# Is the Tea Party detrimental to the Republican Establishment? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 25, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984 "2011-03-25T17:26:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984/21 "2011-03-27T01:31:34Z")
I don’t think “comfortable” is the right word to use when talking about the astroturf nature of some of the Tea Party organizations. I think Armey, Koch, et al. are amoral slugs who are adept at exploiting individuals for their own gain. When the Tea Party fervor dies down, they’ll find someone else to exploit. FWIW, I belong to a couple of organizations that were scheduled to have their national conventions in Arizona, but who have decided to hold them elsewhere because of SB 1070. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9d8465/32.png) [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Deal_Democrat)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984/22 "2011-03-27T04:07:19Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > My impression is that business leaders that are smart are becoming really annoyed at the “help” they are getting from the tea party. > > Unfortunately there is a good number of leaders that are not only comfortable around mouth breathers, because they fund them, one should not forget that there are smart but ethically challenged business leaders that are propping up the tea party movement for their own gains. The corporate establishment will be able to manipulate the Tea Party as easily as it manipulated the Religious Right. Both are movements that get people who are not rich to vote Republican. Once Republican politicians get elected they make life easier for the rich. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984/23 "2011-03-27T04:21:31Z")
It would be interesting if there was an anti-corporate, anti-globalist, anti-illegal social conservative political movement. It would unite and attract white and black workers. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9d8465/32.png) [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Deal_Democrat)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984/24 "2011-03-27T09:51:32Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > It would be interesting if there was an anti-corporate, anti-globalist, anti-illegal social conservative political movement. It would unite and attract white and black workers. What is illegal about social conservatism? ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984/25 "2011-03-27T15:32:05Z")
> [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](#): > > What is illegal about social conservatism? Oops. Forgot a comma. 😉 ---
**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:** [March 27, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984/26 "2011-03-27T17:17:34Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > It would be interesting if there was an anti-corporate, anti-globalist, anti-illegal social conservative political movement. It would unite and attract white and black workers. How so? ---
**Author:** ![New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9d8465/32.png) [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Deal_Democrat)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984/27 "2011-03-27T17:56:39Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > It would be interesting if there was an anti-corporate, anti-globalist, anti-illegal social conservative political movement. It would unite and attract white and black workers. Opposition to illegal immigration is rational for lower income workers because the influx of unskilled Hispanics exerts downward pressure on their wages. As a rule, blue collar workers are not enthusiasts for gay rights. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984/28 "2011-03-27T21:38:37Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > How so? Because most workers are socially conservative-one reason why there have been so many “Reagan Democrats” and why the South has gone Republican since '68 is that since LBJ the Democratic Party has been dominated by social liberals thus breaking the New Deal coalition right down the middle and ending the period of Democratic supremacy since 1932. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984/29 "2011-03-28T15:15:30Z")
> [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](#): > > The corporate establishment will be able to manipulate the Tea Party as easily as it manipulated the Religious Right. Both are movements that get people who are not rich to vote Republican. Once Republican politicians get elected they make life easier for the rich. Bingo! The Wharton MBA types with money see elected officials as “the help”, so they are not too concerned about all the dubious social issue politics. They fund these people because these people get votes, then when they get into office they do the leg work to keep the money flowing in the right direction, into the pockets of the Wharton MBA types. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984/30 "2011-03-28T15:43:19Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Because most workers are socially conservative-one reason why there have been so many “Reagan Democrats” and why the South has gone Republican since '68 is that since LBJ the Democratic Party has been dominated by social liberals thus breaking the New Deal coalition right down the middle and ending the period of Democratic supremacy since 1932. Yes, well, racism remains a conservative value. What are you gonna do, eh? ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984/31 "2011-03-28T18:47:31Z")
Even during the last election when they were at their peak they underperformed regular republicans and directly cost them control of the senate. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9d8465/32.png) [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Deal_Democrat)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984/32 "2011-03-28T18:56:10Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Because most workers are socially conservative-one reason why there have been so many “Reagan Democrats” and why the South has gone Republican since '68 is that since LBJ the Democratic Party has been dominated by social liberals thus breaking the New Deal coalition right down the middle and ending the period of Democratic supremacy since 1932. > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Yes, well, racism remains a conservative value. What are you gonna do, eh? White blue collar workers have a legitimate concern with black crime. [http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/homicide/race.cfm](http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/homicide/race.cfm) Unlike the upper middle class liberal intellectuals who call them “racists,” white blue collar workers cannot afford to live in safe neighborhoods far from the crime infested slums blacks create wherever they move. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984/33 "2011-03-28T19:00:15Z")
