# The tea party movement is likely to become legitimate. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 20, 2010, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298 "2010-07-20T00:10:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298/21 "2010-07-20T03:44:10Z")
If you have a group that’s made up of Republican voters, and that party is supported by most Republican voters, then if they broke off and became their own party, I don’t really see how that would be different then the current Republican party just changing its name to “Tea Party”. If we’re still talking about the “Tea Party” in ten years, it will be because it will have become a euphemism for the Republican party, in the same way “Grand Old Party” is, not as a new political party. ---
**Author:** ![CJJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@CJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298/22 "2010-07-20T03:56:47Z")
I think everyone is dancing around the central fact of the Tea Party movement: Though they are overwhelmingly Republican, the one key factor that unites them is a shared hatred of Barack Obama. From the recent [Democracy Corps](http://www.democracycorps.com/strategy/2010/07/special-report-on-the-tea-party-movement/?section=Analysis) analysis: > [@Democracy Corps](#): > > [ul][li]86 percent of Tea Party supporters and activists identify with or lean to the Republican Party. [/li][li]79 percent identify as conservatives. [/li][li]They are among the most pro-big business segments of the electorate: 54 percent rate it warmly and 20 percent coolly. [/li][li]The Tea Party movement is not particularly blue collar. Tea Party supporters are slightly less likely to be college-graduates than the likely electorate (41 percent, versus 45 percent), and the activists more so (48 percent). And 85 percent of the supporters are white. [/li][li] **Only 5 percent report having voted for Obama in 2008**. [/li]\<…\> > [li]They are fired up – 94 percent of the supporters say they are almost certain to vote. [/li][li] **They share a great disdain for President Obama, with over 92 percent disapproving of Obama’s performance, and 89 percent strongly. Only 6 percent think Obama ‘shares their values.’** [/ul][/li] (Emphasis mine) I don’t think it’s particularly helpful to discuss the reasons for this Obama-hatred–most folks will make up their own mind on that no matter what is said–but it does show the movement is defined by the man, and so it is unlikely to outlast his political career. My guess is, at some point, this “radical” movement–like every such movement in American history–will be absorbed by one or the other major political party (in this case, the GOP). ---
**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:** [July 20, 2010, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298/23 "2010-07-20T04:13:42Z")
> [@CJJ](#): > > I don’t think it’s particularly helpful to discuss the reasons for this Obama-hatred–most folks will make up their own mind on that no matter what is said–but it does show the movement is defined by the man, What elephant? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298/24 "2010-07-20T04:21:43Z")
So, what has the Tea Party done to repudiate the likes of [Billy Roper?](http://www.kansascity.com/2010/07/15/2087023/tea-party-rejects-racist-label.html) > [@](#): > > Billy Roper is a write-in candidate for governor of Arkansas and an unapologetic white nationalist. > > “I don’t want non-whites in my country in any form or fashion or any status,” he says. > > Roper also is a tea party member who says he has been gathering support for his cause by attending tea party rallies. > > “We go to these tea parties all over the country,” Roper said. “We’re looking for the younger, potentially more radical people." > > \ > > Indeed, it’s difficult to answer the racism question because the tea party is split into hundreds of shards, and the issue of racism depends somewhat on perceptions. > > Still, it’s clear that some with racist agendas are trying to make inroads into the party. > > In several instances, tea party members with racist backgrounds such as Roper have played a role in party events. At the same time, The Kansas City Star has found, white nationalist groups are encouraging members to attend tea parties. One organization based in St. Louis is sponsoring tea parties of its own. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298/25 "2010-07-20T04:24:50Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > How, exactly, has the Tea Party made any efforts to eject the crazy or assemble a “for” platform? Of course, if they ejected the crazies, who’d be left? And given their incoherence, I can’t see them agreeing on a platform. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298/26 "2010-07-20T12:24:48Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Actually I think it’s going to unify Republicans and Independents into a morphed Republican party that will be more like The Tea Party in everything except name. And it will also sweep in Dems who feel Obama is a little too far along the socialist spectrum. (No, I’m _not_ saying he is a socialist, just that his policies are _more_ socialistic than we’ve had in recent times.) They’ll attract independents that are very conservative or lean libertarian. I doubt they’ll attract many Dems. The problem with any political group is that there are so many issues that the group as a whole has a hard time agreeing on all of them and the conflict begins to divide them. I read the GOP platform from Maine that was heavily influenced by the Tea Party ideology. {or a few assertive members} It was scary. It didn’t take long for other Maine republicans to object and change things. I have some sympathy for certain Tea Party views but when it comes down to , “what do you actually want to do about it” they are often too extreme. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298/27 "2010-07-20T12:29:37Z")
> [@CJJ](#): > > I think everyone is dancing around the central fact of the Tea Party movement: Though they are overwhelmingly Republican, the one key factor that unites them is a shared hatred of Barack Obama. From the recent [Democracy Corps](http://www.democracycorps.com/strategy/2010/07/special-report-on-the-tea-party-movement/?section=Analysis) analysis: > > (Emphasis mine) > > I don’t think it’s particularly helpful to discuss the reasons for this Obama-hatred–most folks will make up their own mind on that no matter what is said–but it does show the movement is defined by the man, and so it is unlikely to outlast his political career. My guess is, at some point, this “radical” movement–like every such movement in American history–will be absorbed by one or the other major political party (in this case, the GOP). So evidently it’s a way for republicans to pretend to be a down home real American grass roots movement , while actually just wanting to do what they’ve always done. Bush made it glaringly obvious that the GOP didn’t really care about the principles it touted and the Tea PArty is being used to recapture that illuision. ---
