What is the Tea Party movement, really?

Great Debates
21

The Tea Party is simply the latest manifestation of anti-urban. nativist, anti-establishment populism like the Know-Nothings, the America Firsters (most of whom weren’t fascists or Nazi dupes), and the John Birch society, infused with laissez-faire capitalism borrowed from classical liberals. Contrary to certain aspirtions, it is not always pro-business or corporatist: the TP opposed the bank bailouts and was quite willing to default on the nation’s debt despite the disastrous consequences for the economy.

22

This. My first answer was to say it was the same nutters who babbled about black UN helicopters and the Vince Foster “coverup” in the '90s. But of course it goes back much further, to the Birchers and back and back through history. They think they want to “go back to the Constitution”, but they really want to go back to the Articles of Confederation and the original “Spirit of '76” before Madison, Washington et al screwed it up by making a strong central government in '89.

ETA

No Tea Partier am I. But not raising the debt ceiling does not mean default. That is a lazy, inaccurate talking point.

23

Your point being?

And that is not one. From the Amazon reviews:

24

What are they saying they’re about? Is there a Tea Party platform?

That’s a rhetorical question. I’ve actually read several Tea Party platforms.

  1. Eliminate Excessive Taxes
  2. Eliminate the National Debt
  3. Eliminate Deficit Spending
  4. Protect Free Markets
  5. Abide by the Constitution of the United States
  6. Promote Civic Responsibility
  7. Reduce the Overall Size of Government
  8. Believe in the People
  9. Avoid the Pitfalls of Politics
  10. Maintain Local Independence
    www.teaparty-platform.com

Platform Item 1: Healthcare
Platform Item 2: Global Warming
Platform Item 3: Size of Government
Platform Item 4: Congressmen Are Government Employees
Platform Item 5: Court Appointments
Platform Item 6: The Right to Life
Platform Item 7: The First Amendment
Platform Item 8: The 2nd Amendment
Platform Item 9: Balanced Budget Amendment
Platform Item 10: Homosexual Marriage
Platform Item 11: Immigration
Platform Item 12: Illegal Immigration
Platform Item 13: Torture
Platform Item 14: The 14th Amendment
Platform Item 15: Labor Unions
Platform Item 16: War and Peace
Platform Item 17: Senate / House Rules
Platform Item 18: The Death Penalty
Platform Item 19: Tort Reform
Platform Item 20: Our Homes
Platform Item 21: Affirmative Action
Platform Item 22: Corrupt Deals
Platform Item 23: Repeal & Replace Healthcare
Platform Item 24: Entitlements
Platform Item 25: Environmental Protection Agency
Platform Item 26: Department of Energy (DOE)
Platform Item 27: Immigration Enforcement
Platform Item 28: Controlling our Representatives
Platform Item 29: NASA and Space Exploration
Platform Item 30: United Nations
Platform Item 31: Pension Plans
Platform Item 32: Repeal H.R. 3808
Platform Item 33: Lame Duck Sessions
Platform Item 34: Checks and Balances on the Courts
Platform Item 35: Amendment to the Constitution - Taxes
Platform Item 36: The Employee Rights Act
Platform Item 37: Taxpayer Funded Presidential Visits
Platform Item 38: Term Limits
www.theteapartyplatform.com

