• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

So, what does the Tea Party stand for?

Upchurch

Papa Funkosophy
Upchurch
Joined
May 10, 2002
Messages
34,265
Location
St. Louis, MO
I've seen numerous attempts to pin down what the Tea Partiers are really all about and there always seems to be someone who says something along the lines of "No, that's not what its all about", sometimes coupled with a deriding comment about the low level of skepticism in the Politics forum.

So... what is the Tea Party all about and, more importantly, how do you come about your information?
 
The Tea Party is an exploitation of the right-wing anti-government activists, who flare up whenever a Democrat is elected president, by the GOP/FOX News puppet-masters needing to work outside the usual label of the damaged Republican Party brand.
 
Upchurch said:
I've seen numerous attempts to pin down what the Tea Partiers are really all about and there always seems to be someone who says something along the lines of "No, that's not what its all about", sometimes coupled with a deriding comment about the low level of skepticism in the Politics forum.

So... what is the Tea Party all about and, more importantly, how do you come about your information?
Click to expand...

The only answer is no answer. The teabagger protests were a magnet for every dissatisfied group, be they populists, nutbages, righties, or just looking for something to do between Ron Paul presidential bids. The closest answer to what this was originally about is "anger and fear."

It is clear that Republican leaning strategists are aiming at controlling it, and that is likely the future of the movement. There have been a few complaints from baggers about the GOP wanting to "hijack' the movement...
 
Suddenly said:
The only answer is no answer. The teabagger protests were a magnet for every dissatisfied group, be they populists, nutbages, righties, or just looking for something to do between Ron Paul presidential bids. The closest answer to what this was originally about is "anger and fear."
Click to expand...
This is spot on. What is interesting are those that post here who are blinded to the fact that some under the Tea Party tent are ignorant, racists and/or simply kooks.

I'd feel sorry for them if some of these same people didn't paint the traditional parties with equally broad brushes.
 
Yeah, okay. I was really hoping for more positive statements on what the Tea Party is all about.

It seems to me it used to be about lower taxes. Now it seems to be about less spending. It tastes great. It's less filling. Whatever.
 
From my vantage point listening to talk radio and reading news stories and lurking on right wing websites, the primary complaint the Tea Party members have is the high spending. While we have seen high spending from previous administrations they feel that under Obama the spending has increased precipitously and thus needs to be opposed. Health Care is targeted as exemplifying high costs to government which we cannot afford.

Pointing to previous deficits is brushed off as Obama's deficits are much, much higher than previous admininstrations, thus placing the USA in peril.

The socialism/communism/birtherism/fascism is all a bonus for kicks and giggles.

ETA: I can sympathize with the Tea Partiers as I also worry a bit about our debt.
 
Last edited:
According to this, there are five basic principles.
  1. A smaller federal government,
  2. Constitutional compliance,
  3. Deference to states’ rights,
  4. Lower spending and taxes
  5. The restoration of individual rights, responsibility, and integrity.
Click to expand...
Most of these are hogwash. Constitutional compliance depends on how you interpret the Constitution. Deference to states rights is extremely iffy. Does it mean putting states rights above federal law? If so, that essentially means dissolving the US. The restoration of individual rights... is also quite open to interpretation. One could interpret that individuals have a right to expect basic health care. Integrity? I don't think that any party has a claim on that.

So it really comes down to smaller government and lower taxes. Now if they can figure out a way to provide the services that the Federal Government provides at a cheaper rate, more power to them. If they expect that they can do this simply by cutting off services, well they might want to take a look at countries that have no plan for dealing with poverty before they wish for that. Is Somalia their model government? Low government interference for sure.

We need to see some of the extensive plans they have for remodeling government, what to do when a state declares they don't want to go along with the other 49 on something like, say, providing for the common defense, exactly where they think federal jurisdiction ends.

Right now it's a party of slogans. It has no real, workable principles. If they ever tried to hammer them out, I think they'd find out how little they have in common.
 
Upchurch said:
So... what is the Tea Party all about and, more importantly, how do you come about your information?
Click to expand...

