# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Theodore\_Striker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Theodore\_Striker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theodore_Striker)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/21 "2010-04-15T14:02:47Z")
I was vaguely interested in their ideas when the group first surfaced as a third party, more because I am not a huge fan of only having two parties in power. A friend from many years ago surfaced as one of the leaders of the party in the area, which got me even more interested. Then I asked him what his solutions were, because he sure liked to bitch a lot about what was wrong, and he didn’t have much aside from generalities about taxes being bad and the free market being good. Um, okay. Them he started targeting the Republican clubs in the area to gather support, and I tuned out because what I was hearing was bitter Pubbie-speak, and no real solutions. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/22 "2010-04-15T14:13:55Z")
[Poll Finds Tea Party Backers Wealthier and More Educated.](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/us/politics/15poll.html?hp) An article by that bastion of conservative journalism, The New York Times. I’m not conservative at all, but I always love being surprised by data. Maybe the media tends to show the worst of the worst of the Tea Party movement. This poll makes members seem more or less normal, just very conservative. > [@](#): > > Their responses are like the general public’s in many ways. Most describe the amount they paid in taxes this year as “fair.” Most send their children to public schools. A plurality do not think Sarah Palin is qualified to be president, and, despite their push for smaller government, they think that Social Security and Medicare are worth the cost to taxpayers. They actually are just as likely as Americans as a whole to have returned their census forms, though some conservative leaders have urged a boycott. Of course, the poll doesn’t indicate what population was polled… maybe Tea Party members who read the New York Times/CBS News are more likely to be educated/wealthy. ---
**Author:** ![Chicagojeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Chicagojeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicagojeff)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/23 "2010-04-15T14:15:56Z")
I’m biased… if freely admit it. The last time I attended church with any sort of regularity was in Kansas City. One of the only positive things about that place was what Emmanuel Cleaver was trying to accomplish in a black community that had little to no positive vibes and a police force that actively targeted it. While in college here in the ATL i worked for John Lewis as a volunteer then as an intern. Hence… when John Lewis was called a nigger and Emmanuel Cleaver was spit on… I’m pretty much done with your movement. I can see the arguments down the pike about not letting a couple of nuts symbolize an entire movement etc etc… but these look to me to be the same crowd that called the President a monkey when he was ahead prior to the election. Bigotry by yourself… or in a crowd is what it is. Not all tea=party members qualify… but I point out that these bigots found themselves comfortable in your presence… speaks volumes… ---
**Author:** ![Lestrade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Lestrade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lestrade)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/24 "2010-04-15T14:27:48Z")
Well, according to **wierdaaron** ’s badge database, we have at least three tea party members: > [@](#): > > ## Stephe96 republican: 1, teaparty: 1 > > ## Crafter\_Man republican: 1, teaparty: 1, intoguns: 1 > > Sam Stone > teaparty: 1, fromcanada: 1 These people obviously are out of the closet, but there’s evidence that we have some tea partiers. Unless they’re doing it ironically, in which case I’ve got nothing. I guess not many of you use the badger script, I always have a WTF moment when I read one of **Sam Stone** posts. A Canadian tea partier? ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/25 "2010-04-15T15:06:48Z")
> [@trupa](#): > > 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… This. Whenever I hear of infighting between the parties, instead of bipartisanship cooperation (the main reason I liked Obama in the first place), I always picture Osama bin Laden sitting in a cave (no, not the cave he probably is sitting in in real life, I’m talking James Bond villian cave) wringing his hands and saying “good … good”. ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/26 "2010-04-15T15:08:26Z")
> [@Lestrade](#): > > I guess not many of you use the badger script I’d love to, but don’t know much about implementation, et al. (Yes, I use FF and Greasemonkey). I’m thinking that, plus low visibility (as opposed to Arnold’s picture thread), is the reason why so few use it. Thread hijack I know, but can you inform me somewhere how to use it? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/27 "2010-04-15T15:08:36Z")
Young liberals, old liberals, middle aged liberals, male liberals, female liberals, gay liberals, straight liberals, American liberals, Chinese liberals, Canadian liberals, Indian liberals, Spanish liberals, Japanese liberals, liberal butchers, liberal bakers, liberal engineers…etc, etc. We run the gamut from A to B. Not complaining, just observing. Regards, Shodan ---
**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, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/28 "2010-04-15T15:33:55Z")
Paranoia much? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/29 "2010-04-15T15:46:25Z")
