# If the Tea Party became their own party **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 21, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-tea-party-became-their-own-party/597034 "2011-09-21T03:44:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-tea-party-became-their-own-party/597034/1 "2011-09-21T03:44:03Z")
Let’s say that the Tea party split from the Republican party. Would it be Democrats and Republicans as the two main parties with the Tea party as a third party, or would it be Democrats and Tea partiers with Republicans as a third party? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-tea-party-became-their-own-party/597034/2 "2011-09-21T03:53:25Z")
The former, at least at first. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-tea-party-became-their-own-party/597034/3 "2011-09-21T03:54:01Z")
Considering that the Tea Party has lower opinion poll numbers than the near record lows we’re seeing from Congress, I’d say it would be Democrats and Republicans, with the Tea Party quite a distant third. If the Tea Party split from the Republicans, I think The Democrats and Republicans would lose about equal numbers. Not because I think Democrats are represented by the Tea Party, but because they’re so distasteful to some people who lean conservative, that those people will not identify as Republican (and may even vote Democrat) until such time as the Tea Party craziness blows over. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-tea-party-became-their-own-party/597034/4 "2011-09-21T05:09:10Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > If the Tea Party split from the Republicans, I think The Democrats and Republicans would lose about equal numbers. I don’t quite follow you. Why would the Democrats lose members if the Tea Party split from the Republicans? ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-tea-party-became-their-own-party/597034/5 "2011-09-21T05:19:31Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I don’t quite follow you. Why would the Democrats lose members if the Tea Party split from the Republicans? The republicans would lose some number of people to the tea party, but would gain some number of people who are currently conservative democrats but would be amenable to becoming republicans in a less radical republican party (which the “republicans without teabaggers” party would be) ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-tea-party-became-their-own-party/597034/6 "2011-09-21T05:36:10Z")
Which Tea Party? Tea Party Nation? Tea Party Express? Tea Party Patriots? National Tea Party Federation, or the Nationwide Tea Party Confederation? The Mammonite Church is heavily invested in the Tea Party, at least one of these groups will come out with major press releases and media attention, swearing their undying allegiance to the Republican Party. This will engender several very serious heads analyzing the importance of this development. Another Tea Party will repudiate this position, and it will be noted on World Net Daily and Facebook. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-tea-party-became-their-own-party/597034/7 "2011-09-21T13:52:29Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > Let’s say that the Tea party split from the Republican party. Would it be Democrats and Republicans as the two main parties with the Tea party as a third party, or would it be Democrats and Tea partiers with Republicans as a third party? It would be a one-party system with two third parties, like Mexico under the PRI. Opposition to the Dems would always be split and therefore electorally futile. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-tea-party-became-their-own-party/597034/8 "2011-09-21T14:27:43Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Which Tea Party? Tea Party Nation? Tea Party Express? Tea Party Patriots? National Tea Party Federation, or the Nationwide Tea Party Confederation? Judean Tea Party Front or Tea Party Front of Judea? ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-tea-party-became-their-own-party/597034/9 "2011-09-21T14:44:20Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > Let’s say that the Tea party split from the Republican party. Would it be Democrats and Republicans as the two main parties with the Tea party as a third party, or would it be Democrats and Tea partiers with Republicans as a third party? I’m sorry. Didn’t they used to pretend that they **were** a different party? When did they drop that fiction? -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-tea-party-became-their-own-party/597034/10 "2011-09-21T14:47:37Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Judean Tea Party Front or Tea Party Front of Judea? Splitter! ---
**Author:** ![smoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smoke)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-tea-party-became-their-own-party/597034/11 "2011-09-21T14:51:58Z")
So in all seriousness, because I don’t know - who would likely get to keep the Religious Right? ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-tea-party-became-their-own-party/597034/12 "2011-09-21T14:54:51Z")
I think a third-party Tea Party would undoubtedly restore America to its former greatness. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-tea-party-became-their-own-party/597034/13 "2011-09-21T16:19:06Z")
> [@smoke](#): > > So in all seriousness, because I don’t know - who would likely get to keep the Religious Right? The Tea Party. Definitely. Demographically, it’s really more a social-conservative than an economic-libertarian movement, despite what you’ll read on their signs. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-tea-party-became-their-own-party/597034/14 "2011-09-21T16:20:30Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > I think a third-party Tea Party would undoubtedly restore America to its former greatness. Aye. See post #7. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-tea-party-became-their-own-party/597034/15 "2011-09-21T16:25:01Z")
