses (7).
PART TWO
In my opinion, the Tea Party is going to help out the Democrats in the upcoming general election. A recent poll conducted by Reuters shows that 42% of those interviewed would vote for the Democrats while 34% would vote for the Republicans (8). The Tea Party isn't included as an option in the poll, which will divide the smaller base of Republican-leaning interviewees. A division in Congress between the Republicans and the Tea Party should lead to Democrats still being the majority party, although they will likely have a much harder time getting things done as conservatives, whether they identify with the GOP or Tea Party, are likely to gain seats this fall.
If Tea Partiers are voted into office, they will probably use their strong opposition to the Democrats to create political gridlock and make sure the Democrats get nothing accomplished for President Obama. For Republicans, this means they will likely get to make this look like a massive failure for the Democrats and generate even more anti-Democrat sentiments to use in their favor in the 2012 elections.
(1) https://docs.google.com/View?id=dhsxmzm7_19fcdzskg5
(2) http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2010/sep/22/barack-obama/barack-obama-says-taxes-are-lower-today-under-reag/
(3) http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/aug/10/sarah-palin/sarah-palin-barack-obama-death-panel/
(4) http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2010/aug/04/sarah-palin/sarah-palin-said-democrats-planning-largest-tax/
(5) http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2010/sep/21/michele-bachmann/michele-bachmann-accuses-nancy-pelosi-spending-100/
(6) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/15/tea-party-republican-primary-victories
(7) http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Politics/christine-odonnell-criminal-claims-crew/story?id=11684882
(8) http://www.pollingreport.com/2010.htm
The Tea Party is a political movement pushing for policies that, in general, fall on the right side of the political spectrum, even more than the normal Republican party. They champion themselves as the “official grassroots American movement” (1) and their ideologies revolve around heavily conservative ways of thinking, such as locking tax rates at a fixed rate for everyone and lobbying for an amendment that keeps it that way, as well as sticking to the literal foundations of the Constitution (2). Many Tea Party-affiliated candidates are gaining support from Republican politicians, such as Governor Pawlenty, who has stated his support for Christine O’Donnel, a Senatorial candidate in Delaware who identifies herself with the Tea Party (3), as well as from Repuiblican pundits who yearn for a more conservative government.
As of the midterm primaries, the support some Republican politicians are showing these candidates is showing through already. Christine O’Donnell, already stated to be a Tea Party affiliate, won the Delaware Republican primary for the candidate for Senator, over a veteran member of the Senate, Mike Castle (4). Many other Tea Party candidates have won in primaries around the country, totaling 14, counting O’Donnell’s victory. The role the Tea Party candidates are playing is a simple one: they are showing that, in many places, Republicans are unhappy with the current direction of the government and feel we must move, to an extreme degree, in the other direction. This is seen because of exactly how the primaries work; when one votes at a primary, chances are one knows the stances of all the candidates there, and voters at Republican primaries, which it must be noted are the people who will most likely vote Republican no matter the candidate, are showing that the most conservative candidate is the one they want.
When it comes to the actual elections themselves, however, the Tea Party candidates will play an extremely different role. Though Tea Party candidates will likely get a large amount of votes, their overall effectiveness towards the Republican party as a whole will be limited. This is because of how far right on the political spectrum the Tea Party is; the way the spectrum works, there are not only the two sides, in a black-and-white fashion. There are differing degrees of where someone could land, from very left, to very right, to directly in the middle. Not only that, but it’s well known that, as one approaches the middle from either side, one would find more and more voters. This leads to the inarguable fact that the amount of voters under that fall within the range of the Tea Party (far right to mid right) is much less than your average Republican candidate. What comes to light is that the Tea Party’s highly conservative stances and views will alienate moderates en masse, possibly even right-leaning moderates, which could quite possibly lead to Democrats having a high amount of success against them.
Should some Tea Party candidates win their respective midterm elections, this would mean a myriad of things for Congress. Democrats would find themselves with people who would not support any motion that could truly be called liberal or otherwise classified on the left of the political spectrum, because of not only how far right the Tea Party lies, but also because of the inherent stigma within Republicans of voting with the Democrats on bills that are liberal in nature. With a significant enough amount of these types of Congressmen and Congresswomen, Democrats could have a difficult time getting anything they would like passed through. Republicans, on the other hand, would enjoy the support of people who would support any conservative motion that made its way through Congress, with a similar-but-opposite effect on how a significant enough amount would affect the votes.
1. Tea Party Patriots: http://www.teapartypatriots.org/
2. Tea Party Activists Unveil “Contract from America”: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/tea-party-activists-unveil-contract-america/story?id=10376437&page=1
3. Pawlenty Backs Tea Party Favorite O’Donnel: http://www.startribune.com/politics/blogs/103572389.html?elr=KArks:DCiUec7PaP3E77K_0c::D3aDhUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU
4. Christine O’Donnell’s Big Win In Delaware Sends Message to Republican Establishment: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/15/AR2010091506986.html
The Tea Party is a political interest group that emerged in 2009. The group is composed of extreme Conservatives, with well-known members such as Michelle Bachmann and Sarah Palin. When looking at the demographics of their members, the vast majority tends to be white males, over the age of 45 (1). The group is anti-President Obama and against the healthcare reform and the stimulus packages. In a recent poll, 92% of Tea Party members thought that President Obama is moving the country towards Socialism (1). That is just wrong. The President did what he needed to do in order to pull the country out of a spiraling bankruptcy, and some moderate Republicans approved his healthcare reforms.
Recently, Tea Party-backed Christine O’Donnell of Delaware defeated the originally favored veteran Republican candidate in the primary for the US Senate seat (1,2). This election truly showed how much strength the Tea Party has gained in the past year, now having the power to place their pick of candidates on the primary table.
In the general election, I fear that the Tea Party’s newfound strength will propel the Republicans to their predicted majority. There’s a lot of uncertainty in our country right now, and that can play into doubt of the Democratic Party’s power and President Obama’s presidency. The hopes lies in the Republican write-ins like Mike Castle for taking away votes from O’Donnell and evening out the playing field with the democrats (2).
If the Republicans and their Tea Party supporters do gain the majority in six weeks, the country will be seeing many extreme changes socially and economically. The Tea Party’s views are extreme, and they are not looking for a middle ground. The effects would be devastating on the Democrats in the sense that any work they would have gotten done with year could be repealed and completely driven over with Conservative force.
The country is changing in ways the Tea Party does not like. Diversity is spreading and with it, the group’s dislike of the way the Osama Administration is running the country. Sarah Palin was recently quoted referring to President Obama as “Barack Hussein”, emphasizing our President’s middle name in a negative way (deftly ignoring the fact he was born years before Saddam Hussein came into power) (3). I think that the Tea Party is a racist, homophobic, hateful, and cruel group festering in a society that is (socially acceptably) decades ahead of them.
1.http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/valerie_elverton_dixon/2010/09/tea_party_conservatism.html
2. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/senate/mike-castle-write-in-candidate.html
3. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/23/palin-calls-obama-barack-hussein/
1. Tea party was formed in 2009, a political party which rose mainly to protest American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The Act was signed to improve consumer spending, and create jobs during the recession period. Tea Party is mainly conservatives who want less government intervention on the economy. Tea Party is just like the Boston Tea Party which happened in 1773 when colonists protested various acts passed by the British Parliament. The whole idea of the party i think is a failure in politics since they are just taking some issues and protesting against it, but when it comes in terms of government Tea Party would be a failure
2. Tea Party is been doing very well recently in getting their message out the public. Some people who criticize the party because it is mainly focused on conservative values even though Tea Party movement like to think themselves as more independent. Tea Party isn't going to do much change in elections because they are not a big party and lot of people do not support their viewpoint in politics.
