Politico: Tea Party, Down But Not Out, Plans 2016 Comeback

[mystery-ak]

http://www.newsmax.com/PrintTemplate.aspx/?nodeid=619574


Newsmax
Politico: Tea Party, Down But Not Out, Plans 2016 Comeback
Tuesday, January 20, 2015 12:39 PM

By: Drew MacKenzie

Tea party leaders are licking their wounds after a devastating year as their prized "principled" candidates were thrashed in primary elections by Republicans supported by the party’s establishment.

The problems for the conservative movement were compounded this year with their failure of a consortium of GOP rebels in the House to oust more moderate House Speaker John Boehner, Politico reported.

The South Carolina Tea Party Coalition was still reeling as it staged its annual three-day convention over the weekend, with the members and invited speakers clashing over what went wrong in 2014 and how they can mount a major comeback culminating in 2016.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and conservative activist Ben Carson, all potential presidential contenders in 2016, turned up for the event in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, famed for its beautiful beaches and golf courses.

A major talking point centered on the outrage over the conservatives who failed to back the recent attempt by tea party House members and right-leaning representatives to defeat Boehner as speaker.

"I’m furious about Boehner," said Joe Dugan, who organized the conference. "Absolutely furious. I’m extremely surprised, I’m extremely disappointed. I don’t know what promises Boehner made. Rather than berate, I’m going to watch a lot more carefully."

Dugan added that tea party members who backed Boehner will now have to prove their affiliation to the cause all over again, according to Politico.

Rep. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina, a member of the House Tea Party Caucus who was first elected during the 2010 tea party wave, blamed the group’s problems during the November elections on the lack of a grass-roots organization.

"The tea party gets [factionalized] in primaries a lot because the tea party is just really a large group of average Americans who believe in limited government, free markets and are frustrated with Big Government," said Duncan.

He pointed out that the conservative movement had succeeded, however, by pushing many candidates to the right, helping the GOP to consolidate its power in the House and win control of the Senate.

"The media tries to say [the tea party] is dead, on its way out," Duncan said during a speech at the three-day conference, while also noting members helped more moderate GOP candidates win close races even after tea party contenders had lost in primaries.

Politico claimed that tea party candidates in competitive Senate races lost because mainstream Republican groups, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, backed their own incumbent candidates, many of whom were also supported by establishment GOP leaders.

"Ultimately the critical advantage the tea party folks had a hard time overcoming was the massive monetary advantage, and that it’s hard to beat an incumbent," said Rick Manning, president of the tea party group Americans for Limited Government.

Conservative Katrina Pierson, who ran a failed primary campaign to unseat Texas Rep. Pete Sessions, said that the tea party needs to "consolidate our resources and target our efforts," according to the political news website.

And Vernon Robinson, the national political director of the Draft Ben Carson for President Committee, insisted that although "tea party candidates got clobbered" the group was still a powerful force in Republican politics.

"The only reason [the GOP] has a majority in Congress is because conservatives worked for them," Robinson told Politico.

Manning said that the tea party has now set its sights on capturing seats in the next election, and specifically having a conservative in the White House.

But he says that the party must concentrate on getting behind one candidate rather than splitting support among several possible contenders, which could result in an establishment GOP figure winning the presidential primaries in 2016, as with Mitt Romney in 2012.

"We have to identify, early, the right candidate, don’t allow the vote to be bifurcated or [split seven ways] so that we’re able to hold sway in the primaries as opposed to what happened in 2012," Manning said.

[speekinout]

"The tea party gets [factionalized] in primaries a lot because the tea party is just really a large group of average Americans who believe in limited government, free markets and are frustrated with Big Government," said Duncan.

No, it's not. Most of the issues that count in the Tea Party's "purity" tests are social issues. The issue of limited gov't is way down their priority list.

[libertybele]

Say what you want about TEA; they are the ones holding this country together right now.  Without them the GOPe would have continued on without any accountability or responsibility.  To deny that Washington is broken and that the GOPe has everything under control is purely delusional.

The Tea Party is a grassroots movement that calls awareness to any issue which challenges the security, sovereignty, or domestic tranquility of our beloved nation ... 