I’m not a tea partier at all, but I suspect there are more than a few like me, who keep their politics completely off the boards for whatever reason. I don’t know that I’ve ever made a political comment here. For me, it’s simply because I find arguing politics mind-numbingly tedious and boring and generally a huge waste of time. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/30 "2010-04-15T15:58:04Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Paranoia much? Hardly at all. “The SDMB slants left” is pretty much like “most of the US media slants left” - you have to be pretty far gone in denial to think that. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/31 "2010-04-15T16:01:44Z")
The Tea Party is like Al-Qaeda\*. It’s the newest cool kid on the block, so a bunch of unaffiliated groups with common values decide to grab the label and stick it to themselves. These groups are still wildly different though. So in a way, you can’t really point to anyone and say “That’s the Tea Party”, you have to look at the core values that they claim to share and look at each group separately. You can only say “This group is very TPish, this group is not very TPish.” So what are those values, and do I share them? Small government - check. Lower taxes - check. Anti-handout - check. So I guess I’m a Tea Partier. I don’t buy into the SDMB’s smear campaign against this group. Everything unbiased that I’ve read points to them being normal, everyday people. So count me in. \*If I said “Sex is like pizza. Even when bad, it’s good.”, you wouldn’t reply “But sex doesn’t have crust!” would you? No, because that’s not the comparison I made. I never said TPers are terrorists, islamic, etc. ---
**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 15, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/32 "2010-04-15T16:09:01Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > So what are those values, and do I share them? > Small government - check. > Lower taxes - check. > Anti-handout - check. This mkes no sense, since they didn’t care when Bush grew government spending and power beyond any POTUS in recent history, and since Obama is a tax _cutter_. I don’t know what you mean by “anti-handout,” but Bush was pretty big on corprate welfare and tax giveaways to the rich. What Obama “handouts” do the teabaggers oppose, and why didn’t they care when Bush was doing all the things they claim to hate? ---
**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, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/33 "2010-04-15T16:14:15Z")
Um, the populace slants left, hence a democratic president, house, senate. That the board reflects that isn’t actually bias. And doesn’t change that the board is diverse. ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/34 "2010-04-15T16:26:54Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > \*If I said “Sex is like pizza. Even when bad, it’s good.”, you wouldn’t reply “But sex doesn’t have crust!” would you? No, because that’s not the comparison I made. No, but it does have tomato sauce. And pepperoni slices. Mmmm, I’m getting hungry. And horny. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/35 "2010-04-15T16:32:16Z")
I’m not a Tea-Partier, but I’m sympathetic to their goals. I’m moderately conservative on social issues, but I’m very much against Big Government. The hostility in modern politics is disquieting, but what really turns my stomache is how liberals seem to have a deep-seated need to portray their opponents as a bunch of morons. You see it constantly on this board. It’s hard to be civil with someone who talks about you like you just wandered out of a Special Ed class. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/36 "2010-04-15T16:38:30Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > why didn’t they care when Bush was doing all the things they claim to hate? We did. You don’t think his approval rating was at 25% just due to democrats, do you? ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/37 "2010-04-15T16:42:07Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > We did. You don’t think his approval rating was at 25% just due to democrats, do you? Exactly. That’s a pure strawman attack. ---
**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 15, 2010, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/38 "2010-04-15T16:44:45Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > We did. You don’t think his approval rating was at 25% just due to democrats, do you? Where were the rallies? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/39 "2010-04-15T16:50:24Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Um, the populace slants left, hence a democratic president, house, senate. That the board reflects that isn’t actually bias. And doesn’t change that the board is diverse. So if the SDMB reflects the populace, it should be majority Republican in years where Congress and the White House were Republican. And a majority of Dopers would have voted for Bush in 2004. Only, not. Enjoy your denial fest. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Whiteknight](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whiteknight/32/4962_2.png) [@Whiteknight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiteknight)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104/40 "2010-04-15T16:52:00Z")
> [@Linty\_Fresh](#): > > One sign informed me that we should get out of “Palestein,” for instance. Is that the unified Jewish/Palestinian state that many have hoped for? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-closet-tea-partiers-on-the-dope/536104.md?page=3)