We already have the [America First Party](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_First_Party_(2002)) and the [Constitution Party](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_Party_(United_States)). If they were to merge with the Tea Party, there would be one big party of paleoconservatism (leaving the GOP to be, purely, the party of business interests and neoconservatism). But, it would still be marginal. RW and LW extremists share a tendency to denial as to how comparatively rare they are. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-tea-party-became-their-own-party/597034/16 "2011-09-21T16:38:55Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > It would be a one-party system with two third parties, like Mexico under the PRI. Opposition to the Dems would always be split and therefore electorally futile. > [@BrainGlutton](#): > > The Tea Party. Definitely. Demographically, it’s really more a social-conservative than an economic-libertarian movement, despite what you’ll read on their signs. > [@BrainGlutton](#): > > We already have the [America First Party](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_First_Party_(2002)) and the [Constitution Party](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_Party_(United_States)). If they were to merge with the Tea Party, there would be one big party of paleoconservatism (leaving the GOP to be, purely, the party of business interests and neoconservatism). But, it would still be marginal. RW and LW extremists share a tendency to denial as to how comparatively rare they are. To put all of the above remarks in context: [Here’s](http://people-press.org/2011/05/04/beyond-red-vs-blue-the-political-typology/) the 2011 edition of the Pew Political Typology. I would expect the Tea Party’s strongest supporters to be the Staunch Conservatives (9% of general public, 11% of registered voters) – **not** the Libertarians (9%, 10%) – and [such appears to be the case.](http://people-press.org/2011/05/04/section-6-obama-2012-and-the-tea-party/) > [@](#): > > **Views of Tea Party** > > The Tea Party elicits strong reactions from the typology groups at either end of the spectrum: 72% of Staunch Conservatives agree with the Tea Party, while 67% of Solid Liberals disagree. > > Among other groups, opinions about the Tea Party are more mixed. This is the case even among other Republican and GOP-leaning groups: the Tea Party draws support from fewer than half of Libertarians (44%) and Main Street Republicans (32%), and very few Disaffecteds (19%), who were a critical component of the GOP’s 2010 victory. > > Aside from Solid Liberals, most of those in the other Democratic and Democratic-oriented groups express no opinion of the Tea Party. Among those who do, the balance is much more negative than positive. Now, I ask you, how can a majority or plurality party of paleoconservatism possibly be formed from such a public? ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-tea-party-became-their-own-party/597034/17 "2011-09-21T16:40:41Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I don’t quite follow you. Why would the Democrats lose members if the Tea Party split from the Republicans? My guess is because the Tea Party is scaring people away from the Republican party into the Democrats. Right now the Democrat party is part democrat and part “holy shit those guys are crazy we want nothing to do with them” which is a large part of why they can’t agree on anything since all they have in common is not wanting to be associated with the Tea Party brand of insanity. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-tea-party-became-their-own-party/597034/18 "2011-09-21T16:50:17Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > My guess is because the Tea Party is scaring people away from the Republican party into the Democrats. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-tea-party-became-their-own-party/597034/19 "2011-09-21T17:58:14Z")
The tea party is to the GOP what the green party is to the democratic party, the more ideologically pure version of the larger party. So I’m guessing the tea party would end up the same way. I have no idea how they got so influential so fast. Supposedly the tea party is just the religious right under a new title, but how did they get so powerful to the point where they could outprimary GOP leaders the way they did when the conservative base had very little influence during Bush? Democrats could learn a lot from the tea party and their organization structure. ---
**Author:** ![Raskolnikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac8455/32.png) [@Raskolnikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raskolnikov)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-tea-party-became-their-own-party/597034/20 "2011-09-21T18:12:18Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > I’m sorry. Didn’t they used to pretend that they **were** a different party? > > When did they drop that fiction? > > -Joe there is no such thing as the “tea party” it’s just a re-branding, re-marketing effort by the Republican party so they don’t have to account for their mistakes during the Bush years. during the mid-term election coverage I kept hearing “tea party candidate” as was trying to guess which new color they were going to use to represent them, alas it was just red hmmm… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-tea-party-became-their-own-party/597034.md?page=2)