Are we seeing the beginning of the end for the Tea Party?

Let there be hope…

I feel pretty sure they will be around during the next Presidential run. It will be interesting to see what direction the Republicans go in general.

I’m with @whitenoise. I think they’ll fade away, but not before they do the country more damage, and heaven only knows what will come next in politics. I do believe in a loyal opposition party, btw. Just not this one.

@Pachyderm_In_The_Room – LOYAL opposition, I agree. I don’t see the TP as loyal, at all. I see them as craven separatists.

Lord I hope so. How can people who support them be so blind?

It is neither the end nor the beginning, but it is momentous as they move to purge the Republican Party of any attempt at governance.

There is no leadership in the Republican Party, no one who is respected by the rank and file, no one who defers to the leadership of wiser, more experienced, hands. Boehner kowtows to the rabble, the rabble thinks they are speaking out in support of the “roots”, meanwhile the Koch Brother provide corporate support and seed money to make sure their personal message is heard above the clamor.

I blame the white rabbit, always fucking late.

@elbanditoroso, of course I agree with you. I was imprecise in the last statement. What I meanw was, “I do believe in a loyal opposition party, but the only thing these people are loyal to is ignorance, narrow-mindlessness and hurting people who don’t agree with them.”

I had always kind of hoped the beginning was the end. Alas…

Same thing happened with rap music, actually.

I think I’m with you Seek. Just when I think we’ve reached the limits of stupidity someone comes along and says let me show you a little more. Doesn’t matter what subject, but we always find new ways to set the bottom of the barrel.

Sure. Just like we saw the end of the “Era of Big Government” in Bill Clinton’s 1996 State of the Union speech.

It was a good idea backed by bad intelligence.

This is why any third party spooks me.

It’s hanging on pretty well at the local level. However, I think the Libertarians have a better chance nationally.

“now they want to bring down the government by ruining the economy as well”

That statement doesn’t make any sense to me at all. Considering the damage that this and the last empty suit did to our economy blaming anyone else but the nimrods at the top makes absolutely no sense. I realize you’re against the tea party because you’ve succumbed to ultra liberal media. I get that. But what you fail to see is the other side just wants what they feel is best for their country too.

Look, there is a yin and a yuan. Such is the nature of the universe. The tea party folks have a bad name in the media because everything that’s Republican has a bad name in the media. They are no less crazy than the ultra liberals. Sometimes instead of relying on face value propaganda it’s best to take a more discerning stance and find out actual facts for yourself.

Every team in politics plays hard and to say they (tea party) are less valid than any of the other groups in this country is not an American ideal. I’ve looked up this group and although it’s not a group I would ever join it seems to be mainly constitutionalists and Christians in the organization. They’re very old school conservative and I’ll give you, that’s why they don’t fit into our present political climate very well.

As an Independent I can look at a group like this and try to see where they’re coming from. If I ever met one, how could I convince them to become an Independent effectively if I don’t understand their mindset? I submit to you an idea, why not dig a little deeper? They’ve been attacked pretty hard by the media. It’s just pitiful how biased they are.

Of course, my motives in researching this and other organizations probably differs from yours but knowledge is power, always. I know you from the other question site and I know that you’re a very smart man. I just feel that you’ve jumped the gun on this one a little. It’s easier to defeat an organization from the inside out than the outside in.

You’d make a great Libertarian. I know, you think you’re a flaming liberal… Lets be honest. The republocrats are all owned by the same corporations and it really doesn’t matter which side wins as things seem to get progressively worse. Your voice and opinions would be better served by people who actually listen to you. This liberal/conservative tennis match of moot points accomplishes nothing.

@DWW25921 You do realize Presidents don’t make laws, don’t you?

I’m one of the few remaining true conservatives. The Republican Party has been subsumed by radical regressives. The remaining leadership, such as it is, are con men simply working as stooges for multinational corporate interests. Wall Street has its hands on the controls of both parties to some degree, the Democrats at least are not a wholly-owned subsidiary of the greediest corporatists.

The tea party is like Disco music. They will always have supporters who feel so strongly that they have a place here, they ignore all the evidence that everyone just wants them to go away.

@filmfann I don’t think your statement is fair to disco.

@ETpro not to derail this (quiet) thread, but just like republicans can wave a false flag of small govenrment, democrats can also wave a false flag of progressive humanity. I think it takes a good amount of delusions of self-worth to consider politics, and those types of people will frequently make self-serving decisions.

@drhat77 What? Are you saying that nobody should vote. Just let the most hot-headed among us have there way. It that’s your plan, include me out.

@ETpro I wish I knew how to move away from sound bites and “voting from the gut” from politics. The mindless partisanship, the refusal to compromise.
ech, I’ve put my foot in my mouth a few too many times on fluther the past few days. maybe I need a vacation.

I must first admit, I haven’t read through the thread. I’m worn out.

However I think the Tea Party is a travesty, and has already done an amazing amount of damage to the country and to our psyche as a people.

We have become less caring of each other – selfishness is now an ideal.

I would so hope that they are on their way out, but I fear we haven’t seen the last of them. There is just too much big money behind the movement and it as redefined Christianity and even the character and teachings of Jesus, and used him as it’s banner of fear and hate—which is repellent.

