Why the Tea Parties Aren’t a Third Party
In 2009, many pundits speculated the Tea Party would become a third political party. Rasmussen even did a poll showing the Tea Party beating the GOP in a generic ballot race. Glenn Beck was spoiling for a third party throughout the year.
So far, 2010 has been a year of political upheaval. Conservative favorites have enjoyed uncommon success, including Mike Lee, retiring three-term U.S. Senator Bob Bennett (R-UT), Trey Gowdy’s defeat of Rep. Bob Inglis (R-SC), the defeat of Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) at the hands of conservative Joe Miller, and Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del) being defeated by Christine O’Donnell. Consider also the rise of Sharron Angle, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, and Nikki Haley. Yet something funny happened on the way to the revolution. Third-party efforts have had no role in conservative and Tea Party triumphs this year.
The two-party system is a popular scapegoat among those who feel disenfranchised. Yet 2010 shows that our two-party system works. Disenchanted conservatives have rediscovered they have the power to change a political party if they commit themselves to the process.
They are addressing their concerns by actively campaigning in Republican primaries for candidates who support their ideals. Tea Party activists, working through the GOP, have accomplished far more for the cause of liberty than the Constitution and Libertarian Parties have in their combined fifty-six years of existence, and we’re not even to the general election yet.
That said, not every conservative candidate has met with success, including J.D. Hayworth in the Arizona Senate race and Debra Medina in the Texas governor’s race. This is as it should be.
Primary and caucus voters are quality control for our political process. They judge whether a candidate has the necessary combination of judgment, qualifications, and values to win in the general election, and thus they hold back candidates who they judge as not being ready. Also, as these voters tend to pay more attention, they are more likely to spot when a politician, like a jug of milk, has reached their expiration date as some politicians have already been reminded.
I’ve been a defender of the two party system, and I agree with this premise. I also find very interesting that, I wonder if Murkowski, Scossafalva, Crist, Spectre et al, are doing some great heavy lifting in helping the Tea Party wing to take over the GOP as a whole.
Those four et al might keep the GOP from taking the Senate, and harm them in other ways this November. But look bigger. What in the world are they accomplishing….. at all? Are they leading a triumphant “moderate movement”. Are they lining up as glorious leaders that we (or anyone) is inclined to grab a flag and follow? Have they, in the time that they have struck out on their own, and three of the four have had months or more… have they shown that they stand for any damn thing at all, other than, “Being a political player is really cool, and I like it!”?? Has ANYONE out there really rallied to them in any way, other than, “I guess you’re not XXXX, so I suppose I’ll vote for you.” Wow, inspiring. And how many people is that, anyway?
No, what they have done is show the “moderate wing” to be as hollow as hollow can be. As a self-described moderate myself, I am stunned to see just what these people have forced me to face up to. It’s one thing to stand for nothing… but to stand for such utter shameless self-interest on the part of these people, and to be rocked by the knowledge that almost every thing their factional opponents have been saying about them is 100% true is a bit of a shocker.
In stiking out on their own, they have been forced to show who they truly are, whether they wanted to or not. And deep down, at the core of their being, we look in and see….. nothing. Nothing at all.
* Gulp *
Anyone else a bit sick and tired of another “tea party” explanation? Sorry to annoy all the “know it alls” out there but most likely the tea party is the guy living next door or the women sitting in your office or the young mother down the street. In fact look in the mirror and you might also be a tea party member. Just ordinary Americans who fear for the future of this country. It’s the economy stupid! Remember that? Don’t the liberals wish it was JUST the economy!! Any sane person knows that the real problem is Obama! He is a radical, leftist, socialist, anti-American, ideolgue who is pushing an Anti American agenda on all fronts and yes the net result of ALL of his policies has naturlly been a melt down of the economy. But the real problem is HIM and his radical associations and his sell out of the Constitution and his in your face attitude to the majority of the American taxpayers who pay the bills in this country and do most of the heavy lifting to allow the liberals their insufferable policies. Well we have had enough of these people and the elites that support them including the media and defenders of the status quo in Washingon including the Rino repulbicans. They are feeling the heat and we will drive them out in due course. So stop with the Tea Party nonsense, put on your game face, and lets just get er done to quote the cable guy!!
