Tea Party Hijacking

[mrjarrell]

Just what many people feared would happen is happening. The St. Louis Tea Parties have been hijacked by Republicans. It was a good idea, but allowing Republicans anywhere near them was a recipe for disaster.

From Tom Knapp

The bad news:

In St. Louis, at least, the organizational end of the Tea Party movement (founded by Illinois Libertarian Party activists) has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Republican Party. Local Tea Party coordinator Bill Hennessy has stated his case for "taking over the GOP" instead of going third party, and his suggested tactics for getting the rogue Tea Partiers back into Republican lockstep.

Several of the speakers regurgitated the same talking point (quoted from memory): "It's not about Republican or Democrat, it's about conservative or liberal." Of course, by "conservative" they meant "Republicans and a few pet Democrats who can be counted on to vote for the most expensive and damaging big-government program, foreign military adventurism."

All of the introduced/touted candidates were Republicans, all of the targeted public officials were Democrats. The issues talking points were 100% conservative/Republican red meat (ObamaCare, Cap-and-Trade, the evil unions). Obviously those issues get some overlap with the sentiments of libertarians, constitutionalists and other pro-freedom folks, but absent was anything that didn't pass the Rush Limbaugh "dittohead" orgasm test.

Even though the St. Louis County Libertarians contributed $100 for the event (to help with the rental of "port-a-potties" -- and we took the liberty of posting a sponsorship flier on one), we received zero mention from the stage during the two hours that I was there. Nor did any other third party or independent candidate.
In format and agenda, it was 100% a Republican Party event.

The "leadership" and the "membership" are two different things, of course. We got a reasonably warm greeting for our literature, and several people made it a point to photograph, or come up to discuss (always positively), my sign: "Voting Republican for smaller government is like f--king for virginity."

I suspect that the Tea Party movement is done as a force for liberty. That's certainly the case to the extent that its "leaders" succeed in duping supporters of smaller government into voting Republican next year. My impression, though, is that most of the Tea Partiers fall into one of two groups: Those who were already Republicans and who just might have caught on a bit through their exposure to the LP, Campaign For Liberty, etc., and those who were already third party and don't plan to allow themselves to be co-opted.

So, a lot of sadly blown potential, but probably not too much damage done, and perhaps even a little bit of good accomplished. Requiescat in pace for something that might have been an amazing breakthrough if the damn Republicans hadn't tied it down, slit its throat and sucked the blood out of it.

 

[mrjarrell]

The founder of the Tea Party movement also laments on the hijacking and lack of focus in the so-called movement. It has moved too far from its roots and is not just unfocused, it's become a tool for the very people the tea parties spoke out against.
From The California Independent Voter Network

In 2007, the modern tea party movement took shape, in a vastly different form than it now presents itself. Spurred by an impending recession, a government overrun by deception and corruption, and an unprecedented expansion of government under eight years of “conservative” leadership, the first modern day tea partiers had positive causes of action: honesty, respect for the rule of law, and protection of the rights of the smallest minority; the individual.
In late 2007, on the anniversary of the original Boston Tea Party, positive protestors laid hope in a solution. In a 24 hours period, in concert with symbolic and peaceful re-enactments of the Boston Tea Party in over 50 cities across the country, energetic tea partiers dumped over 5.2 million dollars into a long-shot presidential campaign to support a candidate that embodied honesty, respect, and sincerity in the pursuit strict constitutional leadership. The goal: to entrust our highest office to a man of principles, who would be shackled by a devotion to the constitution, rather than obligations to special interests.
I am proud to have been a participant in that tea party. In witnessing the tens of thousands of “patriots” that peacefully marched through the streets and donated extravagantly to a candidate relegated to a status of “darkhorse” by the mainstream, my respect turned to passion. I was convinced that the average American was beginning to see through the veil of scripted partisan sermons, designed to coddle fears and perpetuate the superficial battle between a “left” and “right”.
Over the next year, I harvested an addiction to contrarianism. An incessant hunger for serious political debate, fueled by coffee, cigarettes and eighteen-hour workdays changed my world. I was a dark-horse political enthusiast, with blinders on.
Then, in mid-February of 2009, Rick Santelli gave a now infamous rant on CNBC, calling for a modern day “tea party” in July. Immediately, my business partner and I set up on online tea party website. Within days, we received tens of thousands of e-mails and passionate pleas for government accountability. Our vision was to change the political debate focused on general divisions to one centered on specific solutions. We asked our supporters to question party-line politicians and demand that our leaders take a more independent and reasoned stance on the issues facing our country.
In short time, desperate partisans were soiling the sheets. Knowing we had neither the financial means nor man-power to out-publicize political perverts, I was never-the-less convinced that this independent movement would not be overrun by golden idols. I wrote to our supporters, asking them to be weary of old Republican figureheads like Newt Gingrich and current political strategists Patrick Leahy, hiding their identity behind make-shift “grassroots” websites. I was hopeful that the same talking heads, like Hannity and O’Reilly, that asked us to bend over blindly to past leaders would not have enough credibility to grandstand in front of an independent-minded movement.
At some point, reality began piercing my passion. The tea party boat started becoming a wagon of whiners. Propelled by the moving mouths on TV and the talking heads of such ironically named organizations such as the “American Family Association” (one must agree that for an admitted adulterer with three ex-wives heading the AFA is ironic, right?), the movement lost its focus. No longer were tea partiers upset with the bipartisan corruption in Washington D.C., they are mad at the socialists communists Hitler-like Democrats. No longer did Constitutionalism mean respecting the rule of law, it meant Obama is not really our president. A movement founded on the principles of independent analysis, it has become a yelling fest for punch-drunk cynics armed with incoherent talking points.
Slowly, I’ve lost some of my unrealistic idealism. As I pull back the blinders, I try to look at the tea party from the eyes of an outsider, the average American. What I see is a bunch of people reciting partisan political sermons, coddling fears, and perpetuating a superficial battle between “left” and “right”; drowning the well intentioned idealists that remain.
As the battle rages, I have more faith than ever that an independent revolution will come. When the absurdity of our political process rises to the point where tea bags become a right wing rally cry and the left still manages to drop in the polls, there is a growing opportunity for the increasingly disenchanted to drive a stake right down the middle.

 

[in_betts]

This has been my fear from the early stages. So many people weren't around to hear me "preaching" (as my wife says) about many of the the things on the tea party list of unhappiness........ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO!!!!!!!!!!

Granted many things have changed, most notably the way we are communicating now. My sincere hope is that "flip this house" and many of the groups, including the 9-12 groups will collectively stick to their guns through the next two election cycles. It is now or never to save what is left of US (U.S.)

 

[Prometheus]

Just what many people feared would happen is happening. The St. Louis Tea Parties have been hijacked by Republicans. It was a good idea, but allowing Republicans anywhere near them was a recipe for disaster.

From Tom Knapp

I agree 100% It turned into a republican thing... or at least it has nationally.

The only way to get things turned around is thru everyone coming together. Republicans are as much to blame as democrats.

It was like letting the foxes in the hen house. Nothing good could come from it.

It also shows how evil most republican politicians are. There is no difference than them and the dems in doing everything they can to ensure they win the next election. To heck with the country in the process.