If you don't think that the security, sovereignty or our domestic tranquility has been under attack then you are in pure denial.  The GOPe has done very little to stop the blatant attack on America by our president and his cronies (some of which include the GOPe).

I tend be of the firm belief that TEA is very much alive and well and WILL prevail.

http://www.teapartypatriots.org/ourvision/

[truth_seeker]

The Tea Party movement was coopted by the social conservatives, and pissed away the uniqueness and advantage of being focused on something broadly of interest to Republicans, independents, and some democrats.

Instead of the initial focus on budget issues, it became the vehicle for Bachmann and her "pray the gay away" husband.

Those concerns that the movement had turned out to be a disguise for the social conservatives, yielded a ten percent drop in approval, and such ridiculous losing candidates as Akin, Mourdoch, O'Donnell, Angle, and others "of that ilk."

I think the TP movement is like Humpty Dumpty--all the King's Horses and All the King's Men can't put Humpty together again.

What would be better for the country is a center-right unity movement. Drop the social stuff, and focus on the fiscal stuff, like the successful initial TP.

[mountaineer]

No, it's not. Most of the issues that count in the Tea Party's "purity" tests are social issues. The issue of limited gov't is way down their priority list.

That's an overly broad generalization and one with little factual support, in my opinion. Every tea party group with which I've been associated or whose meetings I've attended didn't get into social issues at all. It was all about small government, more equitable taxes and getting rid of Obamacare (another big government program). Apparently, though, the facts aren't going to stop some people from stereotyping the tea party as the the social conservative crowd.  That's a shame.

[libertybele]

The Tea Party movement was coopted by the social conservatives, and pissed away the uniqueness and advantage of being focused on something broadly of interest to Republicans, independents, and some democrats.

Instead of the initial focus on budget issues, it became the vehicle for Bachmann and her "pray the gay away" husband.

Those concerns that the movement had turned out to be a disguise for the social conservatives, yielded a ten percent drop in approval, and such ridiculous losing candidates as Akin, Mourdoch, O'Donnell, Angle, and others "of that ilk."

I think the TP movement is like Humpty Dumpty--all the King's Horses and All the King's Men can't put Humpty together again.

What would be better for the country is a center-right unity movement. Drop the social stuff, and focus on the fiscal stuff, like the successful initial TP.

Veering to the right yes, "centering" no.  Adhering to the Constitution and getting back to the principles upon which this country was founded is paramount in fixing what ails this country and Washington ... all the fiscal "stuff" will then follow.

[speekinout]

That's an overly broad generalization and one with little factual support, in my opinion. Every tea party group with which I've been associated or whose meetings I've attended didn't get into social issues at all. It was all about small government, more equitable taxes and getting rid of Obamacare (another big government program). Apparently, though, the facts aren't going to stop some people from stereotyping the tea party as the the social conservative crowd.  That's a shame.

Your Tea Party group is an outlier, then. Most of the Tea Party groups are more focussed on issues like gay marriage, abortion, immigration (their solution), and religion in public venues. I do not see any Tea Party leaders who focus on small gov't and economic issues any more. If you know of one, please tell me who that is.
Meanwhile, here is a pointer to an article that describes what I'm talking about -

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/372561/why-tea-partys-waning-not-winning-michael-tanner

[Formerly Once-Ler]

Say what you want about TEA; they are the ones holding this country together right now.  Without them the GOPe would have continued on without any accountability or responsibility.  To deny that Washington is broken and that the GOPe has everything under control is purely delusional.

The Tea Party is a grassroots movement that calls awareness to any issue which challenges the security, sovereignty, or domestic tranquility of our beloved nation ... 

If you don't think that the security, sovereignty or our domestic tranquility has been under attack then you are in pure denial.  The GOPe has done very little to stop the blatant attack on America by our president and his cronies (some of which include the GOPe).

I tend be of the firm belief that TEA is very much alive and well and WILL prevail.

http://www.teapartypatriots.org/ourvision/

Indeed!  The SCTP's three day event drew HUNDREDS of people from all over the country to see Dr Carson, Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum, and Donald Trump. 

