There is a "third party"

[techs]

What is all this talk about people wanting a third party?
There already is a third party that has major power in America.
Its called the Tea Party.

 

[Texashiker]

If I see someone on the ballot with "tea party" next to their name, I will vote for them.

 

[Charles Kozierok]

"Tea party" = Republican knuckledragger base. Nothing more.

 

[nextJin]

Tea Party? Really?

That thing the Ron Paul people started that was completely taken over by neoconservatives? I can count the number of teaparty people on one hand that I could see being no bs teapartiers but everyone else seen a train and hoped on board.

 

[techs]

If I see someone on the ballot with "tea party" next to their name, I will vote for them.

There are quite a lot of them.
In areas where they also have the Republican nomination you may see them twice, once under Tea Party and once under Republican.
In some areas where they have the Republican nomination you don't see the Tea Party at all.
In Presidential elections they either don't run a candidate or they support the Republican candidate.

 

[ccbadd]

There are quite a lot of them.
In areas where they also have the Republican nomination you may see them twice, once under Tea Party and once under Republican.
In some areas where they have the Republican nomination you don't see the Tea Party at all.
In Presidential elections they either don't run a candidate or they support the Republican candidate.

Maybe it is because the Tea Party is made of real people, not politicians! As a group, they try to get rid of bad politicians and replace with better ones. Might be the only political group in this country that is willing to go after both R's and D's rather than blind support.

 

[fskimospy]

The Tea Party is nothing more than the Republican base. It never was anything more than that and it never will be.

Nobody really bought that line of bullshit that they were some unaffiliated party, did they? They just represent the particularly radical, particularly poorly informed fringe.

 

[ccbadd]

The Tea Party is nothing more than the Republican base. It never was anything more than that and it never will be.

Nobody really bought that line of bullshit that they were some unaffiliated party, did they? They just represent the particularly radical, particularly poorly informed fringe.

Keep your blinders on! You have no clue what you are talking about.

 

[Charles Kozierok]

The Tea Party is nothing more than the Republican base. It never was anything more than that and it never will be.

Actually, it was at the very beginning. But it was very quickly coopted by the usual suspects. At this point, it is indistinguishable from the far right.

Maybe it is because the Tea Party is made of real people, not politicians!

Bullshit. The "tea party" is overloaded with politicians, nearly all of them on the far right.

Might be the only political group in this country that is willing to go after both R's and D's rather than blind support.

Right. It's just a huge coincidence that they only became active after Obama won.

 

[fskimospy]

Actually, it was at the very beginning. But it was very quickly coopted by the usual suspects. At this point, it is indistinguishable from the far right.

I don't see how. It has always had the exact same goals as the Republican Party platform. Massive reduction in government spending, massive tax cuts, and deregulation. While that might have been at odds with the Republican Party establishment, the Republican base had been at odds with them for a long time. I stand by my statement that the Tea Party has never been anything other than an activated and radicalized ultra conservative base.

 

[nextJin]

The Tea Party is nothing more than the Republican base. It never was anything more than that and it never will be.

Nobody really bought that line of bullshit that they were some unaffiliated party, did they? They just represent the particularly radical, particularly poorly informed fringe.

The teaparty originated in the later half of 2007 and kept the pace till around the first week in November 2008. Afterwards it went down hill extremely fast and most (if not all) of the original folks abandoned the TP and started the Liberty Movement. The original movement was VERY much anti Republican

 

[Charles Kozierok]

The teaparty originated in the later half of 2007 and kept the pace till around the first week in November 2008.

I can't find anything to back up the existence of the "tea party" before 2009, or maybe very late 2008. If you have references, I'd like to see them.

 

[fskimospy]

The teaparty originated in the later half of 2007 and kept the pace till around the first week in November 2008. Afterwards it went down hill extremely fast and most (if not all) of the original folks abandoned the TP and started the Liberty Movement. The original movement was VERY much anti Republican

The Tea Party as it is commonly known in America originated in early 2009 after America infringed on the Republican base's constitutional right not to have a black president. While there may have been another similar movement with similar small government emphasis before that time, that movement never obtained any relevance or any prominence until the Republican base took charge.

 

[nextJin]

I can't find anything to back up the existence of the "tea party" before 2009, or maybe very late 2008. If you have references, I'd like to see them.

Well considering most everyone here wants to see Ron Paul put to death I can see why , it started with him. I am at work so let me jump on my phone and find some videos or other postings.

