Will the Tea Party movement have a positive effect on the country?

[shiznit770]

I don't expect a yes or no answer as my own is not.

I think it will have a positive effect in so far as it is stirring the political pot and a deviation from the norm. I really don't see accomplishing much or gaining widespread support for several reasons.

From what I can see the allure is their outward mission statement and historic roots. Looks good on paper but how is it actually playing out?

I looked into my local (Illinois) tea party groups and was not encouraged. Nearly every one of them was completely absorbed in political bashing. It was pretty much one giant Obama bash. Not that I'm a fan, but what does this accomplish? I had hoped to see more of a grassroots approach, a focus on local government that can be influenced by the individual. Without this approach I see it as merely a waste of time. Another politician will step in Obama's place and little will have changed for the better.

Anyone else a Tea Party member or look into it?

 

[Teh Internets]

They aren't getting anywhere until they change their name. Who on earth wants to be a tea bagger?

 

[Gabriel]

Umm.. only if it drives the few sane people left in the republican party out.

Just sayin.

 

[washunut]

They are already having an effect. Just like Perot did in 1992. He did not get elected but did make the major party candidates show how they would get the deficit down.

Though the Obama folks like to deride the tea party, the administration has established a commission to get our current deficit down.

 

[jujuman13]

It is a protest against those that promised 'CHANGE' and 'CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN'.
Now the majority of people who post in DP absolutely know that the above words were merely used to promote an emotional response at the polls, and to be perfectly honest, they were brilliantly successful.
The Problem comes (as it always does) after the elections and all those fine high sounding emotive words and ideals have to be put into practice.
After some time has elapsed since the election and little is seen to be done to alleviate the situation that the US finds itself in, people begin to object to Politicians giving pontificating speeches but actually getting no results.
Had there been a GOP administration then the objectors would likely be left leaning towards Socialism or Democrats, but as it is the Democrats that have control of the administration, people are saying 'this lot cannot solve the Country's problems' time to give someone else a chance.
Not actually liking or agreeing with what the GOP did or is proposing, they tend to gravitate towards those objector groups that gain the media attention.
Not saying it is good, or that 'Tea Party' will be successful, but those who oppose the Democrats may attain their aims by allying with Tea Party.

 

[Boo Radley]

Too unfocused and contradictory to actually do anything positive. The nutter voices get too much play.

 

[MKULTRABOY]

Agreed.............

 

[lizzie]

They already have had an effect. Quite frankly, I hope to see more Tea Party change, and less Obama change.

 

[Hoplite]

No. The teabaggers are largely reactionary and ill-informed who often have overly-simplistic views about what should happen based on a lack of knowledge. They get angry because what they see as "the right thing" isnt getting done but they dont stop to consider "maybe I dont have all the information, maybe there's a concrete reason my wishes arent being followed" and instead immediately jump on almost conspiracy theory-style ideas that paint everyone who disagrees with them or with their ideology as traitors or worse.

The teabagger movement contributes to turning American politics into an exercise in demagoguery rather than a concrete attempt to find solutions for problems; they add to the noise and confusion of a crowd by yelling and screaming rather than trying to co-ordinate and work the problems out as a unit.

 

[Magill]

Yes! They will rid the world of Czars and will keep the government out of their medicare. They're great!

 

[Layla_Z]

It is a protest against those that promised 'CHANGE' and 'CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN'.
Now the majority of people who post in DP absolutely know that the above words were merely used to promote an emotional response at the polls, and to be perfectly honest, they were brilliantly successful.
The Problem comes (as it always does) after the elections and all those fine high sounding emotive words and ideals have to be put into practice.
After some time has elapsed since the election and little is seen to be done to alleviate the situation that the US finds itself in, people begin to object to Politicians giving pontificating speeches but actually getting no results.
Had there been a GOP administration then the objectors would likely be left leaning towards Socialism or Democrats, but as it is the Democrats that have control of the administration, people are saying 'this lot cannot solve the Country's problems' time to give someone else a chance.
Not actually liking or agreeing with what the GOP did or is proposing, they tend to gravitate towards those objector groups that gain the media attention.
Not saying it is good, or that 'Tea Party' will be successful, but those who oppose the Democrats may attain their aims by allying with Tea Party.

The teabaggers are not a protest against "change" they are a protest against President Obama. They are a far right group of people who were against the president from the day he was elected. Many are against him because of race, others because he is not like them. Oh wait, that's the same thing. The best thing they can do is continue to drive a wedge in the republican party.

