# Are any closet Tea Partiers on the Dope? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 14, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104 "2010-04-14T19:00:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/1 "2010-04-14T19:00:05Z")
Just what the title says, really. We compromise a somewhat large and diverse group. Do you think there are any Tea Partiers in our midst? I wouldn’t blame them if they don’t want to come out of the closet. They’d surely take heaps of abuse on this board. I’m just curious. What are the odds? ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/2 "2010-04-14T19:11:10Z")
There are probably people who agree with the Tea Party platform, but are embarrassed by the movement’s behavior. ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/3 "2010-04-14T19:14:33Z")
I’m not a tea party person but a couple of friends and I were thinking of going to one of their shindigs just for trainwreck watching purposes. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/4 "2010-04-14T19:26:41Z")
“Somewhat” diverse? Yes, there’s huge disagreement here over whether Cheney was completely evil, or merely _almost_ completely evil. These competing factions are like night and… later that same night. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/5 "2010-04-14T19:33:20Z")
There have been one or two posters who have admitted to going to rallies (as participants, not as hecklers, like I did), but I don’t know if that makes them official members or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/6 "2010-04-14T19:33:38Z")
When did your title change to And Full Contact Origami? That might be the best use of self-edited title freedom I’ve seen so far. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/7 "2010-04-14T19:50:39Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > When did your title change to And Full Contact Origami? That might be the best use of self-edited title freedom I’ve seen so far. Why, thanks! Did that last week… ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/8 "2010-04-14T20:42:54Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > We compromise a somewhat large and diverse group. This board is about as politically diverse as homogenized milk. No, I’m not a Tp’er or even a Republican. But come on! ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/9 "2010-04-14T22:16:15Z")
I’ve been to a rally. Strangest thing…I didn’t see any wierdness or any whackos or any of the stuff that the libs claim goes on at tea parties, like guns being waved around. I did, however, see a lot of perfectly ordinary folks like me who are worried as hell about the future of our country. ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/10 "2010-04-14T22:42:40Z")
I’m sympathetic to the movement, though I never attended a rally or donated money. But I know better than to trust the image of their “whacko culture” being painted by their ideological enemies. No political movement has ever _not_ tried to cast its opponents as The [evil?] Other. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/11 "2010-04-14T23:11:29Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > I did, however, see a lot of perfectly ordinary folks like me who are worried as hell about the future of our country. Since when are you perfectly ordinary? ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/12 "2010-04-14T23:23:02Z")
The Dope has a lot of lurkers and a lot of people that don’t post very often. There are certainly Communists, Facists, Racists, nice people, happy people, and people of any other flavor on this messageboard. Just because this happens to be a place where a lot of lefties tend to pop up and be outspoken on the Internet doesn’t mean that in meatspace, their equivalents aren’t represented on here as well. ---
**Author:** ![trupa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@trupa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trupa)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/13 "2010-04-14T23:32:36Z")
Heh… dopers coming out as tea-partiers seems a lot like a KKK member admitting they married a black person of the same sex… Speaking as a foreign oberserver of American politics (I’m Canadian) it seems to me that the American left is all in favour of protest and such, so long as it is on the progressive side, but protest on the other side seems to bring out a sense of indignation and scorn worthy of one who blasphemes a deity, except that that would probably be more OK, with freedom of expression and all. But what worries me even more is the ever increasing acrimony, bitterness and hatred in the culture wars in the US. Witness the venom directed a Sarah Palin, or the threats of violence at lawmakers who voted for Health Care reform. As a great admirer of the US, warts and all, I greatly fear that increasing polarization will achieve more than the USSR and Al-Queda ever dreamed of… ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/14 "2010-04-14T23:50:10Z")
I try to gather information from as many sources as possible before I make what I hope will be an informed decision. To that end I will be attending my local Tea Party meeting tomorrow to find out what the local gang is up to. I don’t plan to heckle or support. Just listen and maybe ask a few questions. ---
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/15 "2010-04-15T00:07:32Z")
I’m a moderate conservative, but I’m also hell and gone from the core values of the Tea Party. That said, they welcomed Sarah this morning when she came to speak at the Boston Common, so I dropped by an hour or so beforehand to check it out. I noticed a bit of attitude, a bunch of signs, lots of buttons, and a couple of guys in tri-corner hats ringing bells, but overall it looked pretty normal. The people attending it were polite enough and actually reminded me of the people I grew up with in rural PA. I would have liked to have stuck around just to hear what Sarah said (No, I’m not a fan), but I had to get to work. Overall, no one all that dumb and screamy, and all of the signs were spelled correctly, so maybe they’re learning. The counterprotesters by the Park Street station were a lot scuzzier, and some of _their_ signs were misspelled. One sign informed me that we should get out of “Palestein,” for instance. Like I said, I’m no fan, and I don’t think they’re going to win much, but I didn’t have a problem with the people I ran into today. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/16 "2010-04-15T02:24:19Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > The Dope has a lot of lurkers and a lot of people that don’t post very often. There are certainly Communists, Facists, Racists, nice people, happy people, and people of any other flavor on this messageboard. > > Just because this happens to be a place where a lot of lefties tend to pop up and be outspoken on the Internet doesn’t mean that in meatspace, their equivalents aren’t represented on here as well. This is silly. If these people never post, there’s no way to know their political affiliation, so there’s no point in trying to count them. I’m sure there’s probably a fallacy out there about this. ---
**Author:** ![keturah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e95f7d/32.png) [@keturah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keturah)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/17 "2010-04-15T03:02:47Z")
I’m not a tea party member, though I would like to see some dialogue about the fair tax as an alternative to our current system. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/18 "2010-04-15T04:07:23Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > This is silly. If these people never post, there’s no way to know their political affiliation, so there’s no point in trying to count them. > > I’m sure there’s probably a fallacy out there about this. Okay, fine. Then the same still applies for people that have had a post. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/19 "2010-04-15T13:24:42Z")
> [@keturah](#): > > I would like to see some dialogue about the fair tax Go ahead and start, then. What is it and how is it “fair”? ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/20 "2010-04-15T14:00:36Z")
Young, old, middle aged, male, female, gay, straight, America, China, Canada, India, Spain, Japan, butcher, baker, engineer…etc, etc, …how is this _not_ diverse? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104.md?page=2)