 

[Charles Kozierok]

The Tea Party as it is commonly known in America originated in early 2009 after America infringed on the Republican base's constitutional right not to have a black president.

Actually, I don't think that's true. I think the financial collapse and bailout is what really got it going.

And sorry nextJin, but I'm pretty sure Ron Paul was just another of many opportunistic politicians who co-opted the movement.

 

[nextJin]

Actually, I don't think that's true. I think the financial collapse and bailout is what really got it going.

And sorry nextJin, but I'm pretty sure Ron Paul was just another of many opportunistic politicians who co-opted the movement.

Well I am pretty sure I was in a teaparty rally in WA in late 2007 supporting Ron Paul.

 

[Charles Kozierok]

Well I am pretty sure I was in a teaparty rally in WA in late 2007 supporting Ron Paul.

I believe you. I was mistaken.

 

[fskimospy]

Actually, I don't think that's true. I think the financial collapse and bailout is what really got it going.

And sorry nextJin, but I'm pretty sure Ron Paul was just another of many opportunistic politicians who co-opted the movement.

I personally believe it was a feeling by middle class whites who had dominated social, cultural, and political circles for all of this country's existence (correctly) feeling that they were being marginalized. When you add economic insecurity on top of this along with a distinctly different president being elected I think this catalyzed the movement into existence but I do not believe it is the underlying complaint.

I do not believe there would have been a Tea Party that was even half as strong had John McCain won the election.

 

[nextJin]

I personally believe it was a feeling by middle class whites who had dominated social, cultural, and political circles for all of this country's existence (correctly) feeling that they were being marginalized. When you add economic insecurity on top of this along with a distinctly different president being elected I think this catalyzed the movement into existence but I do not believe it is the underlying complaint.

I do not believe there would have been a Tea Party that was even half as strong had John McCain won the election.

You're right, and I agree with you on that. I actually kept going to some events once I got to DC earlier in '09 and there was such a vast difference between the "then and now", the majority were older white people who frankly had zero idea of how government worked. No one knew what the Departments did, how Congress worked, or even why they were there. Some were just upfront with it and said they were disgusted a Democrat won and when I asked them where they were when Clinton got elected they did not have an answer.

But there is a difference between starting and hijacking, the Paul era teaparty set fundraising records held absolutely huge marches in major cities and had a very strong "grass roots" feel. They were everywhere during the 2008 election, and the GOP saw this.

The Rick Santelli comments could have also set that spark to the neoconservatives but again this was several years ago.

I am at work but honest to god I want to say it started on www.ronpaulforums.com later in 2007 by a handful of people. I remember the discussions but it was 5 years ago or longer so damned if I remember the details

 

[monovillage]

What about the Green Party ? The Peace and Freedom Party ? The Libertarians ?

 

[Matt1970]

The Tea Party as it is commonly known in America originated in early 2009 after America infringed on the Republican base's constitutional right not to have a black president. While there may have been another similar movement with similar small government emphasis before that time, that movement never obtained any relevance or any prominence until the Republican base took charge.

Tell that to the black members of the Tea Party.

 

[fskimospy]

Tell that to the black members of the Tea Party.

As of the most recent demographic study I could find in mid 2011 approximately 8% of black people identified as tea party members. (and even that I find to be a likely statistical anomaly likely based on ignorance of terms) If I remember right this is approximately the same percentage of overall Americans who believe the moon landings were faked.

So what exactly would you like me to tell them?

 

[Matt1970]

As of the most recent demographic study I could find in mid 2011 approximately 8% of black people identified as tea party members. (and even that I find to be a likely statistical anomaly likely based on ignorance of terms) If I remember right this is approximately the same percentage of overall Americans who believe the moon landings were faked.

So what exactly would you like me to tell them?

Tell them that the only reason they are tea party members is because "America infringed on the Republican base's constitutional right not to have a black president" - Your words.

 

[monovillage]

As of the most recent demographic study I could find in mid 2011 approximately 8% of black people identified as tea party members. (and even that I find to be a likely statistical anomaly likely based on ignorance of terms) If I remember right this is approximately the same percentage of overall Americans who believe the moon landings were faked.

So what exactly would you like me to tell them?

Tell them you're a partisan Democrat jerk. That way you'd be honest about something.

 

[fskimospy]

Tell them that the only reason they are tea party members is because "America infringed on the Republican base's constitutional right not to have a black president" - Your words.

Yep, I stand by it as I described in my following post.