  1. Repeal Obamacare; Pursue Patient-Centered Care
  2. Stop the Tax Hikes
  3. Reverse Obama’s Spending Increases
  4. Scrap the Code; Replace It with a Flat Tax
  5. Pass a Balanced Budget Amendment
  6. Reject Cap and Trade
  7. Rein in the EPA
  8. Unleash America’s Vast Energy Potential
  9. Eliminate the Department of Education
  10. Reduce the Bloated Federal Workforce
  11. Curtail Excessive Federal Regulation
  12. Audit the Fed
    www.freedomworks.org
  1. Any prospective candidate must vow to protect the Constitution and U.S. borders.
  2. Any prospective candidate must vow to support a 28th amendment to the Constitution that insures that any bill signed into law by Congress will pertain to all U.S. citizens including Congress and any bill passed for the benefit of Congress will pertain to all U.S. citizens.
  3. We must achieve a balanced budget and be debt-free within 10 years.
  4. Eliminate earmarks, bailouts, and entitlements.
  5. Ban lobbyists.
  6. A 10 years to convert to renewable energy.
  7. We will encourage contests open to all to come up with ways to utilize oil that oozes up from ocean floors and methane oozing up from the ground as well as even possibly extract energy from such things as volcanoes, tsunamis, tornadoes, geysers, hot springs, hurricanes, and possibly wild fires.
  8. Increase the work on the grid to handle the necessary future electricity.
  9. Give more incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy use.
  10. Avoid more nuclear power plants.
  11. Re-open the water to the San Joaquin valley.
  12. No socialized medicine.
  13. Given that roughly 90% of our citizens believe in God, we will reinstitute voluntary prayer in school and allow religious markings on public buildings.
  14. Eliminate political correctness.
  15. A graduated income tax will be instituted that, unlike previous models, will not allow costs to actually be passed on to the middle class.
  16. No new flat taxes and begin to eliminate those already in existence.
  17. Freedom of speech is still clearly a major concern for Americans. The concept of “fighting words” has put limits on our freedom.
  18. Cabinet members, advisers, and czars will be qualified for their positions and must obtain approval of majorities of all parties having 20% or more of votes in both Congressional chambers.
  19. No Presidential adviser will concurrently hold another public job or office.
  20. The majority will no longer be subservient to the minority: we will all be equal.
  21. We will begin to reinstitute the three essential qualities of a democratic society - “liberty, equality, and fraternity”.
  22. Term limits.
  23. Any member of the U.S. Congress or Supreme Court who votes against the wishes of more than 67% of the American public or more than 60% in any given year, based on three national polls, will be immediately removed from his/her position and will be ineligible for re-election.
  24. Congress will meet year around and work 2000 hours a year.
  25. Congress will reassess any treaties, agreements or membership to organizations such as the U.N. involving our country annually.
  26. All federal judges will be required to work 2000 hours a year.
  27. All federal employees including Congress and judges will have a simplified benefit package: if you work you get paid, if you don’t work you don’t get paid.
  28. Twenty-four hours for each 100 pages will be given to read congressional bills prior to voting on them.
  29. All congressional votes will be roll call and the results made public, including any changes a congressman made in his vote.
  30. Congress will be on a schedule to eliminate all wasteful and outdated laws and programs over ten years.
  31. Presidential Pardons will be repealable by simple majorities in both Congressional chambers.
  32. Congress will be given the power to repeal of Executive Orders with simple majorities of both chambers and re-evaluating all of those signed by George W. and Obama will be a top priority.
  33. All bills that are passed will be truly bipartisan. For any bill to be passed, majorities of any party or movement that controls 20% or more of either chamber of Congress must vote for the particular bill.
  34. There will be no more bundling of bills.
  35. Eliminate government subsidies except those for Research & Development, Renewable/Alternate Energy, Medical Research, and Soil/Water Conservation, and any other items supported in this platform that could be considered subsidies.
  36. We will reassess where all of our money goes, including to organizations such as the U.N. and NATO, every three years.
  37. Overturn any Supreme Court decisions that are not in sync with the wishes of at least 67% of Americans, based on three national polls, impeaching justices as necessary.
  38. Both parties have been stealing our freedoms and have become expert at getting us to take freedoms from each other. Any law found to have originated by such means will be overturned.
  39. No federal agency will have control of the internet.
  40. Issues that cannot be or have not been settled within 5 years, as determined by three national polls, will be put on the ballot.
  41. The government will never again bail out or take over businesses. Also, there will be no more “stimulus” plans.
  42. We will eradicate all hints of pro One World Government decisions in the U.S.