**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:** [July 20, 2010, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298/28 "2010-07-20T12:43:06Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > It started as a reactionary movement to oppose Obama and the democrat takeover of the house and senate, and as a consequence had a serious dose of crazy injected into the ideology. First off, I’d take you more seriously if you avoided phrases like “the democrat takeover”. It’s Democratic, please. The Teabaggers are just the racist nutcase fringe of the Republican Party. All they can accomplish is to push the GOP so far right that moderates will abandon it. Once the mainstream Republicans see sure wins in Nevada and Kentucky slip through their fingers, they’ll start to put some distance between themselves and the loony tunes. The mainstream GOP can afford to take the Teanuts for granted, they just haven’t figured it out yet. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298/29 "2010-07-20T12:51:40Z")
As far as I can tell, the tea partiers have a lot of complaints but not a lot of ideas. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298/30 "2010-07-20T13:40:54Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > As far as I can tell, the tea partiers have a lot of complaints but not a lot of ideas. Exactly. I agree with some of their basic complaints - government is too big, the deficit is too high. When they actually offer real solutions, and eject the crazies, I might become a tea-bagger. Well, they will have to change their name too. By then they will have been absorbed by one of the other two parties who wants their voting block. Right now they are a series of angry mobs with no direction. ---
**Author:** ![Stoneburg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Stoneburg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoneburg)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298/31 "2010-07-20T14:07:18Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Similar stuff was said about the Perot Reform party. Where are they now - nowhere. One new party failed, therefore all new parties fail. Q: What’s the name of the fallacy? ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298/32 "2010-07-20T14:09:01Z")
> [@Stoneburg](#): > > One new party failed, therefore all new parties fail. > > Q: What’s the name of the fallacy? It’s not like there’s only been one new party. Have any of them succeeded? ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298/33 "2010-07-20T14:14:39Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > Exactly. I agree with some of their basic complaints - government is too big, the deficit is too high. When they actually offer real solutions, and eject the crazies, I might become a tea-bagger. Well, they will have to change their name too. By then they will have been absorbed by one of the other two parties who wants their voting block. Right now they are a series of angry mobs with no direction. A couple of my conservative friends have a lot of sympathy for thier basic ideas because they too are fed up with DC. I’d say I do as well. The media can be blamed in part for highlighting the crazies. You can’t realisitically eject everyone whose ideas are too radical but you have to do something. If you can’t stop the guy with the poster of Obama as witch doctor from amrching then at least get some air time and loudly clearly denounce that kind of racism. If you’re worried about alienating the racists by doing that then you got a big problem and there’s a lot of people you will never attract. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298/34 "2010-07-20T14:22:13Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > As far as I can tell, the tea partiers have a lot of complaints but not a lot of ideas. I read the [Maine GOP platform](http://www.scribd.com/doc/31163547/Maine-Gop-Platform) which got a lot of press because it was [“tea party”](http://www.mainepolitics.net/content/maine-republicans-adopt-tea-party-platform) guided. They had ideas. Extreme and unrealistic ones. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298/35 "2010-07-20T14:24:49Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > Anyone else think we might be witnessing the birth of the first legitimate third party? I honestly hope so, and not because I agree with their stance (which I don’t) or because I think it might help the Democrats (though it probably would). Rather, I think a meaningful alternative is necessary to bring about a fundamental shift in the current, two-party system has tended toward passivity and foolishness in recent years. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298/36 "2010-07-20T14:32:20Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > I read the [Maine GOP platform](http://www.scribd.com/doc/31163547/Maine-Gop-Platform) which got a lot of press because it was [“tea party”](http://www.mainepolitics.net/content/maine-republicans-adopt-tea-party-platform) guided. They had ideas. Extreme and unrealistic ones. Fair enough. I’m prepared to modify my earlier statement to make it “workable ideas” the tea-partiers lack. I’m also prepared to retract it if a state party adopts a tea-party-supported platform that on balance is more sane than insane. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298/37 "2010-07-20T15:07:37Z")
> [@GoodOmens](#): > > I honestly hope so, and not because I agree with their stance (which I don’t) or because I think it might help the Democrats (though it probably would). Rather, I think a meaningful alternative is necessary to bring about a fundamental shift in the current, two-party system has tended toward passivity and foolishness in recent years. I would love to see a 3rd party become legit because of support. I voted Green Party in Maine to help them. I have serious doubts about the Tea Party becoming a solid viable 3rd party. I think they are too much a branch and tool of the GOP ---
**Author:** ![Stoneburg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Stoneburg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoneburg)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298/38 "2010-07-20T15:07:59Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > It’s not like there’s only been one new party. Have any of them succeeded? It hasn’t happened, so it can’t happen. Come on… you’re not even trying! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298/39 "2010-07-20T15:19:49Z")
> [@Stoneburg](#): > > It hasn’t happened, so it can’t happen. > Come on… you’re not even trying! 😉 Just dicking around. I see ---
**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:** [July 20, 2010, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298/40 "2010-07-20T15:29:44Z")
> [@Stoneburg](#): > > It hasn’t happened, so it can’t happen. It can’t happen _here_. US elections are not publicly funded, and they are bought and paid for - on both sides - by corporate interests. Said interests have absolutely no desire to make things less predictable by introducing a third party to the mix, and thereby being forced to split their campaign spending three ways. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tea-party-movement-is-likely-to-become-legitimate/547298.md?page=3)