3. Tea Party won't have a big effect on General elections due to the fact that most are conservative and some are liberals which would make then a very minor group in politics. People will not be supporting them because their lack of experience as a political party in the mainstream politics they might draw some voters from right and left but it won't be big enough to make a difference.
4. I think Tea Party being elected will end up making Republicans and Democrats look weak because they will be protesting a lot and the Tea Party will end up combining Left and Right ideas together making them a big enemy for Democrats and Republicans.
Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126109933
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/09/14/100570/whats-the-tea-party-all-about.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/tea-party-movement
I would like to note that in the second half of my post, I refer to the "Osama Administration" instead of the "Obama Administration". I would like to thank my computer's aggressive spell check for that grammatical and social faux pas. Sorry!
The Party is a grass-roots movement that started in 2009 and grows out of a response to recent legislation such as the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 and health care reform bills(2). The Tea Party is not a political party, but most members describe themselves as conservatives or libertarians(5). Their goals are economically focused. The Tea Party wants to stop the growth of government and its increasing interference in people’s lives. Some of the group’s objectives are to stop tax hikes, cease out of control government spending, repeal government-run health care, and return to a constitutionally limited national government(1). Because the Tea Party is a grass-roots organization, it is made up of a lot of different groups whose opinions on some matters often vary(1). The economic and limited government goals help to unite the Tea Party by keeping the focus off of the more controversial issues. The economic platform also will attract more independent voters to vote for conservatives(1).
Tea Party candidates did surprisingly well in the primary elections. In numerous elections they took the position that was expected to go to Republicans(4). Christine O’Donnell from Delaware and Carl Paladino from New York were both opposed by Republicans and won(3). Tea Party candidates have been doing well partly because they address issues that relate to many middle class citizens such as the economy, health care, and the bailout. The Tea Party’s success could also be a sign that the political spectrum is moving towards the right(3).
In the general election, it is expected that the Republicans will lose some of their seats to the Tea Party because it will take away some conservative votes(4). However, the attention that the Tea Party brings to economic issues may sway some independent voters to the right which would help the Republicans(1). I think that overall the Tea Party will help Republicans more than the Democrats. By showing an even more conservative side to issues, the Tea Party will make Republicans appear more moderate. However, it is also possible that the Tea Party will appear so conservative that people will be inclined to vote for Democrats.
Some Republicans hope that the Tea Party members will align with them to make a majority in Congress, but this is unlikely. Although the Tea Party is generally conservative, it does not agree with Republicans on every issue(5). They tend to be even farther to the right side of the political spectrum, although every branch of the Tea Party has different views(1). If there is a significant number of Tea Party members in Congress, it will probably slow down the legislative process considerably since they are even more conservative than Republicans(6). Most likely, they will attempt to repeal or at least modify recent legislation, which would be good for the Republican Party. Tea Party members in Congress would not benefit Democrats because they are on opposite sides of the political spectrum. The only thing that might help is that if enough of them are elected, it could impede the Republican’s majority. It will be interesting to see how the coming elections turn out.
1. Right Pundits http://www.rightpundits.com/?p=6040
2. Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement
3. WSWS http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/sep2010/pers-s16.shtml
4. CBS http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/14/politics/main6865712.shtml
5. CBS http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/05/politics/main6364997.shtml
6. Examiner http://www.examiner.com/political-buzz-in-chicago/the-tea-party-what-if-it-wins-everything
This growing Tea Party is a branched, more conservative version of the Republican platform (1). They are generally considered racist, seeing as how most of them have Anglo-Saxon blood and owing to the large numbers rich white conservatives, they are also thought of as prejudiced against gays and lesbians (1). Though the Tea Party is gaining support, they haven’t yet reached legal political party status; they’re pushing for minor party status in Connecticut and hope to receive enough signatures to obtain this (3). They’re main ideas are that the nation’s debt is damaging our future, terrorism is an extreme threat, and that the federal government has overstepped its bounds and needs to relinquish some of its powers (1).
The primary elections offered a place to gain ground in Congress. Christine O’Donnell has recently taken the seat of nine-term Representative Michael Castle who happened to be a moderate Republican (2). Tea Party candidates’ radical views have sparked interest in some people to shift their views more to the right and less from the middle (4). Their newfound energy driven has given them a bigger name, causing their image to be placed out there for all to see, in turn, attracting more supporters (2). The primaries may have hindered the Republican Party in gaining positions in the general election against the currently weaker Democratic Party (4).
If the primaries were a test of support, then the generals will be finals (5). Democrats will enjoy that people like Christine O’Donnell won the primaries because they view her and her comrades as easier to beat than Republican moderates (6). The Tea Party’s role will be to show the country that they’re here to stay and their message is strong.
If by chance, they do end up getting elected, that will mean many things for both Republicans and Democrats. The constant war to pass legislation will be gridlocked against liberals (2). The message that is going to be conceived is that of ‘no compromise’ among ultraconservatives, forcing many Republicans to alter their stance on such hot-button topics like abortion (2). O’Donnell has made it increasingly clear that politics as usual will change, especially for moderate Republicans who will likely be stuck standing over a pallet of hot coals (6). No matter the outcome of the election, the Tea Party is here to stay and speak as loudly as anyone will listen.
1) http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2010-07-01-tea-party_N.htm
2) http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68L5RQ20100922
3) http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/02/tea-party-seeks-to-become-a-political-party-in-connecticut/35349/
4) http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/14/politics/main6865712.shtml
5) http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/120149-delaware-a-test-for-tea-party-
6) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/15/christine-odonnell-tea-party-delaware
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A controversial new political group arose in 2009: the Tea Party. The Tea Party is a group which believes that they are challenged to confront the issues of domestic tranquility, security, and sovereignty of the United States of America. Some issues that they highlight as core beliefs are the need for a strong military, government to be downsized, a national budget to be balanced, intrusive government to be halted, and reducing personal and business income taxes. This group believes that political offices should be available to average citizens because the Tea Party believes that “we the people” are the owners of the United States. The Tea Party feels that they can bring the country back to its core beliefs which are centered around the constitution and the Bill of Rights (1). The Tea Party movement does not stand for excessive government spending and taxation. The Tea Party wishes to educate the people on their core values of Fiscal Responsibility, Free Markets, and Constitutionally Limited Government (2).
The Tea Party played a key role in primary elections, with a few major victories by Christine O’Donnell, a Deleware Senator, and Carl Paladino, part of the New York gubernational primary (3). It was a dangerous primary season for many who crossed the Tea Party. The Tea Party greatly affected primary elections for Governor, the Senate and the House. Important Tea Party members who have made a difference in this years primaries are Rand Paul, Sharron Angle, Ken Buck, Mike Lee, Charles Lollar, Allen West, and more (4). The list of Tea Party members who have been visible in this years primaries are extensive, and represents the right-winged groups strength. However, Democrats and Republicans are not out of the picture, the Tea Party is just one aspect of the primaries.
In the general election, many should take notice of the Tea Party, and their strength. The Tea Parties strength will cause a rise in voters of all parties taking to the polls. General Elections will be affected by all parties because 57% of citizens do not believe that President Obama has a plan. He also has a 45% approval rate, according to a CNN poll, indicating that support for democrats is down. Likewise, the CNN poll shows that Republican support is down. With so much skepticism, this is a chance for Tea Party candidates to educate citizens about government and make voters skeptical of big government (5). The Tea Party certainly seems to be fired up. However, the Tea Party probably will not gain much ground in the general elections in terms of victories, because many people identify the group as right-winged radicals. Frankly, the majority of citizens of the United States do not identify themselves as right-winged radicals, or even as people with strong conservative values (6).