We weren’t alone, either … in addition to an overflow crowd of hundreds of conservative activists (and numerous state and federal elected officials), four would-be GOP presidential candidates planted their flags at this event: Dr. Ben Carson, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum and billionaire real estate mogul (and reality television star) Donald Trump.
Read more at http://www.fitsnews.com/2015/01/20/ted-cruz-win-south-carolinas-presidential-primary/

Those hundreds of people are the glue holding the other 300 million Americans from splintering into waring factions.  Before the Tea Party there was no "awareness to any issue which challenges the security, sovereignty, or domestic tranquility of our beloved nation ... "

And that other poster is "purely delusional," and "in pure denial," and probably likes the attacks on our security, sovereignty or our domestic tranquility.

Cruz/Carson 2016.

[massadvj]

I'm just for a big tent that can win the presidency with a candidate who will turn the country around and restore her greatness.  I don't understand why we have to slime factions who all want the same thing.  Personally, although I am not a So-Con, I don't consider people who are pro-Life evil.  Most of the ones I know are good, hard-working Americans who contribute a great deal to the community.  When did they become evil?

[andy58-in-nh]

Indeed!  The SCTP's three day event drew HUNDREDS of people from all over the country to see Dr Carson, Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum, and Donald Trump. 

Those hundreds of people are the glue holding the other 300 million Americans from splintering into waring factions.  Before the Tea Party there was no "awareness to any issue which challenges the security, sovereignty, or domestic tranquility of our beloved nation ... "

And that other poster is "purely delusional," and "in pure denial," and probably likes the attacks on our security, sovereignty or our domestic tranquility.

Cruz/Carson 2016.

Sarcasm against our own political allies is precisely what we need right now. Thank you for your continued support of those wonderful, daring heroes of the GOP leadership, like Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, whose clarity of vision and timeless principled leadership are matched only by their brilliant rhetorical skills.

I'd sooner follow a parade elephant fed a steady diet of Ex Lax. The result would be the same.

[Formerly Once-Ler]

I'd sooner follow a parade elephant fed a steady diet of Ex Lax.

You do what you gotta do Andy.  I will sit here and ponder why my "allies" think I'm the one who is delusional.

Cruz/Cruz 2016

[andy58-in-nh]

You do what you gotta do Andy.  I will sit here and ponder why my "allies" think I'm the one who is delusional.

Cruz/Cruz 2016

Then ponder this: those in whom you so readily place your trust have no intention of doing anything that might be mistaken for principled conservatism. They are unwilling to risk anything that might jeopardize their power, even if it means turning their backs on those who helped elect them. They think we're fools for believing in something more important than simple electoral politics.

Like liberty. Like honor. Like common decency. Like the Constitution.

When push comes to shove - and it will - will you trust the feckless figurines of the GOP-e to do what is right?

I will not. I put my faith in John Locke, George Washington... and Samuel Colt.

And yes - that is where we are headed. Tyranny must never be bargained with.

[Fishrrman]

truth_seeker wrote above:
[[ What would be better for the country is a center-right unity movement. Drop the social stuff, and focus on the fiscal stuff, like the successful initial TP. ]]

That group already exists.

They're called "neocons"...  ;)

[Formerly Once-Ler]

Then ponder this: those in whom you so readily place your trust have no intention of doing anything that might be mistaken for principled conservatism. They are unwilling to risk anything that might jeopardize their power, even if it means turning their backs on those who helped elect them. They think we're fools for believing in something more important than simple electoral politics.

Like liberty. Like honor. Like common decency. Like the Constitution.

When push comes to shove - and it will - will you trust the feckless figurines of the GOP-e to do what is right?

I will not. I put my faith in John Locke, George Washington... and Samuel Colt.

And yes - that is where we are headed. Tyranny must never be bargained with.

Thus always to tyrants "Sic Semper Tyrannis" - Booth/McVeigh

That was a lot of words.  They mean nothing to the vast majority of LIVs.  Extremism had it's appeal when the economy was worse, but now those people discovered they have more money in their wallets since gas prices dropped.  They see "now hiring" signs going up in business windows.  Soon they will see food prices drop.  Then they will go to the movies.  They will not let you have a revolution.  Things will have to get much much worse before that could happen, and the economy is moving in the wrong direction to fulfill the fantasy.