The tea party is about making life difficult for democracts and any centerist/left wing forces happen to be around. They started out as a product of freedom works and the Koch brothers who have ended up with less control that they originaly planned.

http://exiledonline.com/exposing-th...-machine-is-cnbcs-rick-santelli-sucking-koch/
http://exiledonline.com/how-freedomworks-gave-the-teabaggers-a-dirty-sanchez/
 
They seem to be mostly supporters of low taxation and low government expenditure. Apart from that, it seems hard to pin-point, but I don't believe that is specific to this particular movement. Being a Democrat or Republican or NAZI, or whatever party doesn't mean one supports all the views of the party, but rather that the views one most values are tenets of the party. For example, you may be a supporter of a purely free market system, but believe marijuana prohibitions are a good idea, however you might settle for marijuana legalization in small amount in order to gain a more free market society (which you may value more) and so vote Libertarian. Mainly what I am saying is that on the macro scale, opinions may seem to be uniform, but on the micro scale, opinion may vary. I know that doesn't answer the question very well, but I believe the question is hard to answer outside of a few views that seem almost unanimous throughout it (such as low(er) taxation and low(er) government expenditure) for the reasons I stated above.
 
The True Scotsman said:
They seem to be mostly supporters of low taxation and low government expenditure.
Click to expand...



The former, maybe, the latter almost certainly not for most of them. Like most right wingers they refuse to point to any real cuts they would support and are more likely to be opposing cuts to things like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and Defense.

For all their other loony ideas the one thing you need to give the Ron Paul crowd credit for is that they are the only right wingers who are willing to come out and say what spending they think should be cut. This, of course, is why they would never get elected. The US voters don’t want real cuts they want to be told they can pay less in taxes without real cuts.
 
The True Scotsman said:
They seem to be mostly supporters of low taxation and low government expenditure.
...
Click to expand...


I know those are the most obvious and most abundantly professed positions, but I'm not buying it. Their taxes went down under Obama (except for the super-rich funders of the movement). They're all 1/20/09 deficit hawks, saying not a peep about Medicare Part D or unfunded massive war expenditures under Bush/Cheney. No, what they really don't like is a black Democrat in power and poor people getting government assistance. That's what they believe in.
 
hgc said:
I know those are the most obvious and most abundantly professed positions, but I'm not buying it. Their taxes went down under Obama (except for the super-rich funders of the movement). They're all 1/20/09 deficit hawks, saying not a peep about Medicare Part D or unfunded massive war expenditures under Bush/Cheney. No, what they really don't like is a black Democrat in power and poor people getting government assistance. That's what they believe in.
Click to expand...

Well, to be honest, it does seem a bit blob-ish. Within a large framework that seem to be establish in it, it seem that influential member could really take the tea party in any direction. I suppose the real question is "what makes up this framework?", "what are the few values that all or most members find in common?" I tend to think it is low(er) taxes and low(er) government spending simply because that is the impression I get from the news reports, impromptu interviews of protester, etc, but there is always the possibility that what member profess and what they would actually do in a given situation is different (but then again that seems to be the song of politics in general).
 
Let's just agree to hate them. No matter what they stand for. Because we are better than them, err, they.
 
hgc said:
I know those are the most obvious and most abundantly professed positions, but I'm not buying it. Their taxes went down under Obama (except for the super-rich funders of the movement). They're all 1/20/09 deficit hawks, saying not a peep about Medicare Part D or unfunded massive war expenditures under Bush/Cheney. No, what they really don't like is a black Democrat in power and poor people getting government assistance. That's what they believe in.
Click to expand...

The nail has been hit on the head. :)
 
Lurker said:
From my vantage point listening to talk radio and reading news stories and lurking on right wing websites, the primary complaint the Tea Party members have is the high spending. While we have seen high spending from previous administrations they feel that under Obama the spending has increased precipitously and thus needs to be opposed. Health Care is targeted as exemplifying high costs to government which we cannot afford.
Click to expand...

They also protest spending cuts as well, you know when the cuts hit them.

They are fundamentally an unfocused source of right wing anger that rejects the damaged republican brand.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom