Is the Tea Party a uniquely American phenomenon

[Unabogie]

Look at this!

It's Freedom Works, the corporate lobbying firm run by members of the GOP, organizing a rally for this weekend!

http://teaparty.freedomworks.org/events/second-national-liberty-walk

See? Organic! Grass rootsy. Totally, and 100% coming from ordinary Americans.

But wait, that'd only be true if Fox, or Rush, or Beck were hyping this.

Google powers...activate!

http://teaparty.freedomworks.org/notes/Welcome_Glenn_Beck_Listeners!

Yep.

 

[Praktik]

Yes, the Tea Party is uniquely American. Most of the policies they support have parallels to what some conservative parties do in other, European countries. However, the Tea Partiers do it in greater numbers, louder voices, and have come out in different times.

It is certainly uniquely American and the reason why is because American political development has had its own course for centuries and as a polity, occupies a narrower spectrum of political thought due to the pecularities of its founding (the devotion to classical liberalism, the influence of the scots-irish in the 19th century, the death of the Whigs and the flight of tory-style conservatives to Canada after the revolution).

Moving to more modern times, we can see the roots of the Tea Party in Meyer's "fusionism" of the 50s, antecedents in the Goldwater campaign, and certainly a very HEAVY continuation of the Moral Majority of the 80s.

This couldn't be anything but an American phenomenon.

Now as a Canadian, one thing I notice is a lot of "Americanization by Osmosis". For example, PM Harper made a big deal out of the long-form census here, and this has never been on the political radar for anybody. But it is a big issue in the states, and I think the southward gaze of many Canadians brings in American ideas subliminally.

Exhibit A for the Tea Party North: http://proudtobecanadian.ca/

But given the very American style to this site I don't see it as much of a natural Canadian development but more of an American import. And these people are a minority.

However, I will say that the election of Rob Ford as mayor in Toronto is a curious example. The tenor of his campaign was very much taken from the Tea Party template, and people responded to it.