# In the long run, does the Tea Party do more to help Dems or Pubs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 17, 2010, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422 "2010-10-17T07:25:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422/41 "2010-10-18T21:45:39Z")
> [@](#): > > We are making lots of assumptions already but if they were frugal with their money, a land line is typically cheaper than a cell phone, no? When I gave up my land line and switched to a cell phone, I saved money, even before considering long distance. Now, there are probably landline providers that don’t rip off their customers as much as Qwest, but a cell phone isn’t necessarily more expensive. This is especially true if you get one of the “recharge” ones where you buy minutes in advance, and then don’t use very many minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422/42 "2010-10-18T21:50:33Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Why is that? Listed…numbers…_only_… ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422/43 "2010-10-18T22:27:34Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > The consensus seems to be that, net-net, the TP is benefits the GOP. That is, many more TP backed candidates are doing well vs the few who are not. But it’s not just about numbers. The TP candidates for the Senate have made it almost impossible for the GOP to take the Senate, which they would have had a good chance of doing w/ establishment candidates. So, it’s great for the GOP to increase its numbers in Congress, but they’d be better off with fewer overall winners if that meant they’d take the Senate. I take some of this back, after having thought about this while watching the Sunday talk shows. Looks like the TP will cost the GOP the Senate, but will probably help them gain the House. Given the choice, the GOP is better off winning the House. They can already thwart the Senate with the minority position they’re in, and that will only get easier with the gains they get in a few weeks. But I’d be surprised if we’re still talking about the TP after 2012. They’ll either be fully absorbed into the GOP, or they will fade away like Ross Perot and his little experiment. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422/44 "2010-10-18T22:47:39Z")
> [@Kearsen](#): > > We are making lots of assumptions already but if they were frugal with their money, a land line is typically cheaper than a cell phone, no? Not IME. It is about a wash for basic service, and the cell provides mobile utility that the land line does not. Cell minutes are more, but the fixed charges tend to be less, so if you don’t spend a lot of time on the phone a cell can be cheaper…much cheaper for the prepaid versions. You probably can run a cell bill up easier than a land line with texting plans, high minute limits, etc. ---
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422/45 "2010-10-18T23:38:43Z")
I have a land line with the bare minimum level of service. That means I can only call for like 3 blocks in any direction w/o paying a toll charge. I don’t even think I get unlimited incoming calls. But I pay around $15/mo including surcharges and taxes (definitely less than $20). ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422/46 "2010-10-19T12:55:11Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > _And please, don’t respond with that tripe about how the Tea Party is all about fiscal responsibility unless you mean ‘fiscal responsibility’ as a code phrase for ‘get that black man out of the White House,’ because I truly don’t believe they want anything much deeper than that._ The Tea Party benefits the GOP because it causes the Democrats to say things like this. It is always an advantage for your enemies to underestimate you. If the Democrats have convinced themselves that the issues the Tea Partiers raise are not real, so much the better. Liberal blacks already vote Democratic; calling the Tea Party racist is wasted effort. For everyone else (by which I don’t mean the SDMB, I mean the mainstream middle), the ballooning deficit and general incompetence in the White House and Congress are the issue, not what color Obama’s inept ass might be. Obama and Co. are on track to increase the federal debt by more than every other President from Washington thru Bush _put together_. You wanna claim he is only hated because he is black? Go ahead. The Tea Party is good for the _country_, because it focuses attention on issues that are important. Of course the Dems want to change the subject - “it’s all Bush’s fault” is a couple of years past its shelf date and the elections next month are shaping up to be a serious debacle. That “hopie changie” thing isn’t working out so hot. Obama isn’t a Keynesian; he’s just a naive big spender with a level of success commensurate with his lack of experience. Time for the grown-ups to clean up the mess again. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422/47 "2010-10-19T13:09:11Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > That “hopie changie” thing isn’t working out so hot. Obama isn’t a Keynesian; he’s just a naive big spender with a level of success commensurate with his lack of experience. Time for the grown-ups to clean up the mess again. > > Regards, > Shodan Friend Shodan, it seems to have escaped you that your grownups created this mess. Obama’s simply using the tools at his disposal to try to fix what your guys have broken. I’m not saying he’s doing a bang-up job; he’d have had to stick to his convictions, or at least his rhetoric to do that, and even I am disappointed that he’s swung so far to the right and has seemingly forgotten why we voted for him in the first place. However, none of this dismisses, discounts, or even addresses my point that the Tea Party’s primary motivation is racism wrapped in a gooey, saccharin nebulousness called fiscal responsibility. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422/48 "2010-10-19T14:05:20Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > _Friend Shodan, it seems to have escaped you that your grownups created this mess._ Like I said, this excuse is a bit past its ‘Best Used By’ date. > [@](#): > > - However, none of this dismisses, discounts, or even addresses my point that the Tea Party’s primary motivation is racism wrapped in a gooey, saccharin nebulousness called fiscal responsibility.\* It addresses it by dismissing it. The real issues, and the main reason the Tea Party is getting traction, have nothing to do with race. But I am pleased to encourage you to think so, and base your strategies on the notion. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422/49 "2010-10-19T14:24:16Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > The real issues, and the main reason the Tea Party is getting traction, have nothing to do with race. If it’s all about fiscal responsibility, then where was the TP when W **cut taxes at the start of a war?!** ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422/50 "2010-10-19T14:25:29Z")