 

[jujuman13]

The teabaggers are not a protest against "change" they are a protest against President Obama. They are a far right group of people who were against the president from the day he was elected. Many are against him because of race, others because he is not like them. Oh wait, that's the same thing. The best thing they can do is continue to drive a wedge in the republican party.

I do realise that Layla may not have fully understood my first sentence, I said it was a protest against THOSE that promised 'CHANGE'.
Quote(It is a protest against those that promised 'CHANGE' and 'CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN'.)

 

[Strelok]

The tea party movement is full of apolitical vagrants who do not understand a great deal of what they are saying. Some examples are:

-People calling Obama a fascist and a communist in the same sentence (contradiction much?)
-Blatant undefended flat tax supporting
-Making up myths about implementations of Universal Health Care
-Blatant misunderstanding of what Socialism actually is (Obama is not a socialist, knowing what socialism actually is would help)
-Unproven religious drivel
-Making up figures related to taxation issues
-Glenn Beck idolizing
-"FOX NEWS is fair and balanced" - lol

 

[Layla_Z]

I do realise that Layla may not have fully understood my first sentence, I said it was a protest against THOSE that promised 'CHANGE'.
Quote(It is a protest against those that promised 'CHANGE' and 'CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN'.)

My point, which is clear, is that the teabaggers are not against any polices because they disagree with them. They are against President Obama because he is not like them.

 

[teamosil]

It's hard to say what is going to happen. The tea party is essentially a collection of the bulk of the racists and conspiracy nuts that have been infesting the Republican party for years. If they split off and form their own irrelevant crazytown party, that could allow the GOP to regain some sanity and return to rationally defending fiscal conservatism as part of the American political process. We need that. I'm a liberal, but that doesn't mean I think every idea any liberal politician has is always right. We need a party out there that can challenge those ideas and offer another perspective. Having the GOP back in a sane place would be a huge win for the US. On the other hand, if the GOP just veers further into crazy town to get the nuts back into the fold... Well, I don't know that we can survive another Bush without losing our status as a first world country and gaining the status of "rogue state"... Let alone an actual teabagger with nuclear launch codes...

 

[spud_meister]

Yes! They will rid the world of Czars and will keep the government out of their medicare. They're great!

only problem is that they havn't decided just how to do it

 

[joe246]

there a bunch of hill billys who like to hang with the klan as well

 

[Deuce]

only problem is that they havn't decided just how to do it

cutting these historically high taxes would do it!!!

 

[Hoplite]

cutting these historically high taxes would do it!!!

Can you demonstrate that our current tax levels are higher than previous years?

 

[Josie]

They already have had an effect. Quite frankly, I hope to see more Tea Party change, and less Obama change.

Agreed. ......

 

[washunut]

My point, which is clear, is that the teabaggers are not against any polices because they disagree with them. They are against President Obama because he is not like them.

I think even the administration has given up that simplistic explanation of what the tea party is.

Try this, the country has just gone through a huge recession caused by a financial crisis. There are still 15 million un/ under employed. Government debt is reaching a level that even ordinary people understand is not sustainable. So many are frigthened, probably reasonably so that the country is going in the wrong direction.

The attempt at making this a rasict issue versus what it is in my view which is a call for fiscal sanity.

As with any large group in America it attracts a fringe on the type of people you mention. The press shines their light on the extremists because it makes for good TV. You can't have something like 30-40% of America who view the tea party favorably ( made up of rep, dem and indeprendents) if their key point was rasict.

 

[MyOwnDrum]

I think the positive of this movement is the emphasis on fiscal conservatism rather than social issues. For too long the Conservative movement has been bogged down by issues such as Gay marriage, abortion, etc. This has not accomplished anything, and diverted focus from the fact that the Republicans have also been going down the road of tax and spend, and Federal interference and bureaucracy creation in many facets of our lives.

The negatives are the fact that they seem to be all white, reactionary about Obama, and like Sarah Palin too much. They have the potential to divide the Conservative vote if they can't compromise with more middle of the road Republicans and Independents.

 

[Josie]

The negatives are the fact that they seem to be all white

But they aren't.

 

[Josie]

They are against President Obama because he is not like them.

That's correct, but not in the way you want it to be.

 

[MyOwnDrum]

But they aren't.

Any casual observer of Tea Party events can clearly see that the vast majority of them are White.