Tommy Gunn
tommy,
I certainly agree with you on the kenyan however it occurs to me that the moniker ‘ant-american’ has lost it’s bite.
Yes there is a population within our borders that truly believe in America and mostly know why and how the term applies. Unfortunately this group, of which I am a member, is far from a numerical majority, is declining in influence and wields even less political power.
The Left and their know-nothing-free-lunch-craving fools who vote for them are locked in. They actually have a much larger numerical advantage than is popularly believed. Its just that a lot of them are too lazy and or stupid to vote. We cannot take solace however. Their power is burgeoning. They are creatures of darkness and the light is waning across this land.
‘America’ has become just an idea. It is no longer a reality. The nation is a failed state … bankrupt and unable to pay its bills. We do not have the collective will to save ourselves. Those holding the actual and ideological reins of power truly wish to destroy America and they have already done it.
“They have shown that what third parties promise can be accomplished by working through the two-party system.”
It’s called voting.
I recently got it through my thick head that we already have term limits. It’s called voting. I have not ceased to marvel at the genius of the American Constitution.
An engaged electorate is superior to a legislative fail-safe of term limits, because official term limits might shut out that rare creature, the true servant-statesman.
An engaged electorate is the order of the day!
I think it’s great that the Tea Party Candidates are doing so well in the Republican Party. For years, Republicans have been sliding into the quicksand of “bipartisanship,” which usually means doing what the Democrats want you to do but only on a smaller scale. John McCain is a great example of this. If he were so “electable” on the basis of bipartisanship, why didn’t he win in 2008? He was the mainstream media’s wet dream candidate when it came to “moderate” Republicans. He also lost, and badly.
Americans really were not given a choice on election day. It was either vote for a liberal Republican, or vote for the real thing, liberal Democrats. Big deal. The deficits still would have skyrocketed, the size of the Federal Government would still be huge, and the spending in Washington would still be embarrassing by any measure.
Now Americans have a clear choice. The Republican party is finally becoming a true conservative party and we have the Tea Party members to thank for that. That is why the elites within the Republican party are so worried. They actually have BE conservative now, or else lose their jobs. All of this bipartisan crap that got us candidates like Bob Dole and John McCain, both losers, is now gone and we actually have candidates who want to stand for something different, a conservative agenda. They want a smaller government, a lot less spending, more accountability, and less control by the Federal Government over people’s lives.
If we continue to have a clear choice in all future elections, people will react to that and vote more often. But to continue down the road of having only to choose between liberal Democrats and liberal Republicans really was killing the two-party system as well as people’s faith in the election process. Happy days may really be here again.
“Third-party efforts have had no role in conservative and Tea Party triumphs this year.”
I must beg to differ.
Clearly (Write Me In) Murkowski, (Indipendant Party) Christ, and even to a lesser extent (I may support Coons) Castle are showing a definate trend toward a third party in the triumph of conservatives this year. (I’m sure if the Delaware Primary had been held earlier we’d be seeing Castle on the ticket in his own third party bid.)
(Please be sure to note that it is the Establishment choices, who in defeat, have taken this route, not the Tea Party choices.)
“Primary and caucus voters are quality control for our political process. They judge whether a candidate has the necessary combination of judgment, qualifications, and values”
I must concur.
I will reference you to the above statement again to support my agreement.
Yessir, I thought we had learned that lesson when Ross Perot edged out Bush Sr. and gave us 8 years of the Clinton dynasty. I was no fan of Papa Bush, but he was no where near the slippery, slimy, teflon coated varmint Bill Clinton turned out to be. What an embarrassment.
Agreed! The Ross Perot experiment/failure was all that we needed to know that we are stuck with a two party system. The TEA party seems to act best as an advise and consent of ‘We the People’ rather than a hard core organization. It seems also the TEA party is very much a woman’s movement.
The TEA Parties are not seeking to become a 3rd party. They may, of necessity, become a new 2nd party, if the GOP establishment does not wake up and smell the coffee. M. Steele obviously is tone deaf. Sen. Cornyn belatedly realized what music was being played, and that his minuet didn’t match a driving rock beat.