You haven't got enough followers to take control of the GOP, much less win an armed rebellion.

and I don't trust the GOPe.  We share self-interests.

“Never appeal to a man's better nature. He may not have one. Invoking his self-interest gives you more leverage.”
―Robert A. Heinlein

[Bigun]

Then ponder this: those in whom you so readily place your trust have no intention of doing anything that might be mistaken for principled conservatism. They are unwilling to risk anything that might jeopardize their power, even if it means turning their backs on those who helped elect them. They think we're fools for believing in something more important than simple electoral politics.

Like liberty. Like honor. Like common decency. Like the Constitution.

When push comes to shove - and it will - will you trust the feckless figurines of the GOP-e to do what is right?

I will not. I put my faith in John Locke, George Washington... and Samuel Colt.

And yes - that is where we are headed. Tyranny must never be bargained with.

Well said Andy! 

And for whatever it's worth to you I'm right there with you!

[Luis Gonzalez]

Indeed!  The SCTP's three day event drew HUNDREDS of people from all over the country to see Dr Carson, Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum, and Donald Trump. 

Those hundreds of people are the glue holding the other 300 million Americans from splintering into waring factions.  Before the Tea Party there was no "awareness to any issue which challenges the security, sovereignty, or domestic tranquility of our beloved nation ... "

And that other poster is "purely delusional," and "in pure denial," and probably likes the attacks on our security, sovereignty or our domestic tranquility.

Cruz/Carson 2016.

You're killing me here.

[mountaineer]

Your Tea Party group is an outlier, then. Most of the Tea Party groups are more focussed on issues like gay marriage, abortion, immigration (their solution), and religion in public venues. I do not see any Tea Party leaders who focus on small gov't and economic issues any more. If you know of one, please tell me who that is.

That's because the true tea party "leaders" are the average folks in the local community, like those I described, not those who have started an organization that pays them a salary. Those probably could be described as opportunists.

[Luis Gonzalez]

That's because the true tea party "leaders" are the average folks in the local community, like those I described, not those who have started an organization that pays them a salary. Those probably could be described as opportunists.

The TEA Party, as it exists right now. has no cohesiveness or structure to it (the Congressional TEA Party Caucus is not even active at this time) and as a result the definition of what the TEA Party is, what it stands for, and what it represents is left up to each and any individual who wishes to portray him or herself a as member of it.

The TEA Party is the ultimate representation of the upside-down triangle theory of political ideology.

There is no TEA Party per se, so each and every individual who claims membership can claim or disavow any policy stance that any other member of the Party may process by simply saying that no one speaks for the Party.

Unfortunately, what was once a great notion eventually became a hunting preserve for opportunists (see: future Mike Huckabee Presidntial campaign).

[massadvj]

The TEA Party, as it exists right now. has no cohesiveness or structure to it...

If this is true, and I agree that it is, then doesn't relentlessly attacking it at every turn seem like a somewhat quixotic exercise?  I mean, what is the point?

[alicewonders]

If this is true, and I agree that it is, then doesn't relentlessly attacking it at every turn seem like a somewhat quixotic exercise?  I mean, what is the point?

I love your brilliant observations Massadvj!  You are, of course, brilliantly correct.  I still don't understand why some people here that affiliate with the GOP are so ardent and persistent in their constant attacks on tea party people.  Yeah, there are some kooks and cons speaking as if on behalf of TEA - but there are in any group that has enough people in it. 

It's almost like an obsession. 

[Bigun]

I still don't understand why some people here that affiliate with the GOP are so ardent and persistent in their constant attacks on tea party people. 

It's almost like an obsession.

OH I do! I understand it VERY well! The TEA folks are the greatest threat to the inside the beltway bastards to come along in ages and they are scared to DEATH of it!

[Luis Gonzalez]

I love your brilliant observations Massadvj!  You are, of course, brilliantly correct. I still don't understand why some people here that affiliate with the GOP are so ardent and persistent in their constant attacks on tea party people.  Yeah, there are some kooks and cons speaking as if on behalf of TEA - but there are in any group that has enough people in it. 

It's almost like an obsession.

Go to this site's "search" page and type in the term RINO.

