As one of those moderate former Republicans… in my dreams, this happens. I don’t see it in reality–I think that even following such a full split, you’d merely see a split of the radical social conservatives from the radical economic conservatives, and they’d both race to their respective bottoms leaving the moderate-conservatives in the lurch.
Fortunately for us, Obama is basically Reagan with some extra IQ points. 
Seeing as how there are a number of Tea party Senators and Representatives that almost caused us to default on our debts, and seeing how any Republican presidential candidate has to appease the Tea party if they want to have an actual chance at winning; It just makes me wonder if the Tea party is now the majority of the Republican party, half the Republican party, or a very powerful minority.
That was my point - they used to pretend that they were not the same thing. There were even pinheads on this very board arguing that they weren’t the same thing.
Yet the last GOPtard bullshitfest was “The Tea Party Republican Debate”.
-Joe
No, they didn’t. They’ve never pretended to be more than what they are, an intraparty insurgency of purist zealots impatient with their party’s careerist leadership. (Much like the New Politics movement that took over the Democratic Party in 1972, and remember how that election turned out . . .)
I’d argue with you if I thought I could come up with some search terms invoving “tea party” and “republican” that won’t turn up a couple gajillion threads.
But I can’t think of one but there were a whole lot of people arguing that they were two completely different parties.
-Joe
When you start a sentence with “My guess is…,” I don’t think you really need a cite.
:dubious: What, we’re just supposed to believe that’s his guess?!
Would an environmentally concerned offshoot be called the Green Tea Party?
And I’m sure a lot of the New Politics Democrats in 1972 thought of themselves as non-Democrat radicals playing the entryism game; but, as it turned out, the party changed them more than they changed the party, though in less immediately obvious ways.
Their presidential candidate would have to be Wendy Kaufman (The Snapple lady)
These people were loudly proclaiming that htey were Tea Partiers and they were, in fact, absolutely a separate party from the Republicans.
My point. My only point. That’s it.
-Joe