The sad part is that they are reacting, not leading. The TEA Parties are actively seeking what the GOP has been selling for decades. But under Rovian leadership, they sold out those principles for momentary advantage, and were spanked hard for that dereliction.
Revival of the GOP requires strict adherance to those principles, or that party will go the way of the Whigs. Then remnants will merge with the TEA Party elements to form a new 2nd Party. The RINOs will become Democrats, which they philosophically tend to be anyway. This process is why folks like Sens. Bennett & Murkowski, and Rep. Castle were pushed into retirement. They fit in neither a renewed GOP or a new 3rd party, thus they were useless to the emerging new consensus on the side of Liberty.
Karl Rove really disappointed me with his rant upon Christine O’Donnell.
I began to see the Republican Party machine for what it is,
Good Old Politicians (GOP) throwing us the same line of crap.
Send money for your favorite party hack.
I plan to send O’Donnell a donation check, and if she needs it to make a mortgage payment, so be it.
At least that will be a hell of lot more than the Republicans have done for the average JB Public.
And if the left wing-nut Democrats want to talk about her ‘masturbation’ word choice problem.
Let me ask them a question?
When I get in the voting booth and close the privacy curtains around me,
which hand do you think I will use to manipulate the Independent/Tea Party/Republican knob?
he he he he he
You got a genuine guffawww out of me with that one. Kudos.
never do we hear democrats,calling,those who destroy human life,liberty,individual,and independent,success,and prosperity.wrong,or evil;only those who create,protect,defend,and promote human life,liberty,individual,and independent,success,and prosperity;the only religious beliefs that are even tolerated;by the democrat party is,any religion that destroys, exploits,or perverts the spirits, hearts,minds,and bodies,of innocent,and vulnerable children;and,or destroys,the human life,liberty,individual,independent,and religious beliefs,success,and prosperity,of any who dis-agree,or are inconvienient; to human life,liberty,individual,independent,religious beliefs,success,and prosperity policies,of the democrat party;example;if a religious belief,promotes,human life,liberty,individualism,independence,success,and prosperity;the democrat party will not cease,until that religious belief is defeated, removed,denied,and,or destroyed;they do not believe it has a right to exist;notice the demands to remove the ten commandments,the symbol of the christian cross that represents the sacrifice,of jesus christ for the love of humanity,human life,liberty,individualism,independence,success,and prosperity;prayer,and of course the holy bible;but if your religious beliefs,promote, protect,and defend death,destruction,involuntary servitude/slave trade,for votes,lives,liberties rights,money,property,popularity/celebrity,and power;perversion,deception,greed,sloth,and vanity;all who like their god lucifer;believe that their will is to be exalted above god,humanity,human life,liberty,individualism,independence,and religious beliefs of others.and any who dis-agree ,or is inconvienient to their agenda shouldn’t have the right to exist;which explains their new found love for shari’a compliant islam,and why they are ok;with building a shrine to the 9/11 hijackers in n.y.c.”the enemy of my enemy is my friend;society predators,and deadbeats,standing together,against america the great oppressors;which stands for human life,liberty,individualism,independence,success,prosperity,and free will;establishment/moderate republicans,have always been nothing more than water carriers for the democrat party,they stand for nothing which means they’ll stand for anything;except christian conservatives;they would have helped the democrats,lie exploit,and accuse mary,of adultery, for having jesus,out of wedlock;would have not only told king herod where mary,joseph,and baby jesus was;that would have helped form the national organization of”predatorial,and deadbeat”women,and planned”predatorial,and deadbeat parenthood;to insist mary abort”murder”jesus christ”establishment/moderate republicans like their democrat party god’s;would boil innocent children,in a pot of boiling hot water,in exchange for the cannibal vote;independents,are like bi-sexuality;their open to anything,as long as it brings them instant gratification;their votes would prove my point;they have no loyalty to anything,or anyone but themselves;even progressive liberals stand united on their principals,even if they are perverse,deceptive,godless,and lawless;liberatarians are probably closest to the constitution,accept most like progressives don’t believe issues such as abortion,drugs,sexual stimulation,and marxist communist indoctrination of children,is harmful to the character,of this nation,the economic decline of this nation,and the flourishing of evil,predators,and deadbeats,that has over whelmed this nation;i believe the reason is most liberatarians,either question,or deny the existance of god,and believe religion causes war;if they actually knew the history of wars;it has always been the religion of islam that has always started wars,and stolen lives,liberties,and property;and christianity,and judiaism,that took back,and given back,to the rightful heirs;have we had religious fanatics?yes;but they were alway’s historically democrats,politically;secularism has promoted,instigated,and caused more wars,and deaths due to how they,appeased,or fought those wars;than all religions combined;to my liberatarian friends to which we agree on more things as constitutional than not; start reading the words,and beliefs,of our founding fathers,not those who write stories about them;and i’ll ask them this question?if there is no god.then who endows to us our rights how did america survive this long without,some impressive smooth talking political leader claiming i do;not god,as many have tried and failed;why?a belief in a higher power other than self,or a self serving smooth talker,carrying bribes for loyalty?i say a belief in a higher power;until now;everyone knows the survival of america is on the verge of collapse;it is because we have worshipped our own obsessions,and addictions,and those who promise,to fullfill our obsessions,and addictions,if we will declare them the giver,and taker of rights;and for over a hundred years,we have put our obsessions and addictions,over everything,and everyone we used to treasure;and given away all rights over to the pimps,druglords,society,perverts, predators,and deadbeats,that we use to abhor,and knew as pure evil obsessions,and addictions;we all serve some sort of god,or gods which is anything,or anyone that controls us or we desire more than our own loved ones,own lives,rights,and liberties;even if there was no loving god who,endowed to us our rights,that taught us the meaning of; self sacrifice,self,reliance,self control truth, honor,responsibility,equality,ethics,integrity,a higher power that gives us purpose,reason,reward,consequence;which evolution,does not have;we would have to have created such a god,and adversary to god “lucifer or the world would have destroyed itself way before now;that jesus christ preserved,as mankinds last opportunity is; the only truth,the only way,and the only opportunity to eternal life;constitutional conservatism;is the only belief,and political position that can put america, back together again;all other beliefs,and political positions,put the love of self,money,obsessions,and addictions;over truth equality,justice,and something,or someone more importantant than ourselves;jimmy joe;”the liarfryer”
Dude:
Drop the use of the semicolon. You don’t use it correctly. Stop making lists of words. The lists make your post unreadable. Finally, and most importantly, remember to take your medication.
Nate -
YouaretotallywrongthatwasoneofhtemostcogentandinterestingpostsIhavereadinaverylongtimeandIlookforwardtoreadingmuchmorefromsuchanobviouslykeenmindandelegantwordsmithyoushouldstopbeingsojudgementalbecauseIthinkthatwasjustareallyreallyexcellentpostIthinkIllgobackandreaditagain.
The disgusting, and ironic, thing is that it is the members of the GOP establishment that are the ones who don’t blink at the third party route i.e. Murkowski, Crist, Dede Whatshername.)
It says quite about about who is the team player and who is most willing to work with the other side.
I hope you can all forgive me for asking this but, as a Canadian, I really don’t know. I understand that most Americans seem to be happy with the “two party system” but I’ve never understood WHY that was such a bedrock belief among so many Americans. Would someone care to explain why?
Our Canadian political landscape currently has 4 major parties, each of which has a respectable number of representatives in our parliament: the Conservative Party (roughly center right), the Liberal Party (roughly center left), the New Democratic Party [universally called the NDP] (farther left than the Liberals: democratic socialist but relatively moderate as these things go), and the Bloc Quebecois (also left leaning but they are actually a regional party coming only from Quebec). I feel as if we have slightly more choice than Americans do simply by virtue of having 3 parties to choose from (I don’t live in Quebec so the Bloc Quebecois doesn’t run in my area. Someone in Quebec would typically have 4 choices of major parties, although the NDP typically does very poorly in Quebec). Our Parliament has some interesting techniques of forming coalitions among the parties, particularly when the biggest party doesn’t have a majority of the seats, as is the case right now, where the Conservatives are the biggest party but the other parties, knowing that voters don’t want an election right now, allow the government to stand rather than forcing an election. (Our election dates are not fixed like yours and an election can happen any time if the biggest party is defeated via a vote on an important bill. However, elections MUST happen at least every 5 years so no “arrangement” is going to last indefinitely.)