[alicewonders]

Go to this site's "search" page and type in the term RINO.

Point taken Luis.  There is rhetoric on both sides.  Actually, I think I am a RINO!  I confess that I'm only a member of the party because it is better than the alternative and I realize that a third party is practically useless in our political system.  I realize that I have to work within the party to achieve the change I want to see.  I'm against much of what I've seen come out of the GOP, but it is the closest I can work with.

Tea partiers such as myself, have got to realize that we are fighting "the system" and that includes both parties.  Both parties profit from larger government control, so to that end, we are fighting a huge battle, and yes - what we want to achieve is a threat to institutional politics.  Still, I think we are making slow and steady progress.  It's not going to happen overnight.

Those people, like yourself Luis, that appreciate the policies of the current leaders in the GOP are NOT RINOs!  You are Republican, and the tea party types should not be flinging those terms in anger.  WE are actually the RINOs, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.  The Republican party has never espoused the ideals that we, the tea partiers espouse.  Neither party does - because it lessens their influence.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Point taken Luis.  There is rhetoric on both sides.  Actually, I think I am a RINO!  I confess that I'm only a member of the party because it is better than the alternative and I realize that a third party is practically useless in our political system.  I realize that I have to work within the party to achieve the change I want to see.  I'm against much of what I've seen come out of the GOP, but it is the closest I can work with.

Tea partiers such as myself, have got to realize that we are fighting "the system" and that includes both parties.  Both parties profit from larger government control, so to that end, we are fighting a huge battle, and yes - what we want to achieve is a threat to institutional politics.  Still, I think we are making slow and steady progress.  It's not going to happen overnight.

Those people, like yourself Luis, that appreciate the policies of the current leaders in the GOP are NOT RINOs!  You are Republican, and the tea party types should not be flinging those terms in anger.  WE are actually the RINOs, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.  The Republican party has never espoused the ideals that we, the tea partiers espouse.  Neither party does - because it lessens their influence.

Thank you.

Politics and ideology are like vinegar and oil.  They make the base for many a great salad dressing but never, ever blend. Insofar as the GOP is a coalition of like-minded people from the center/right-of-center range of the prism that is political ideology, there will always be clashes within the ranks.

You said something very significant in your post, and I'd like to give you what is certainly MY perspective on the current TEA Party thrust for relevancy in government.

"Tea partiers such as myself, have got to realize that we are fighting "the system" and that includes both parties."

You're actually fighting the GOP with far greater determination and energy than you are fighting the DNC. TEA Party candidates primarily run against incumbent Republicans over incumbent Democrats.

Democrats look at that and remember Sun Tzu:

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

[alicewonders]

Thank you.

Politics and ideology are like vinegar and oil.  They make the base for many a great salad dressing but never, ever blend. Insofar as the GOP is a coalition of like-minded people from the center/right-of-center range of the prism that is political ideology, there will always be clashes within the ranks.

You said something very significant in your post, and I'd like to give you what is certainly MY perspective on the current TEA Party thrust for relevancy in government.

"Tea partiers such as myself, have got to realize that we are fighting "the system" and that includes both parties."

You're actually fighting the GOP with far greater determination and energy than you are fighting the DNC. TEA Party candidates primarily run against incumbent Republicans over incumbent Democrats.

Democrats look at that and remember Sun Tzu:

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

There is nothing wrong with fighting the incumbents in your own party - that is actually a very GOOD thing!  It cleanses the party of old dusty cobwebs that have hung in the corners for far too long.  As a tea partier, I want to see some of these incumbents replaced with new blood and new thinking.  It is my hope that by doing so, we can update the party and infuse it with some passion and new ideals - those being of limiting government. 

Just because someone is an incumbent doesn't give them rights to hold that seat for the rest of their life.  If we can fight them and win - hooray!  If we try to fight them and still lose - better luck next time.  We must never give up - we must never be cowed by pressure or intimidation.  That is the beauty of freedom. 

Another thing - we do not fight our own party harder than we do the Democrats!  That is why we are members of the Republican party - because we recognize that is the only way we can defeat them!  It is not wrong to fight for change within - it actually strengthens and tempers the party.