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Yet on the chance Tea Party candidates are elected into Congress, this means Republican and Democratic Parties will have to take an extra step to try to secure the public. While it is not necessarily bad that the Tea Party movement has surfaced, it shows that Democrat and Republican’s ratings are dismal and that people are fed up with how the government is currently handling issues. Gaining seats in Congress for the Tea Party would be a huge step as they are not one of our two main political parties. Representation of the Tea Party in Congress would also potentially swing current policies different directions, slowing down the legislation process. Also, with seats taken by the Tea Party, there is a potential that Republicans would not have a majority anymore (7). These elections will be crucial in evaluating Americas stance on issues, and political parties.
1.) http://www.teaparty.org/about.php
2.)http://www.teapartypatriots.org/Mission.aspx
3.) http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/sep2010/pers-s16.shtml
4.) http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2010/09/14/us_tea_party_wins
5.) http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6873301n
6.) http://www2.highlandstoday.com/content/2010/sep/17/la-will-tea-party-wins-continue-through-general-el/
7.)Examiner http://www.examiner.com/political-buzz-in-chicago/the-tea-party-what-if-it-wins-everything
The Tea Party is not an actual political party, but more a part of the Republican Party. It is an interest group that emerged in 2009 in protest to certain acts passed by Congress, such as the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, a series of Health Care reform bills, etc(1). In recent polls 18 percent of Americans identified themselves as strong Tea Party supporters. Many of the 18 percent are wealthy Caucasians, and about one third are from the South(2). The group is named after the Boston Tea Party, witch was were a group of colonists dumped tea into Boston Harbor as a sign of retaliation against Britain’s tax. This corresponds with the Tea Parties agenda quite well, because they are all about smaller government, and decreasing of taxes(1). The Tea Party is meant to be more of a fiscal party than a social party. Some of its goals are to adopt a single rate tax system, authorize drilling of American Petroleum reserves, limit annual growth of Federal spending, repeal recent Health Care reform legislation, and require all future legislation to pass a “Constitutionality test”(1).
The Tea Party played a surprising role in the primaries this year. There were a number of upsets, significantly in Delaware where Tea Party Republican Christine O’Donnell beat out, the nine-term Representative, Mike Castle(3). There were further upsets in New Hampshire where Tea Party supporter Ovide Lamontagne defeated Kelly Ayotte(3). These are only a few examples of the influence that the Tea Party had on the primaries, but from the overall turn out, it appears that many voters are agreeing with the Tea Party’s main idea of smaller government.
Because of the great effect the Tea Party had in the primaries, it is bound to play a dominant role in the outcome of the general elections. Some say that the Tea Party support will continue to generate Republican votes, in part because of Obama’s now below 50 percent popularity(3). Others say that the Tea Party will be the downfall of the Republican Party in the November elections. For example, in the Nevada primaries, the Tea Party’s Sharron Angle was elected. Polls showed that people would have voted for a mainstream candidate, in November, over the Democrat Harry Reid, but because Angle is too extreme of a conservative they would most likely vote for Reid(4). Some of the Tea Party members’ radical views are also a concern. Tea Party supporter Mike Lee, for example, wants to abolish whole departments such as education and energy, and wants to get the government completely out of Health Care(4). Views like these do not usually go along with the majority.
If the Tea Party does get elected to Congress it could mean a big change for the Republicans and Democrats, but probably not. I do not believe that this one interest group can all of a sudden take control of government, and implement extreme changes. If a good number of Tea Party members do get elected, however, there could be small changes like slight decreases in federal government, because of the majority of conservative views in Congress. For Republicans, this rise in Tea Party significance could mean that they would become more conservative as a way to conform to the Tea Party, or they could become more moderate as a way to balance out the Republican Party. As for the Democrats, it is possible that they would become much more liberal as a way to make there voices heard in the conservative majority, or they could move more towards the middle in the hopes of acquiring a greater amount of support from the people.
Sources:
(1)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement
(2)http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20002529-503544.html
(3)http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/14/2010-primary-results-new-york-delaware-new-hampshire_n_715810.html
(4)http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/15/tea-party-primary-candidates-gop
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Lately we’ve been hearing a lot about politics in the news , due mostly to the recent mid-term elections, and partly because the political parties know that the end of President Obama’s first term is nearing. One new thing that has been popping up everywhere is a term that I’m sure is confusing to anyone who isn’t well- informed about politics. This term is the Tea Party. No, I’m not talking about the imaginary games that four year old girls play with their beloved stuffed animals. The Tea Party is not quite a third party, but its increasing power and influence make it more of a threat than many other interests groups. So you’re probably wondering, why are they called the Tea Party...and why do I care about them at all? Well unless you’re ridiculously conservative, you should be at least moderately worried. The name Tea Party is a reference to the Boston Tea Party of the 1700’s (1). Members of the group say that it is an appropriate name because the BTP directly defied the government that the colonists had at the time, they were expressing their outrage at the British laws being imposed on them. Similarly, the modern Tea Party opposes the government vehemently. They appeared on the political scene in 2009 after the passing of such controversial legislation as the economic stimulus plan and the health care reform bill (1). The two biggest things they stand for are lower taxes and limited government (1 and 3), which sound good in theory, but they way the Tea Party proposes to do this is what I believe to be cruel. One way they would lower taxes is to cut spending in the welfare area (1). That’s a pretty critical thing in our society. Millions of people live below the poverty line, and this is rarely (if ever) because they are the stereotypical “homeless bums who only want your money for alcohol”...but I digress. What I’m really getting at are some of the things that Tea Party members are for and against. The two that were already mentioned are the key ideas, but other members are divided on dome other issues. However, this is not because the disagree necessarily, but because some think that there are bigger issues at hand (3). The public generally knows that the Tea Party is a kind of faction of the Republican party (many believe it to be extremist), and they know that it has been endorsed by no other than Caribou Barbie herself, Sarah Palin. Palin shares the same beliefs as many of the TP, such as anti-abortion, anti-sex education, anti-gay marriage... a lot of ‘anti’ positions as well as the usual things one expects a Republican to agree with (2).
The Tea Party is a political movement where a group of people are protesting how the government is working. They feel that the government has gotten too big and powerful and that the nation is in great peril (1). Nearly all of them think that the nation's debt is going to be a huge threat in the future and that President Obama and members of Congress shouldn't be up for re-election (1). They are an interest group who sees themselves as more conservative. Yes, they have both liberal and conservative view points but they feel the government is doing too much (1). Such liberal viewpoints are
that they oppose abortion, they feel it is wrong and people shouldn't be allowed to practice it (3). A conservative viewpoint is their idea of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. They feel that handing out money to people could be dangerous, especially if they don't know where the money is coming from (4). Even though they have a variety of viewpoints, their core belief that government should be small makes them more conservative. I have yet to hear of a single person who is all left or all right in the political spectrum.
I believe that the Tea Party didn't have a significant role in the primaries. There are 36 seats in the Senate up for re-election (5) and in only 8 of them, did the backing Tea Party make any difference (2). In the House all of the seats are up for re-election and in 5 of them did the backing of the Tea Party help out a political runner (2). To me this doesn't seem like the Tea Party did much, although most of the voters who show up for the primaries are either strong right or strong left. The primaries aren't the real prize to most political figures. The general elections in November are what counts. I feel that the Tea Party has split the Republican party in two (6). All over the country, Tea Party candidate's are winning over the traditional Republicans, who are more moderate (6). This means that the moderates who lean more Republican might not want the extreme measures the Tea Party proposes and vote Republican. It will be a big toss up for who will
be able to stay together. The Republicans do have one very important factor on their side. The voter turnout is said to be in favor of the Republicans due to the Democrats poor job in Congress and as President (6).
If Tea Party members are elected into Congress, it could be bad for both Democrats and Republicans, more so for Democrats though (7). The Tea Party members will probably try to stop anything the Democrats through in the pot. This is due to the clash of ideals between the two, less government for the Tea Party and more government for the Democrats. The Republicans could also be hurt in anything they try to accomplish too if it's too liberal for the Tea Party members. Traditional Republicans seem to me more moderate than their right-sided Tea Party brothers. All of this could lead to a political stand-still in Congress, unless the Democrats and Republicans can learn to compromise so that they can both be somewhat happy. To me if too many Tea Party members are elected into Congress, there is a chance that President Obama will have a stand-off with Congress.
Sources:
(1)http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2010-07-01-tea-party_N.htm
(2)http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2010/09/14/us_tea_party_wins
(3)http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/Tea-Partiers-oppose-abortion_-not-just-deficits-958613-103556329.html
(4)http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-1424
(5)http://uspolitics.about.com/od/elections/tp/2010_congressional_election.htm
(6)http://www2.highlandstoday.com/content/2010/sep/17/la-will-tea-party-wins-continue-through-general-el/
(7)http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/georgia-reps-others-bring-575637.html
Part 1
Everyday a new story or blog appears critiquing the Tea Party. The media portrays the group as of hate mongers or as a group working to save the U.S. from evil. The truth is that the Tea Party is a decentralized organization that succeeds under this structure just like Craigslist or Wikipedia. These groups use the organization strategies outline in the book “The Starfish and the Spider” in which co-author Rob Beckstorm divides organizational strategies into categories of a starfish and spider. Spider like organizations are very centralized and the loss of that central power would cripple an organization like the loss of a spiders head. The Tea Party is like a starfish with many different limbs and each limb is important to the organizations success, but the loss of a limb will not cripple the organization. The power in organizations that are run following the starfish model is shared among each branch (1). The Tea Party is made up of mainly middle aged men who upset with the federal government and social change. The organization resembles the 1960’s New Left. The Tea Party is made up of people who share similar backgrounds. The New Left was looking for a more accepting age; the Tea Party is looking to bring the country back to a paradise based on capitalism and the constitution (2).
Part 2
All across the country stories have come out during the primary election season of Tea Party supported candidates shocking incumbents in elections. The latest example is Christine O’Donnell beating Mike Castle in the Republican primary. O’Donnells victory was surprising because her opponent in Castle is a well respected lawmaker and many considered him to have the greatest chance of winning the seat. O’Donnell used the support she garnered from the Tea Party to spring the upset (3). Other candidates that have cashed in on their Tea Party support are gubernatorial candidate Marco Rubio, Colorado Ken Buck, senator Scott Brown, and South Carolina gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley (6).The success of the Tea Party’s can also seen by the increase in vigor of Republicans as nationwide they cast 18 million ballots in primaries compared to the 15 million cast by Democrats. (4)
The success of the Tea Parties in the Primary election should be a warning to Democrats and Republicans that the Tea Parties will affect the General elections. Already Tea Party backed candidates have pushed more main stream Republicans out of the general election with their victories in Republican Primaries. Democrats and Republicans can’t afford to take the Tea Party lightly. Democrats like to criticize Tea Party candidates for being inexperienced, but the candidates listed above all have lengthy political careers prior running for their current office. Republicans try to use the Tea Party as a grass -roots organization when in truth the Tea Party has many influential people supporting the party (6). The success of the Tea Party hinders on the success of these arguments convincing voters that the Tea Party supported candidates are not the best candidate.
Tea Party victories in Congress would be applauded by Republicans who would be forced to show support for such candidates or risk seeing the dirty laundry of the party. Democrats would be in tough shape if such conservative candidates would take back seats Democrats had just taken over 2 years ago. Democrats would be further hurt if the elections of Tea Party candidates made them loose their majority in Congress. The Tea Party is like an NCAA tournament Cinderella who never know how much it will affect old establishment.
1. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129310098
2. http://www.newsweek.com/2010/09/18/the-tea-party-s-anarchist-streak.html
3. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/42199.html
4. http://blogs.wsj.com/capitaljournal/2010/09/23/the-2010-primaries-some-parting-thoughts/
5. http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/the-gaggle/2010/09/20/daily-debunk-the-myth-of-the-inexperienced-tea-partiers.html
6. http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/the-gaggle/2010/09/20/daily-debunk-the-myth-of-the-inexperienced-tea-partiers.html
In this year’s elections, a new group, calling itself the “Tea Party,” is emerging as a real contender. What is the Tea Party though? The Tea Party seems to be a group of highly conservative people, led by no one individual, who want to take away some of the power that government holds and give it back to the people (1). Many people claim that Sarah Palin is the leader of this group, but the group claims that it has no specific leader (1). Tea Party Patriots also claim that they are not actually a part of the Republican party, but an option that is good for Democrats and moderates, too (1).
The Tea Party made an impressive bang in the primaries. The Tea Party won two specific nominations that were pretty major. First, Christine O’Donnell of the Tea Party won the Republican nomination for senator in Delaware (2). O’Donnell beat an experienced congressman in the primary, surprising and alarming the Republicans (2). Another major win for the Tea Party was Carl Paladino’s win of the Republican nomination for governor of New York (2). The Tea Party surprised many people with their excellent showing in the primaries.
The Tea Party is not likely to actually win many positions in the November elections Christine O’Donnell, for instance, only has a 15-20% chance of winning according to Republicans currently in DC (3). The nomination of so many Tea Party members (seven for Senate seats) has taken away some of the likelihood that the GOP would recover a majority in the Senate (4). Republicans who are more towards the middle of the political spectrum mostly do not want to vote for Tea Party candidates because they are so far to the right (4). This might help the Democrats retain the majority. So the main role that the Tea Party will probably play in the general election is the role of losing votes for the Republicans.
If Tea Party Patriots were elected into Congress, that means that the Democrats would probably have lost the majority and will be at the mercy of the Republicans. The Democrats will also have another group with somewhat different ideas and a different agenda than them. The Republicans would probably have won the majority and would have more control over the Senate. However, part of that majority would consist of Tea Party members who, while also being conservative, don’t necessarily agree with some of what the GOP generally stands for, since they deny being part of the GOP and everything. If the Tea Party candidates get elected to Senate, both parties will have some new struggles to deal with.
1. The New Patriot Journal http://www.newpatriotjournal.com/Articles/Tea_Party_Patriots_Dispute_Claims_that_Sarah_Palin_is_the_Tea_Party_Leader
2. The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/16/opinion/16thu1.html
3. National Public Radio http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129940280
4. Time http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,2019504,00.html
It is assumed that Ron Paul created the Tea Party movement in his race for the Republican nomination for President in 2008, naming his movement after the famous rebellious act, the Boston Tea Party (1). People in support of the movement lobby for fiscal responsibility, low taxes, and minimal government involvement. They are against all forms of authority, and preach a “capitalist-constitutionalism” paradise. They wish for a time before “socialist” interference like that by Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal. They complain about the “liberal media” and politicians putting the needs of minorities, the poor, the rich, and immigrants over those of the “hard-working, middle-class taxpayers.” They Protest plenty, but offer no alternative to the policies they oppose. The icing on the crazy cake are the faces of their movement. Glenn Beck, Fox News Correspondent, and Sarah Palin, former Vice-Presidential nominee and Governor of Alaska (2).