> [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](#): > > Lower income white Republicans tend to think of the economy as a force of nature that is beyond politics. If one of them loses a comparatively well paying job with good benefits and has to take a lower paying job without benefits he either accepts it stoically, or directs his anger downward and sideways, rather than toward those who benefited economically by firing him. He gets angry at welfare recipients, civil servants, and unionized workers. Of course he does. He’s socialized not to be anything approaching a commie. Far better to pick on the weak than the strong. Part of it is practical resignation - some battles aren’t worth winning, and others you can’t win. Still others are wrong to even think about - the stereotypical redstate religious outlook assures that. Finally, there’s the matter of tribe. This kind of dude is yearning for a tribe to be loyal to, but that yearning has been bought by big money, who convince us that our tribe is a matter of rhetoric, consumption, and followership, rather than circumstances, care, and concern. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9d8465/32.png) [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Deal_Democrat)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984/34 "2011-03-28T19:23:16Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Of course he does. He’s socialized not to be anything approaching a commie. Far better to pick on the weak than the strong. > > Part of it is practical resignation - some battles aren’t worth winning, and others you can’t win. Still others are wrong to even think about - the stereotypical redstate religious outlook assures that. > > Finally, there’s the matter of tribe. This kind of dude is yearning for a tribe to be loyal to, but that yearning has been bought by big money, who convince us that our tribe is a matter of rhetoric, consumption, and followership, rather than circumstances, care, and concern. During the 1920s the United States was to the right of where it has been since, even during the Reagan years. The top tax rate was 25 percent. Most Americans agreed with Calvin Coolidge that, “The business of America is business.” Franklin Roosevelt changed those attitudes by demonstrating that the government could make positive differences in the lives of ordinary Americans. President Obama has not demonstrated this. Since his inauguration the unemployment rate has continued to rise. Now it seems stuck at nearly 10 percent. The GOP benefits when white male blue collar workers think, “The Democrats never did me any good. At least the Republicans won’t take my guns.” The growing income gap is a Democrat issue, but the Democrats need plausible solutions that really work. They cannot assume that white blue collar workers losing ground economically while the plutocracy gets richer will share their liberal social concerns. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984/35 "2011-03-29T01:07:11Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Yes, well, racism remains a conservative value. What are you gonna do, eh? Racism is not a conservative value, labour unions in the 19th Century tried to expel the Chinese from California. ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984/36 "2011-03-29T02:44:34Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Racism is not a conservative value, labour unions in the 19th Century tried to expel the Chinese from California. What do the actions of labor unions in the 19th Century have to do with today? ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984/37 "2011-03-29T03:23:20Z")
> [@Cumberdale](#): > > What do the actions of labor unions in the 19th Century have to do with today? My point being racism is _not_ a conservative value. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984/38 "2011-03-29T12:36:12Z")
> [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](#): > > President Obama has not demonstrated this. Since his inauguration the unemployment rate has continued to rise. Now it seems stuck at nearly 10 percent. Is it stuck, or has it continued to rise? Pick one. See, Faux News consumers are suckers for graphs like this one here: > **[United States Unemployment Rate](https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/unemployment-rate)** > > Unemployment Rate in the United States increased to 4.30 percent in August from 4.20 percent in July of 2025. This page provides the latest reported value for - United States Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low,... Notice that it shows really low unemployment when Obama took office, and really high unemployment now. No, wait a minute, it doesn’t show that at all. Notice that the bottom of the graph is 7.5 percent, not zero. That means that that little bar on te left is actually 3/4 of the full scale. And the full scale has been set to 10% to make things look like they couldn’t possibly be any worse. Oh yeah, lets start the graph at Jan 09, so we don’t have to show how fast unemployment was climbing before Obama took office. Never happened. Truth is, Obama’s inauguration coincided with a point of inflection in job loss. When he took office, more and more jobs were lost every month, and had been doing so for over a year. Every month, the news was worse than the month before. It got so bad that John McCain had to suspend his campaign and rush to Washington. Since Jan. -09, most months look a little brighter than the last. Job growth is now almost keeping up with the increase in population. After just two years, a recession 8 years in the making has finally been slowed almost to a stop. Hell, if my company could source enough raw material we’d have hired 10 people last month instead of just 5. Republicans have fought with every ounce of strength and Senate rule they possess to prolong this recession so that they can hang it around Obama’s neck. They claim that the stimulus projects that passed despite their efforts have not created one job. Then they go to ground breakings and hand out oversized stimulus checks at press events, taking credit for job creating projects that they fought and voted against. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984/39 "2011-03-29T13:18:47Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > My point being racism is _not_ a conservative value. Then, perhaps not. Now, most definitely. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984/40 "2011-03-29T13:20:45Z")
> [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](#): > > Unlike the upper middle class liberal intellectuals who call them “racists,” white blue collar workers cannot afford to live in safe neighborhoods far from the crime infested slums blacks create wherever they move. I feel like I need to bathe every time I read one of your posts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-tea-party-detrimental-to-the-republican-establishment/575984.md?page=3)