Given the differences between our two systems, it would probably be an “apples and oranges” comparison so I don’t want to dwell on the details. Still, I don’t see why having more than two parties in the US Congress would be such a bad thing. Lots of strong democracies have more than two parties and do just fine.
Why does having more than two parties in your Congress grate on so many Americans?
It is somewhat of a mystery with lots of irony mixed in. Usually the arguments you’ll see are like the one above – ‘Perot gave us Clinton. Terrible.’ (paraphrasing)…
So, it is partly the belief that most evil resides in the other party, and that voting for a purist or absolutist just empowers the enemy, as it were. It is also a deep-seated belief that Americans have about themselves, the idea of a pragmatic approach being the only one that gets things done. This implies (accurately, I think) that most Democrat and Repub partisans think of their party and candidates as effective, pragmatic Americans. Basically, it’s a society where competition is valued highly, the idea of a fair fight (where fighting is a positive value), and a third-party candidate ruins the fight.
Usually, the differences aren’t real great. The gap between Clinton and Bush on policy was not so big, and Bush 41 was a middle-roader on most issues. Somebody like Obama is an exception to the rule. So I think it’s kind of the thrill of your team against my team, and the third team is ruled ineligible before the kickoff….
Henry -
My observation is that the two party system does have enough factions within to pretty much allow all the smaller “parties” to have some representation, while giving them an overall framework to work within that that are at least effective commisurate with their size.
My concern with more parties than two is that it seems to me that I see (in parliments) many time small or even extreme parties cutting deals and engaging in tactical (as opposed to principled) behavior that can literally hand them the keys to the kingdom, under threat of blowing up the whole coalition.
It is notable that governments do not “fall” in America, something that I have always been in favor of (tough lately, though
. I was always disturbed at the idea that these small or tiny parties could blow a whole parlimentary coaltion out of the water over some petty issue (like stem cells, or whatever?)
So there are plus and minuses to all, but those are a couple reasons that I think the two party system works. When we get to a point, like we are at, when both parties are out to sea, well… we see what is happening, a pretty strong movement to bring one to account and restore the balance.
By and large, I think it works as well as any alternative. And I have a feeling that if the GOP fails to address Tea Party issues, there is half a chance they would strike out, rise in size, and eventually supplant the original GOP (as with the Whigs), and thus de facto restore a two party balance. Just a prediction.
My observation is that the two party system does have enough factions within to pretty much allow all the smaller “parties” to have some representation, while giving them an overall framework to work within that that are at least effective commisurate with their size.
I suppose that’s been true in Canada too. While the Liberal party is fairly uniform these days – aside from the jockeying for power and influence among the various leader wannabes – the Conservatives used to be split between “Red Tories” (the more liberal wing) and “Blue Tories” (the more moderate wing). The Red Tories were definitely dominant in all respects from the 60s until about 10 years ago. The Blue Tories still had some influence though and were known to stand for a few things like a return to capital punishment, which hasn’t been carried out here since the early 60s. But even when the Conservatives got into power, the Red Tories dominated and no attempt was made to restore capital punishment so it’s hard to describe the Blue Tories as being terribly influential despite their views.
My concern with more parties than two is that it seems to me that I see (in parliments) many time small or even extreme parties cutting deals and engaging in tactical (as opposed to principled) behavior that can literally hand them the keys to the kingdom, under threat of blowing up the whole coalition.
It is notable that governments do not “fall” in America, something that I have always been in favor of (tough lately, though
. I was always disturbed at the idea that these small or tiny parties could blow a whole parlimentary coaltion out of the water over some petty issue (like stem cells, or whatever?)
I suspect you’re talking about countries like Israel or Italy here, countries which use Proportional Representation. We don’t have Proportional Representation here, although there are some acttivists that are pushing for it. That kind of deal-making is certainly a common feature of politics in Italy, Israel and other countries that use Proportional Representation. Mind you, we even see it here a bit. At the moment, we have four parties in our parliament but the largest one, the Conservatives, don’t have a majority. The other three have an informal coalition but, because the polls have said consistently that voters don’t want another election right now, the coalition is rather weak and actually tends to hold their noses and support the government rather than bringing it down. They fear that if they force an election which is generally not desired by voters, they will be punished and have fewer seats, possibly giving the Conservatives a majority government. But of course they continue to posture as if they are cracking the whip and keeping the Conservatives honest, even though they are really just hanging on for dear life….
So there are plus and minuses to all, but those are a couple reasons that I think the two party system works. When we get to a point, like we are at, when both parties are out to sea, well… we see what is happening, a pretty strong movement to bring one to account and restore the balance.
By and large, I think it works as well as any alternative. And I have a feeling that if the GOP fails to address Tea Party issues, there is half a chance they would strike out, rise in size, and eventually supplant the original GOP (as with the Whigs), and thus de facto restore a two party balance. Just a prediction.
I find the whole Tea Party movement quite intriguing. I truly hope it has the desired effect of cleaning out most of the RINO elements in the Republican Party so that it once again becomes the party of real conservatives and constitutionalists, rather than “Democrat Lites”. I certainly feel better about our Conservative Party now that it has largely eliminated the Red Tories that have dominated it for most of my lifetime.
Thanks for that analysis, Larry. I can certainly understand parts of that, especially the concern about three-corner fights, from the situation in Canada. We’ve certainly seen the consequences of that here. We call it vote-splitting and it has led to the phenomenon that a party can win a seat with only 30-odd percent of the vote in that riding simply because the other parties each get a significant chunk. And as with the Republicans and Democrats, our Liberals and Conservatives rarely diverge too much from the mainstream and are therefore quite close to each other. This was especially true until 10 years ago when our Conservatives were actually Progressive-Conservatives and the “Red Tories” (the more liberal wing of the party) dominated it, as it had since a sort of schism in the 60s). I never really saw any significant difference between our Red Tories and the Liberals, aside from the fact that there were known to be a strong fringe of less liberal people in the Progressive-Conservative party, although they rarely had much visible influence on policy. Even the effective elimination of the Red Tories a few years back hasn’t really changed the policies of the Conservatives a great deal, although they are finally spending more money on our military, after decades of neglect. But without the “progressive” veneer, the MSM, which is predominantly liberal here too, has convinced the voters that the Conservative Party can’t be trusted with a majority government. So we’ve now had several years of minority governments where the largest party does not have a majority of the seats, which affects what they can do.
Excellent commentary. Everyone should discourage Lisa Murkowski from running opposition to the will of the Alaskan people. Rubio and others have had time to mend the damage of rogue liberal Repubs like Christ going independent. Miller doesn’t have the luxury of time. Write and/or call Murkowski and advise her to bow out and endorse Miller. Her legacy (what’s left of it) will be intact and she will avoid the Demon She-Devil Spoiler label which will, in fact stick for life. Tell Lisa to pull out now and endorse Miller. Email at campaign@lisamurkowski.com and/or call Phone: 888-958-LISA (5472), (907) 569-5960 Shame her into pulling out!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mr. Graham! I feel vindicated! As a former Congressional candidate and current Utah Republican State Delegate, I have been saying for the longest time that it is not necessarily the parties THEMSELVES that are the issue, but rather the PEOPLE serving in them! Whether it is some (or all) of the Party leadership (pick your level) or your elected representatives, the answer is NOT to get rid of the two-party system but to replace those in it who are causing the problem. In other words, don’t toss out the baby with the bathwater.