The most recent and media-popular example of a Tea Party candidate winning a state primary is Christine O'Donnell in Delaware. However, Tea Party candidates have also won in 8 Senate contests, a few GOP governors' races, and several House races (3). These surprising wins by the spreading Tea Party movement have increased far right Republican activity and have even overturned formerly held traditional Republican seats (1).
Like in the primary elections, it has been estimated that Tea Party candidates could take seats held by both Democrats and traditional Republicans during the general elections (1). Republicans hope for an upset over the Democrats, while Democrats hope for a split in the Republican party over the radical views of members of the Tea Party (4).
Republicans wish for a way to harness the Tea Party's energy without succumbing to their crazy,
Democrats are ignoring the problem now, hoping that the favor will spill into their hands. But if the Tea Party gains enough steam to make it into Congress, it may turn into a huge problem. The bright-side for the Democrats is the hope that the movement could split up the Republican party enough for them to get things done. The Republican party can only hope that the Tea Party Express pulls into Congress with enough power for them to pass the legislation that they want to see done (2).
1.http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5797034/what_is_the_tea_party_movement_pg2.html?cat=9\
2.http://www.slate.com/id/2267685/
3.http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/09/14/682338/a-look-at-the-tea-party-movements.html
4.http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/15/nation/la-na-tea-party-20100916
The Tea Party is not actually a political party, but rather a political movement. The tea party movement was formed from protests against taxpayer bailouts of the US economy and Obama’s healthcare reform [2] [5]. It is a Grassroots movement, meaning it is driven by the politics of a community [1]. Tea Partiers are brought together by common political beliefs, which are generally more economically focused. Common views of the Tea Party include limiting government, removing special interests, anti bailout and stimulus plans, stronger military, and removal of illegal aliens [3]. There is no specific leader of the conservative group, but Sarah Palin has become a name generally associated with the movement. In terms of supporters, the statistical majority of those who affiliate themselves with the Tea Party are white males, older than 25, who canister themselves mostly conservative [2]. The tea party is said to have more than 6 million “members” [3].
The Tea Party played a significant role in this year’s primary elections. In some cases, Newcomers to politics who waved the flag of the Tea Party had great success over other, perhaps more experienced candidates. Christine O’Donnell, a woman from Delaware with no previous political experience got the republican nomination with the backing of Sarah Palin. These races are string conflict in the Republican Party, with divisions on who to vote for. Other Tea Partiers who won primaries include Kelly Ayotte, for New Hampshire’s senate seat, and Carl Paladino for New York state governor.
A question that is still up in the air is the effect the Tea Party will have on the general election this year. Although it is true that tea party members have been upsetting republican endorsed candidates in the primaries, it is still too early to tell the long term effect the group will have. One reason for this is the relatively short amount of time they have been around. Although an overstatement, one republican analyst described the Tea Party as, “lots of noise, no muscle” [6]. Although they are definitely a group that is gaining support, the tea party lacks central organization. They have no clear leader who drives the organization's message, organizes followers and raises money. The movement needs someone who can help them decide whether to influence the current political system or try to dismantle it.
If more tea partiers are elected to congress then both parties need to be careful. Democrats should be worried because the tea party formed in rebellion to actions of the Obama administration. If tea partiers become a loud enough voice, Democrats will be forced to make changes. Republicans also have to be careful of how to treat this movement. They have to figure out weather to support particular candidates with similar conservative views, or reject them. The republican should be worried because they have conservatives that they don’t necessarily control, conservatives who could take away from their supporters and lead to internal conflict within the party.
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grassroots
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement
3. http://www.teaparty.org/about.php
4. http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6870295n&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CBSNewsTheEarlyShowLiving+(CBS+News%3A+The+Early+Show%3A+Living)
5. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1312118/Tea-Party-Christine-O-Donnell-triumphs-Delaware-Kelly-Ayotte-New-Hampshire.html
6. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/05/politics/main6364997.shtml
The Tea Party is not actually a political party, but rather a political movement. The tea party movement was formed from protests against taxpayer bailouts of the US economy and Obama’s healthcare reform [2] [5]. It is a Grassroots movement, meaning it is driven by the politics of a community [1]. Tea Partiers are brought together by common political beliefs, which are generally more economically focused. Common views of the Tea Party include limiting government, removing special interests, anti bailout and stimulus plans, stronger military, and removal of illegal aliens [3]. There is no specific leader of the conservative group, but Sarah Palin has become a name generally associated with the movement. In terms of supporters, the statistical majority of those who affiliate themselves with the Tea Party are white males, older than 25, who canister themselves mostly conservative [2]. The tea party is said to have more than 6 million “members” [3].
The Tea Party played a significant role in this year’s primary elections. In some cases, Newcomers to politics who waved the flag of the Tea Party had great success over other, perhaps more experienced candidates. Christine O’Donnell, a woman from Delaware with no previous political experience got the republican nomination with the backing of Sarah Palin. These races are string conflict in the Republican Party, with divisions on who to vote for. Other Tea Partiers who won primaries include Kelly Ayotte, for New Hampshire’s senate seat, and Carl Paladino for New York state governor.
A question that is still up in the air is the effect the Tea Party will have on the general election this year. Although it is true that tea party members have been upsetting republican endorsed candidates in the primaries, it is still too early to tell the long term effect the group will have. One reason for this is the relatively short amount of time they have been around. Although an overstatement, one republican analyst described the Tea Party as, “lots of noise, no muscle” [6]. Although they are definitely a group that is gaining support, the tea party lacks central organization. They have no clear leader who drives the organization's message, organizes followers and raises money. The movement needs someone who can help them decide whether to influence the current political system or try to dismantle it.
If more tea partiers are elected to congress then both parties need to be careful. Democrats should be worried because the tea party formed in rebellion to actions of the Obama administration. If tea partiers become a loud enough voice, Democrats will be forced to make changes. Republicans also have to be careful of how to treat this movement. They have to figure out weather to support particular candidates with similar conservative views, or reject them. The republican should be worried because they have conservatives that they don’t necessarily control, conservatives who could take away from their supporters and lead to internal conflict within the party.
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grassroots
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement
3. http://www.teaparty.org/about.php
4. http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6870295n&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CBSNewsTheEarlyShowLiving+(CBS+News%3A+The+Early+Show%3A+Living)
5. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1312118/Tea-Party-Christine-O-Donnell-triumphs-Delaware-Kelly-Ayotte-New-Hampshire.html
6. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/05/politics/main6364997.shtml
The Tea Party is a rising political interest group with a primary focus on a constitutionally limited government, personal liberties, and fiscal responsibilities (1). Members of the Tea Party differ between far right-extremists, and modern Republican views, and represent a group who wants to go back to the times when the US Federal Government had more restraints on their power (5). Women are playing a major role in the advancement of the Tea Party, including former Vice Presidential Candidate, Sarah Palin, and Minnesota Representative, Michele Bachmann (4). The women at the forefront of the Tea Party are gaining voter support and effectively voicing their opinions to the middle-class and other voters who have been greatly affected by the economic recession, and those who are seeking a change in fiscal policies.
The Tea Party has caused major upsets in the Republican Party primary elections by taking out the Republican Party favorites in several states, including candidate Christine O’Donnell, who won the primary in Delaware to become the state’s Republican nominee (3). “Tea Partiers” have also taken root in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, Nevada, and Utah (2). Both Democrats and Republicans are feeling the growing presence of the Tea Party, and need to procure their die hard voters to limit the rise of the Tea Party in the midterm elections.
The general election is going to be affected by the rising influence if the Tea Party. Tea Party candidates are making a name for themselves in states like Delaware, Alaska, and Connecticut (2). Middle class and some other working voters may feel drawn to the Tea Party ideology, through the idea of government reform and tax cuts, and this may take seats away from the Democratic and Republican Parties (2). The differences between the Tea Party and Republican Party’s ethos could cause a divide in Congress after the November midterm elections, and this could lead to more separation of political views in the Senate.
With the Tea Party’s growing influence and support, they could continue to gain the Republican nominee position from Republican Party approved politicians, and cause a growing divide between the two groups’ ideologies. Members of the Tea Party can be extreme compared to other Republican Party members, and this can result in incoherent policies from the Republican Party. The Democrats must also be aware of the rising popularity of the Tea Party. Democrats may find themselves struggling with the public criticism of the Democrat’s economic policy, and will have to compete with the sweeping change for a less centralized government, that the Tea Party is advocating (5).
1) http://thehill.com/capital-living/bookshelf/120705-authors-dissect-tea-party-movement
2) http://www.themilitant.com/2010/7437/743705.html
3) http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/sep/22/gop-cash-fills-coffers-of-tea-party-hopefuls/
4) http://politics.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/peter-roff/2010/09/23/the-tea-party-movement-is-a-womens-movement
5) http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/120099-clinton-to-dems-dont-underestimate-tea-party-movement
Contrary to what one would assume from an organization with “party” at the end of its name, the Tea Party is not an organized political party. Essentially, the Tea party is a conservative movement inspired by the Boston Tea Party [1]. They have no central head, instead relying on small local Tea Party groups in individual communities to power their movement. Tea Party beliefs are primarily centered around the idea that government has recently played far too large a part in the lives of U.S. citizens [2]. Increased taxation and unruly government spending are both topics that Tea partiers are particularly passionately against with certain level of religious morality behind driving their ideas home [3].
In the primary races, the Tea Party has already seen success. Carl Paladino, a self proclaimed member of the Tea Party, recently won the Republican bid for Governer of New York [4]. In addition, Tea-Party-backed Christine O'Donnell won the Republican bid for Senator of Delaware [4]. The Tea Party has shown strength in it's ability to influence the primaries thus far.
In the general election, the Tea Party will most likely command considerable power and influence over moderate voters. Their positions and ideology are favorable to a seemingly large majority of the population in contrast to the current administration's public policy. A poll conducted by NBC and the Wall Street Journal demonstrated the Tea Party's popularity, with more than 40 percent of voters approving of the Tea Party compared to 35 percent for the Democrats and 28 percent for the Republicans [1].
If Tea Party members are elected into government, the political climate would certainly change. Republicans likely would have more powerful sway in some aspects, but in the same way may become too far right for progress to be made [1]. While Congress may shift right if Tea Party members are elected, this does not necessarily mean they will have success in passing legislation. With even more differing opinions, complete gridlock could occur.
[1]http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-big-question-what-is-the-tea-party-movement-and-could-it-change-us-politics-1875229.html
[2]http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2010-07-01-tea-party_N.htm
[3]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/15/what-is-the-tea-party-mov_n_717774.html
[4]http://www.themilitant.com/2010/7437/743705.html
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The name “Tea Party” originates from the “nation's revolutionary beginnings” where the colonists revolted against England because of taxes, and dumped tons of tea into the harbor to retaliate. (3.) There is no such thing as a “Tea Party” party. The members of the group would consider themselves independents trying to get their opinions heard. The Tea Party is a political organization that shares common beliefs and goals mainly with the Republican Party. A year and a half after the Tea Party was introduced three of ten Americans described themselves as Tea Party supporters — equal to the number of people who call themselves Republicans. (1.) Like Republicans, many of the Tea Party members stand for limited government, lower taxes and fiscal restraint. (2.) They strive to reach these goals by electing candidates that agree with them.
In the primary election the Tea Party got a number of their supported candidates in the races. Tea Party supporters are more likely to vote in primaries because they are generally more engaged in the year's elections than others citizens. (1.) Most of the non- Tea Party citizens that vote are usually extremely left or right. The role the Tea Party had in the primaries this year were surprising. Outsider Christine O’donnell beat GOP favorite and 9 term Mike Castle, shocking the GOP establishment. America was also surprised with Tea Party backed Carl Paladio defeating former congressman Rick Lazio in New York, another GOP favorite. (4.) The unexpected turnout may be because members of the Tea Party think that government has gotten too big and powerful in the past few years. Nine out of ten of the members think that federal debt will threaten the future. They also agree that neither President Obama nor most members of Congress deserve re-election. (5.) A survey in the New York Times showed that eighteen percent of the supporters of the Tea Party are people who have not lost their jobs, who have health care already, and are very pessimistic towards our country. (6.)
In the general election they will play no direct role between Republicans and Democrats. Tea Party endorsed candidates will win some and lose some votes. (4.) For example, in Kentucky, Rand Paul has been supported by the tea-party Republicans. The media has talked about how his primary victory could cost Republicans a competitive Senate seat. The most recent Rasmussen poll shows Paul with a 9-point lead. He has led in every poll taken in the three months since his nomination. His opponent has not gotten above 42 percent in the polls all summer.(2) I think that they will win more votes because from what I have read, many Americans just want the basic constitutional core back instead of strictly Republican, and strictly Democratic parties.
Since they are not a third party they will do nothing directly to either of the parties. If candidates that are supported by the Tea Party are elected into Congress a few specific things will occur. For example, tax cuts President Bush administered will probably not be repealed, there will be less federal government regulation, and taxes government is putting of small businesses will be reduced. Congress will become more Conservative, and Democrats will lose some control.
1.http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2010-07-01-tea-party_N.htm
2.http:// www.nationalreview.com/articles/245269/welcome-party-michael-tanner
3.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement
4.http://www.teaparty.org/article.php?id=237
5.http://biggovernment.com/publius/2010/09/20/the-misunderstood-tea-party-movement/
6.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126109933
The tea party is a large group of people who are spontaneous and loosely affiliated. What they have in common is their stored anger towards the size and scope of the National government. They hate deficit spending and are attempting to beat President Obama’s “radical” agenda [1]. They are basically Independents who once called themselves republicans. They typically vote republican but the party is not of interest to them [2]. They strongly appose tax increases because they believe possession is essential to American freedom. They believe the way the government is moving today contradicts what the founding fathers intended for America [1].
The tea party is actually witnessing victories in the primaries such as Christine O’Donnell in the senatorial primary in Delaware and Carl Paladino in the New York gubernatorial primary. This is angering to the republican part they won over. This is strong evidence showing America’s anger with the current system and the way things are being run. These elections are showing low turn outs. An Alaskan primary with a tea party victory had about a 20 percent voter turn out [3]. In the general election the tea party with play a part in stealing Republican votes and possibly winning some seats. They will especially get votes from people who are not happy with the way President Obama is running things.
If the tea part wins seats in congress it might almost be like there are three main political parties instead of just two. Many Americans agree with many of their ideas which could defiantly lead to a power shift. The tea party is a good example of the first amendment and has done a good job getting their opinions heard and this could pay off for them in the long run.
[1]http://www.michigandaily.com/content/viewpoint-tea-party-o
[2] http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2010/09/15/129876488/who-is-the-tea-party-republicans-by-another-name
[3] http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/sep2010/pers-s16.shtml
The Tea Party is a conservative populous organization which aims to call awareness to issues that challenge the security, sovereignty, and domestic security of the nation.(1) Tea Party members' principles vary through out the nation, however their common principles are taxes should be lower and government should be smaller.(2) During the Republican Primary Elections this year Tea Party-backed candidates O’Donnell and Paladino won, Though Tea Party members were passionate about getting their candidates on the ballot, only passionate voters vote in the primaries.(3) The rest of the public will have its say in November; which is why resent polls show Tea party candidates trailing in the polls(4) During the mid term elections this year the tea party could sway the results of the election, and will most likely be taking votes from the Republican party. Republicans views are most similar to the Tea Party’s which could lead to the split of Republican voters, and clearing a way for the democratic party.(4) The Tea party won‘t last long though, because they are too far right to be able to appeal to enough of the public for an extended period of time. It is only because of the economic stress the United States is going through that such an extreme group has a significant following. The Tea Party could facilitate a general shift of the entire political system further to the right if they get into Congress, as well as their would be many policy changes. concerning health care, taxes and more(3)
1.http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-big-question-what-is-the-tea-party-movement-and-could-it-change-us-politics-1875229.html
2.http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hxAKZnLtirnSKOJtxpCZIHqUq61gD9IDQAR02
3. http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/sep2010/pers-s16.shtml
4. http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,2021154,00.html
What is / who is the Tea Party?
The Tea Party is the collective name for a newly vocal and very conservative minority that opposes President Obama. It began in February 2009 as conservatives protested government spending in the form of the Economic Stimulus and bailout of the auto industry, and initially focused on protesting what conservatives saw as reckless liberal spending which would inevitably lead to “taxation without representation” (6). Since its beginning, the Tea Party has taken on key Democratic agenda items, including healthcare reform, rallying behind causes like states’ rights or protecting the Constitution (7). The Tea Party harnesses sentiments of citizen’s power and rebellion in a decentralized movement which it calls “grassroots,” or organized from the bottom up. Democrats have come out in extreme criticism of this image (12), with House Speaker Pelosi describing the Tea Party’s grassroots as “Astroturf” by corporations and lobbyists (13). The most notable influence of the Tea Party has been polarizing. Democrats and even moderate Republicans are being opposed by a group which considers them irrational and anti-American, and the left has taken the identical response to the Tea Party. Fmr. President Jimmy Carter considers the country as polarized as it has been in history (11). A good example of this is provided by U.S. News: “Fox News portrayed the protests as a big story, CNN as a modest story, and MSNBC as a great story to make fun of.” (7).
What role did they have in primary elections?
In the primaries, contributions and support from enthusiastic constituents aligned with the Tea Party have caused the selection of many of its favorites as nominees for Congressional positions. A sudden upwelling of support for such candidates has caused them to trump G.O.P. candidates more favored to win. The two most-discussed examples of this are the Delaware and Alaska races, where Christine O’Donnell and Joe Miller have defeated mainstream candidates. Because of the suddenness of these Tea Party victories, the primaries are already being disputed: In Alaska, incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski has pledged to wage a write-in campaign to win back her seat, and in Delaware Christine O’Donnell is under investigation by the Federal Elections Commission for accepting massive contributions from corporations and the Tea Party Express as well as for using campaign funds for a suspiciously high amount of personal expenses (1). The victories of these Tea Party-backed candidates have caused a rift between moderate Republicans and Tea Party supporters, forcing some candidates to straddle the divide (2).
What role will they play in the general election?
The effects of these Tea Party wins on the general election are yet to be seen, but many view the Tea Party successes as damaging to the Republican Party’s chances (3). Even Republican strategist Karl Rove has expressed dismay at the Tea Party victories (4), although has since reversed his position. On the flip side, some conservatives are championing the Tea Party as a movement increasing Americans’ involvement in Democracy that will increase fundraising and voting for the GOP in November (5).
If they are elected into Congress what will that mean for the Republican and Democratic parties?
Regardless of the Tea Party’s success or failure in November, Republicans in Congress now know that the extreme right wing is holding them accountable. Compromise on Democratic bills has and will continue to fail, as was seen Thursday the 23rd as a campaign finance bill was struck down by a Republican filibuster on strict party lines (8). In addition, the Republican agenda will move to the right, focusing on ending regulations and taxes and on repealing the health care bill, the first provisions of which went into effect Thursday. A clear indicator of the Tea Party’s legislative influence is the stipulation in the GOP’s most recent platform-document, The Pledge to America, that all bills passed by Congress specify their Constitutional justification (10).
With the Democrats’ rise to power, an extremely conservative portion of the constituency has reared its head. Whether their enthusiasm is a success story or their initiative will backfire, the Tea Party has a major role in defining American politics in Obama’s first term.
1.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/20/AR2010092006248.html
2. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec10/chalian_07-07.html
3. http://politics.usnews.com/news/articles/2010/09/14/tea-party-primary-wins-could-mean-november-gop-losses.html
4. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20016479-503544.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+CBSNewsTravelGuru+(Travel+Guru:+CBSNews.com)
5. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703989304575503921088554324.html
6. http://articles.cnn.com/2009-04-15/politics/tea.parties_1_tea-party-tea-into-boston-harbor-bailouts?_s=PM:POLITICS
7. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_090416.htm
8. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/24/us/politics/24cong.html
9. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100923/ap_on_bi_ge/us_republicans_agenda
10. http://pledge.gop.gov/
11. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619//vp/39277980#39277980 2:25
12. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129926390
13. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P44q7Jt68DA
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The Tea Party is a group of conservative activists and extremists that loudly protest the Obama administration, appealing to people that are fed up with his big-spending policies, among others (2). They have been described as a "flat out crazy" (1) group of people that rant and rave about issues such as health care, abortion, and social security (2). While powerful, the Tea Party is decentralized, and it's hard to tell who actually runs it (2).
In the primary elections, the Tea Party was responsible for several shocking political upsets. Delaware Republican Mike Castle, who started in politics 44 years ago, was defeated in the primary by newcomer Christine O'Donnell, who seemingly "came out of nowhere" (4). O'Donnell was victorious because tremendous support from the Tea Party, and Castle cites personal smears by Tea Party members as part of the reason for his defeat (3). In New York, Carl Paladino, another newcomer, defeated Rick Lazio in the race for the Republican governor nomination. Analysts say that these candidates are winning not because they're good candidates, but because they're not "them," "the enemy," or the government that the Tea Party is violently protesting. They stand for the Tea Party only, and that is why they're victorious (1).
With so many extremist, Tea Party-backed candidates entering the race, there is a significant risk that Congress will no longer be in the mainstream, and these extremists will take over (5). Outlawing abortion, privatizing social security, and getting rid of entire federal departments are just a few extreme ideas that Democrats fear will infiltrate the national government (6).
The Tea Party has delivered severe blows to moderate Republicans in primaries, and will continue to do so in the general election. Extremist candidates such as O'Donnell and Paladino continue to crush moderates, creating problems for Republicans. The Tea Party is actually creating opportunities for Democrats by nominating extremist candidates, over which voters are more likely to favor more sane Democrats (6).