[quote=“Shodan, post:48, topic:557422”] Like I said, this excuse is a bit past its ‘Best Used By’ date. It addresses it by dismissing it. /QUOTE] Explain to me please how Obama created the recession, and how came up with the initial idea for the TARP funds. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422/51 "2010-10-19T14:26:53Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > If it’s all about fiscal responsibility, then where was the TP when W **cut taxes at the start of a war?!** Back then it was un-American to question the President’s actions. Now it’s un-American not to. Didn’t you get the memo? ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422/52 "2010-10-19T14:29:34Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > The consensus seems to be that, net-net, the TP is benefits the GOP. That is, many more TP backed candidates are doing well vs the few who are not. But it’s not just about numbers. The TP candidates for the Senate have made it almost impossible for the GOP to take the Senate, which they would have had a good chance of doing w/ establishment candidates. So, it’s great for the GOP to increase its numbers in Congress, but they’d be better off with fewer overall winners if that meant they’d take the Senate. Just my opinion but as a general rule, conservatives are far more liekly to work within existing hierarchies than liberals so while a Nader liberal might vote for a third party and damn the consequences, a tea party conservative is more likely to try and get their guy nominated but vote for the Republican rather than a third party conservative option. Just my opinion ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422/53 "2010-10-19T14:41:47Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > You wanna claim he is only hated because he is black? Go ahead. Well, its not ONLY because he’s black but its part of it. > [@](#): > > The Tea Party is good for the _country_, because it focuses attention on issues that are important. And the Republican response is more tax cuts that dwarf the spending cuts they propose. > [@](#): > > Of course the Dems want to change the subject - “it’s all Bush’s fault” is a couple of years past its shelf date and the elections next month are shaping up to be a serious debacle. The ONLY issue is the economy. I don’t know if we can blame Bush (it was Republican ideology generally) for the mess we are in today but we are on a much better trajectory under obama than we were under Bush. > [@](#): > > That “hopie changie” thing isn’t working out so hot. Obama isn’t a Keynesian; he’s just a naive big spender with a level of success commensurate with his lack of experience. Time for the grown-ups to clean up the mess again. I thought that’s what the Democrats have been doing. Is you memory so bad that you don’t remember the mess we were in 2 years ago? ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422/54 "2010-10-19T14:44:00Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > If it’s all about fiscal responsibility, then where was the TP when W **cut taxes at the start of a war?!** Well, we just called them Republicans back then. Now anyone who is still a Republican but wants to disown responsibility for Bush is a teabagger. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422/55 "2010-10-19T14:45:32Z")
[quote=“Euphonious\_Polemic, post:50, topic:557422”] > [@Shodan](#): > > Like I said, this excuse is a bit past its ‘Best Used By’ date. > It addresses it by dismissing it. /QUOTE] > > Explain to me please how Obama created the recession, and how came up with the initial idea for the TARP funds. Well it all starts with his muslim indoctrination after he was born in Kenya. ---
**Author:** ![G-SE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f0a364/32.png) [@G-SE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G-SE)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422/56 "2010-10-19T14:49:57Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > From the link: > Join the Tea Party: Now Only 5% Overtly Racist! I’d rather take a group with 5% racist, than one that relies on 95% of blacks to back the black candidate. I’d be real careful who you call racist. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422/57 "2010-10-19T14:51:04Z")
Why? Got rope? ---
**Author:** ![G-SE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f0a364/32.png) [@G-SE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G-SE)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422/58 "2010-10-19T14:53:23Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Back then it was un-American to question the President’s actions. Now it’s un-American not to. Didn’t you get the memo? Was that the same memo that said while W was President, protesting the government was the highest form of patriotism, but under Obama, protesting the government is racist, extreme, fringe, radical, dangerous, etc.? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422/59 "2010-10-19T14:54:44Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > The ONLY issue is the economy. I don’t know if we can blame Bush (it was Republican ideology generally) for the mess we are in today but we are on a much better trajectory under obama than we were under Bush. If you define “better trajectory” as doubling the deficit, increasing the national debt by more than all other administrations in history put together, increasing health care costs, [driving insurers out of the market](http://money.cnn.com/2010/10/15/news/economy/health_care_MLR_vote_impact/), [rising unemployment,](http://hotair.com/archives/2010/10/18/gallup-next-unemployment-report-will-be-worse/) and doing nothing about the coming crash in entitlement spending, then sure - we’re sitting pretty. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Kearsen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kearsen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kearsen)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422/60 "2010-10-19T14:56:54Z")
If the man had no hope of fixing or bettering this nation, why even take office? He had to know that the blame would land squarely on his shoulders at some point. The blame of fiscal responsibility (on W)went to the wayside when he started proposing his health care bill prior to fixing the economy… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-long-run-does-the-tea-party-do-more-to-help-dems-or-pubs/557422.md?page=4)