Don’t like what your Party (or those in it) is/are doing? Get rid of them in the next cycle, for cryin’ out loud! It’s called “take an active roll”, folks; get involved. It’s not going to fix itself. You have to do all you can yourself to help it along. Some can do a little, others can do more; some can run and serve, others can help to get them there. The point is not to just grouse about the problem – do something to make it better; put your OWN stamp of approval on it. And who knows? Maybe you’ll “catch fire” and be the one who ends up serving and makes the direct difference. It could happen.
http://mobpolitics.com/2010/09/the-downside-to-the-tea-partyanti-incumbent-movement.html
I agree that the TEA Party is not, at the moment, a Third Party movement. Whether they ever become so will depend on the reaction of what I call the Institutional Republican party. As others have noted, you can pretty much absolutely depend on Institutional Republican candidates to either go third party or to defect to the Democrats if they lose in a primary. The TEA Party accepts the decision of the people.
If there is a movement of the TEA Party to Third Party status, it will be temporary, as Andrew X says. Between those of the Republican grass roots who follow the TEA Party, and the de facto merger of the RINO/DIABLO/Institutional Republicans with the Democrats [their true home] we would surely be back to a two party system in a matter of months.
The question is what would provoke such a move? I think that there is a carefully considered plan within the Institutional Republican Party to force just such a move. Because they fear the loss of power and the fairly cushy job as a tame opposition to the Democrats.
In the wake of numerous deliberate decisions by the Republican Party structure over the last year to oppose TEA Party candidates, both before and after they get the nomination [as of Sunday night, I heard Karl Rove was still functionally campaigning for the Democrat in the Delaware Senate race]; a Republican decision to support Murkowski may be approaching the “last straw” level with the TEA Party.
Keep in mind that Murkowski is campaigning as an “independent” in a general election against the duly nominated Republican candidate. McConnell has said that he supports the results of the primary, but running against the official Republican candidate means that you are not a Republican anymore, and should not hold on to your Republican committee assignments.
The core of Murkowski’s campaign centers around the claim that her seniority, her Ranking Membership on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and her seat on Appropriations will enable her to rob the rest of the country for the benefit of Alaskans. If the Republican Senate Leadership leaves her seats on those committees intact, they are helping her campaign against a Republican [and TEA Party] candidate as much as any of those oil industry lobbyists she called upon who may choose pay her off.
There has been a claim that the entire Senate Republican caucus is required to vote on stripping her seats. Fine. She bailed on the Republican party on Friday. If by Wednesday there is not at least talk about setting up that vote, it pretty much says which side they are taking. Also, since Rove is still attacking the duly nominated Delaware Republican candidate for Senate, Christine O’Donnell, on TV; it might be a good thing if someone in the Republican party with enough clout tells him to sit down and just shut up. If they can’t, or if they won’t; it says something about the relationship between the Institutional Republicans and the TEA Party.
Subotai Bahadur
There is no “two party system”. Parties are not even mentioned in any of the defining documents of our republic. Democrat and Republican parties are not forever. They will eventually die, to be replaced by something else, just as the Democrat and Republican parties replaced something before them. This idea that we have a “two party system” is just a complete load of crap.
Republicrats and demopublicans alike have also done their best to stymie any efforts by independent parties. Since when do republicrats and demopublicans have to get petitions signed in order to obtain access to the ballot? What a crock.
That was quick. The Republican Party says that they will support the winner of the Alaska Senate Primary. However, Murkowski is running against that candidate as an independent and using her seats on the Energy and Natural Resources and Appropriations Committees as the center of her campaign to promise pork to try to bribe Alaska’s voters. Running against the official candidate in the General Election should lose her the seats.
——-
Associated Press Writer Matt Daly in Washington today:
…. GOP rules allow any Republican senator to seek her removal by forcing a secret ballot vote of the 41-member caucus, but that is unlikely to happen before the Nov. 2 general election, according to GOP staffers and other observers. There are only a few weeks left in the legislative session, with no action on major bills expected. …
———
Come November 3, there will need to be a reckoning. That straw is getting heavy.
Subotai Bahadur
In the item above, only the word “says” in the first paragraph should have been italics. Sorry.
Subotai Bahadur
After listening to many in the TEA party I have written out some basic ideas (A platform if you will) that I believe 90% of the TEA party members or more would agree with.