Sources:
1. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703860104575508292311338982.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
2. http://www.newsweek.com/2010/09/23/inside-the-tea-party.html
3. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/16/AR2010091604717.html
4. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/senate/mike-castles-aides-friends-exp.html
5. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/20/us/politics/20dems.html
6. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/t/tea_party_movement/index.html?scp=1-spot&sq=tea%20party&st=cse
Lately we’ve been hearing a lot about politics in the news , due mostly to the recent mid-term elections, and partly because the political parties know that the end of President Obama’s first term is nearing. One new thing that has been popping up everywhere is a term that I’m sure is confusing to anyone who isn’t well- informed about politics. This term is the Tea Party. No, I’m not talking about the imaginary games that four year old girls play with their beloved stuffed animals. The Tea Party is not quite a third party, but its increasing power and influence make it more of a threat than many other interests groups. So you’re probably wondering, why are they called the Tea Party...and why do I care about them at all? Well unless you’re ridiculously conservative, you should be at least moderately worried. The name Tea Party is a reference to the Boston Tea Party of the 1700’s (1). Members of the group say that it is an appropriate name because the BTP directly defied the government that the colonists had at the time, they were expressing their outrage at the British laws being imposed on them. Similarly, the modern Tea Party opposes the government vehemently. They appeared on the political scene in 2009 after the passing of such controversial legislation as the economic stimulus plan and the health care reform bill (1). The two biggest things they stand for are lower taxes and limited government (1 and 3), which sound good in theory, but they way the Tea Party proposes to do this is what I believe to be cruel. One way they would lower taxes is to cut spending in the welfare area (1). That’s a pretty critical thing in our society. Millions of people live below the poverty line, and this is rarely (if ever) because they are the stereotypical “homeless bums who only want your money for alcohol”...but I digress. What I’m really getting at are some of the things that Tea Party members are for and against. The two that were already mentioned are the key ideas, but other members are divided on dome other issues. However, this is not because the disagree necessarily, but because some think that there are bigger issues at hand (3). The public generally knows that the Tea Party is a kind of faction of the Republican party (many believe it to be extremist), and they know that it has been endorsed by no other than Caribou Barbie herself, Sarah Palin. Palin shares the same beliefs as many of the TP, such as anti-abortion, anti-sex education, anti-gay marriage... a lot of ‘anti’ positions as well as the usual things one expects a Republican to agree with (2).
Lately we’ve been hearing a lot about politics in the news , due mostly to the recent mid-term elections, and partly because the political parties know that the end of President Obama’s first term is nearing. One new thing that has been popping up everywhere is a term that I’m sure is confusing to anyone who isn’t well- informed about politics. This term is the Tea Party. No, I’m not talking about the imaginary games that four year old girls play with their beloved stuffed animals. The Tea Party is not quite a third party, but its increasing power and influence make it more of a threat than many other interests groups. So you’re probably wondering, why are they called the Tea Party...and why do I care about them at all? Well unless you’re ridiculously conservative, you should be at least moderately worried. The name Tea Party is a reference to the Boston Tea Party of the 1700’s (1). Members of the group say that it is an appropriate name because the BTP directly defied the government that the colonists had at the time, they were expressing their outrage at the British laws being imposed on them. Similarly, the modern Tea Party opposes the government vehemently. They appeared on the political scene in 2009 after the passing of such controversial legislation as the economic stimulus plan and the health care reform bill (1). The two biggest things they stand for are lower taxes and limited government (1 and 3), which sound good in theory, but they way the Tea Party proposes to do this is what I believe to be cruel. One way they would lower taxes is to cut spending in the welfare area (1). That’s a pretty critical thing in our society. Millions of people live below the poverty line, and this is rarely (if ever) because they are the stereotypical “homeless bums who only want your money for alcohol”...but I digress. What I’m really getting at are some of the things that Tea Party members are for and against. The two that were already mentioned are the key ideas, but other members are divided on dome other issues. However, this is not because the disagree necessarily, but because some think that there are bigger issues at hand (3).
The public generally knows that the Tea Party is a kind of faction of the Republican party (many believe it to be extremist), and they know that it has been endorsed by no other than Caribou Barbie herself, Sarah Palin. Palin shares the same beliefs as many of the TP, such as anti-abortion, anti-sex education, anti-gay marriage... a lot of ‘anti’ positions as well as the usual things one expects a Republican to agree with (2). A moderate or liberal person should be concerned with this group because they have pulled off some surprising upsets in the mid-term elections, which means they could very well do it again in the future. One such case of the aforementioned upset is when Tea Party member Christine O’Donnell beat out the moderate GOP member Jim Castle. This really interests me because she wasn’t exactly backed by the Republicans, and definitely not by the Democrats (2). If the Tea Party were to get even a minor presence anywhere in Congress (bigger than the handful there already are) there would be some huge changes in the way our government works, and what I think is the worst of all; social rights will be completely ignored. Despite the concern I have about the faction in general getting too many seats in Congress or even just in the state governments, I think the most they can really do is steal votes from the two major parties in the general election. The Republicans are already trying to distance themselves from the perceived extremism of the party, and the Democrats are just going to be using the Tea Party as an example of how the Republican party has gone downhill. Perhaps more Republicans will decide to vote for a Democratic or third party candidate in the next election. If they do, say, gain enough of a presence in the American government, I don;t think that the Republicans would really know what to do. After trying to distance themselves from the faction they would finally have to realize that they need to work together somehow, which would be very hard for them to do. Democrats would be outraged. There would finally be people worse than Republicans to argue with! (I’m not saying Reps. are bad, just pointing out that is how they are seen by Dems.). I think that nothing would ever really get done because there would be three parties instead of two, so there may not ever be a majority big enough to pass any legislation. All I can say is that I hope this Tea Party thing is just a terrible fad, like animal print spandex. Yuck.
1.http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/t/tea_party_movement/index.html?scp=2&sq=the%20tea%20party%20movement&st=cse
2.http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/opinion/19dowd.html?_r=1&ref=tea_party_movement
3.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/23/AR2010092304069
The public generally knows that the Tea Party is a kind of faction of the Republican party (many believe it to be extremist), and they know that it has been endorsed by no other than Caribou Barbie herself, Sarah Palin. Palin shares the same beliefs as many of the TP, such as anti-abortion, anti-sex education, anti-gay marriage... a lot of ‘anti’ positions as well as the usual things one expects a Republican to agree with (2). A moderate or liberal person should be concerned with this group because they have pulled off some surprising upsets in the mid-term elections, which means they could very well do it again in the future. One such case of the aforementioned upset is when Tea Party member Christine O’Donnell beat out the moderate GOP member Jim Castle. This really interests me because she wasn’t exactly backed by the Republicans, and definitely not by the Democrats (2). If the Tea Party were to get even a minor presence anywhere in Congress (bigger than the handful there already are) there would be some huge changes in the way our government works, and what I think is the worst of all; social rights will be completely ignored. Despite the concern I have about the faction in general getting too many seats in Congress or even just in the state governments, I think the most they can really do is steal votes from the two major parties in the general election.
The Republicans are already trying to distance themselves from the perceived extremism of the party, and the Democrats are just going to be using the Tea Party as an example of how the Republican party has gone downhill. Perhaps more Republicans will decide to vote for a Democratic or third party candidate in the next election. If they do, say, gain enough of a presence in the American government, I don;t think that the Republicans would really know what to do. After trying to distance themselves from the faction they would finally have to realize that they need to work together somehow, which would be very hard for them to do. Democrats would be outraged. There would finally be people worse than Republicans to argue with! (I’m not saying Reps. are bad, just pointing out that is how they are seen by Dems.). I think that nothing would ever really get done because there would be three parties instead of two, so there may not ever be a majority big enough to pass any legislation. All I can say is that I hope this Tea Party thing is just a terrible fad, like animal print spandex. Yuck.
1.http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/t/tea_party_movement/index.html?scp=2&sq=the%20tea%20party%20movement&st=cse
2.http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/opinion/19dowd.html?_r=1&ref=tea_party_movement
3.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/23/AR2010092304069
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