@MadMadMax You feel the Tea Party has redefined Christianity? The way I see it the Tea Party was the answer for many Christians who had already redefined it. Or, maybe that was their definition all along? The Republican Party was already getting way far to the right. The religious right controls the party, it is called the “base” of the party and everyone caters to it. I don’t understand why. I figure they are about 50% of the Republican party, so there is a whole other 50% who are not so radically conservative on social issues and so extreme about fiscal issues. It’s why some Republicans have bailed ship and converted to Democrat, some to Independent. Not only your average Joe, but politicians also. In the 70’s the Republican party actively went after the Christians, the bible belt Christians. That is why the old Dixiecrats now have children and grandchildren who are Republicans.

@JLeslie I’m a Freethinker but the Jesus I was taught about was a compassionate spiritual leader who asked his followers to give up material possessions and even their families and follow him. He talked about caring for the poor, protected women from the Jewish law of stoning, he cured lepers and made blind men see. I was taught kind of the message the new pope is talking about. Not this End Times rejoicing and mean Jesus stuff – only the rich should earn the rewards of heaven because they worked and bought the right stock at the right time.

You are right. It was Reagan (who was not a Christian) who called the extremeist bible belt Christians to arms and called them the silent majority. But even the Southern Baptists were more reasonable people in the 70’s and 80’s.

They went extremest fundy especially in the late 90’s and then took off like wildfire after 911. Here they are clearly white supremacists. I don’t know what they stand for in other states. But they are ultra materialistc and worship a god of wealth. They imagine that if they support the richest and Corporations, they will somehow be rewarded not with serfdom which is very likely, but they will inherit the earth – they will be the Lords and the rest of us will be their serfs.

Since we nolonger have an agricultural society, I can’t imagine how that will play out—maybe more like sweatshop workers for the Christian right.

One thing is certain. They will not tolerate unbelievers. They won’t even socialize with them now – they fear exposing their offspring to any ideas or knowledge that doesn’t agree with their ideology.

They are bringing the US down fast.

@MadMadMax Don’t get me wrong, I believe Jesus was a loving spiritual man. I describe him as a nice Jewish boy. :). I still know Christians who are accepting of others, not judgmental, and who understand the world is a varied and diverse place full of good people. Growing up most of my friends were Catholic, not other types of Christians though, and I think it made a difference. Plus, I grew up in extremely diverse cities.

I think the south in particular is reacting to populations moving south. They feel a little invaded, and the invasion is bringing about change. They could do any old Christian thing, even if it was against the law, because no one who was not Christian was watching. Prayer before a city council meeting, crosses up in public places, the bible taught in school. Christmas pageants. As people fight to take those things away (which by the way I am not completely on board with fighting to take them alll away since we are being horrible hypocrites. The President says God Bless the United States of America. Our Presidents sometimes begin a ceremony with clergy giving some words. Our President still puts his hand on a bible to take his oath). The way I see it, making public places secular protects everyone’s religion, not the opposite. But, they don’t see it that way, because they are accustomed to Christianity being oresent in the public arena, so to them it is stifling their religious freedom.

Add in total bullshit like being angry when people write Xmas and if a clerk says Happy Holidays and it is ridiculous. They are fearful for nothing! They don’t see that atheists will fight just as hard for religious freedom as anyone would. But, fear will rally the forces and increase committment. So, here I will agree with you, politciians can use fear with Christians to get them to be loyal and commited and so can the churches, and they do. I went to a wedding of a friend at The First Evangelical Church in Memphis and the preacher during the ceremony talked about how it is politically incorrect to be a Christian today and they have chosen the hard path of being Christians against what society is telling them. Bullshit! I was so flaming angry something like that is said during a wedding. Fine talk about Jesus and God and Christianity, and their Christian life as married people, but this, this, was to me so disgusting. Enciting them to believe people are against them? I was there to support their Christian marriage, me the atheist Jew, and sitting next to me was another atheist friend, doesn’t matter.

Sorry to be so all over the map with my thoughts here, but what I am leading up to is, I blame the churches more than the politicians. The preachers in my opinion are leading the way, and the politicians just use what they can to target their market.

I in no way think all churches do this. My Christian friends are wonderful people and I have never felt they cared I wasn’t Christian, except one time back in high school, but she was young at the time and her church at the time was pushing for teens to bring people in.

I mentioned my Catholic friends, I think the Catholics get that they have been minorities in America and treated as minorities in the past and discriminated against, so most of them get that they don’t want a government that will preach a certain religion, nor are they going to judge people who are not Catholic, rather look at the individual themselves. Most Catholics feel their religion is a private matter.

If the churches started using a message of acceptance, then the politicians could not use their ploy of fearing or judging others. I figure in a Christian’s mind they want to please God, so what their preacher tells them would be most important. But, it is good for business for Christians to feel solidarity against others. If the US decided all temples will be closed down, all of a sudden I would get my Jewish up and going. I would feel it to be an attack on my people. Even though I never go to temple. I might care a little more about my Jewishness, and my kids (if I had any) being Jewish. I might care more about my elected officials being Jewish.