A clear and concise platform of the TEA party ideals and values should be posted far and wide for all to see.
Let there be no doubts as to what the core principals of the TEA party are.
So I present the following as a suggested platform:
16 BASIC TENANTS OF THE TEA PARTY
(Please email this and forward)
1. The TEA party believes that the Federal government has grown too large.
Huge cuts and the elimination of whole departments of the federal system is required to bring the behemoth that has become the federal government into line with the vision that was given to us by the framers of the constitution of the United States.
2. The TEA party believes that taxes are too high but would support increasing taxes on a temporary basis if and only if federal spending is reduced drastically.
The temporary increase in taxes would be used to reduce America’s debt only.
3. The TEA party believes that both the Democrats AND the Republicans are to blame for the budget crisis.
The government’s deficit spending must end now. The pork barrel is empty and the handout of money to a favored powerful few is going to stop.
4. The TEA party believes that an individual’s rights are not granted by the government.
The government’s place is to protect inalienable rights that every human is born with. The government has no place determining who has rights and who does not.
5. The TEA party believes that the federal government is over stepping the powers granted to it by the constitution.
The federal government is involved in many practices that belong on the state or local level. The TEA is made up by a wide variety of people who hold that the usual checks and balances that were placed on the federal government by the constitution have been weakened and ignored for too long.
6. the TEA party is for returning to the basic rights and principals that are spelled out in the Constitution of the United States, The Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.
The politicians in our nation’s capital have been operating without the checks and balances that are required for a government of, for, and by the people.
7. The TEA party believes that the free enterprise capitalist system is the best regulator of the market and creator of jobs.
This is not to say that strong, effective, and even handed regulation is not needed to make sure that fraud, corruption, or abuse of the system does not take place. The federal government’s regulation of private businesses is now so onerous that its rules need to be revamped and scaled back. Jobs and wealth are created by business, not the government.
8. The TEA party believes that the United States of America is a nation of laws and demands the return of this country to a system of equal justice under the law.
Selective enforcement of the law will not be tolerated. The justice department currently enforces only those laws that the party in the executive branch chooses to enforce. This is a disgrace and a gross abuse of power. Those who have done this should be prosecuted.
9. The TEA party believes in fair trade; not free trade.
Our government has allowed China to manipulate its currency and drain the world’s manufacturing jobs. This is not fair trade. Our government has allowed other countries to pollute and sell their goods are cheaper here where our industry values a clean environment. This is not fair trade. Our government has allowed other countries to use child and slave labor to produce goods. This is not fair trade. Free but unfair trade has drained jobs from the United States.
10. The TEA party name is often portrayed as standing for “Taxed Enough Already”.
That says a lot about the members of this party and what they believe in.
11. The TEA party is not now, nor has it ever been, racist.
The established media and political powers have been trying to paint the TEA party with this foul trait in an attempt to dissuade others from joining. If you believe in the tenants listed here then the TEA party is where you should be and you will be welcomed.
12. The TEA party derives its power from the people and is independent.
The TEA party is not in any way affiliated with either the Republicans or the Democrats. The TEA party derives its power from the people and is independent. The TEA party is feared by the Republican and Democratic parties as well as the established media. The independence and freedom of the TEA party scares the current elite power base; as it should.
13. The TEA party believes in free speech.
Tea party members do not mind being called “tea baggers” and laugh at the name. Free speech is a right that is most important to our society. The TEA party believes the best response is not name calling but the ballot box. See you on Election Day!
14. The TEA party believes in freedom of religion.
This country was and is founded on the basis of freedom to worship as you like. Any attempt to stifle this freedom is repugnant. All religions should be respected with none shown any favor by the government.
15. The TEA party believes that people should take care of themselves and that local and state level government should assist with necessary welfare where needed.
The TEA party believes that Federal government involvement is appropriate only in larger national issues and local issues should be and are best handled locally.
16. The TEA party supports a constitutional amendment for term limits on both houses of congress. The lobbyist stranglehold on our government must end. Cronyism and the good old boy network must be broken up. Imposing term limits on congress is the best way to do this.