  43. In an age of cheap airfare and free e-mail, we will limit Congressional expense accounts to $200,000 per year including, but not limited to official government travel expenses as well as salaries and benefits to their staff.
  44. Most taxpayers work about 45 years before they can retire, while public service employees work roughly 25 years. All Americans will wait until retirement age to collect Social Security and Medicare or other government benefits.
  45. The President will be paid 6 times what the average wage earner receives; or currently about $240,000 per year.
  46. The government will not force eating decisions on healthy people.
  47. Union dues, in the public and private sectors, will be no more than 0.01% of the worker’s income.
  48. No person, corporation or business entity of any type, domestic or foreign, shall be allowed to contribute money, directly or indirectly, to any candidate for federal office or to contribute money on behalf of or opposed to any type of campaign for federal office. A similar system could be set up for state and local races; with much lower numbers of dollars.
  49. The voting history of all candidates and the bills passed or vetoed by, for example, governors running for election will be made public.
  50. All Americans with the same medical problems will pay the same for health insurance, no matter whether they are self-employed or working for a large corporation.
  51. Prisoners will work at minimum wage to pay for everything other than their room.
  52. There will be no chance for parole or pardon for prisoners with life sentences.
  53. The definition of treason is levying war against the U.S. or aiding and abetting the enemy. Anyone found guilty of treason, making war against our country, or terrorist acts will be given either life sentences or the death penalty.
  54. Except in times of war, the total number of those collecting federal government paychecks will be no greater than 1.25% of the national population.
  55. The average income and all other benefits for non-elected or appointed U.S. government employees will equal those of the average wage earner.
  56. Until we can eradicate social Security without hurting the people who built this country, the age at which male Americans can begin to collect Social Security benefits will eventually be raised to the average life expectancy of males and similarly for females.
  57. Allow tax payers to put up to 100% of the average taxpayer’s income into retirement accounts, no matter their income.
  58. Be certain that government actions and statistics are published honestly.
  59. It is estimated that 33% of those on Social Security disability are cheating; however, many believe the actual number to be much higher.
  60. Social Security disability income for those less than retirement age will be paid for one year by the government. This gives the claimant’s attorney a year to get the claimant rehabilitated and back to some kind of work. If the claimant is not working by the end of a year, his attorney will pay his benefits until he gains employment.
  61. We must quit painting targets on our military and police. Our police must be allowed to use every tool available to them; including profiling. Our police must also be allowed to use deadly force when it is being used against them.
  62. We must set time limits on getting out of war zones and give our military everything it asks for, including nuclear weapons if there is a nuclear threat to us.
  63. All illegal aliens and their children will be deported back to their homeland.
  64. Anyone who was deported from the U.S. and comes back will receive a life sentence or death penalty if he is caught.
  65. Illegal aliens will receive no public assistance of any kind, except the free room, in the case of imprisonment.
  66. The Electoral College will be abolished.
  67. Tort reform is necessary to stop frivolous lawsuits and save billions of wasted dollars.
  68. We must stop encouraging mediocrity in all aspects of American life. A program that would not raise taxes would be to allow the top 10% of students to get free tuition, the next 20% pay ½, the middle 40% pay current rates, the next 20% pay 1½ times the current rate, and the bottom 10% pay double as those at the bottom will require more tutoring and remedial help.
  69. A school voucher program will be instituted.
  70. All pork barrel jobs will be eliminated.
  71. We will charge tariffs on goods and services from countries that manipulate their currency to make their wholesale prices equal to what they would be in the U.S. if non-union Americans had produced the goods or services.
  72. Welfare will be phased out.
  73. In order to encourage parental participation in the education of their children, if a child of a welfare recipient fails a grade, public assistance will cease until the child passes that grade.
  74. People who are on public assistance typically vote based on one issue: to keep the checks coming. We can no longer afford such waste. Anyone on welfare and those on disability that are able to perform some form of work will lose their vote.
  75. Those who do not want to work have, be definition, decided to provide for themselves.
  76. We will speak English only in the U.S.
  77. Any person or group that wants to follow laws other than ours will be deported.
  78. Those pushing for a one world totalitarian government say that we need such a system of government to deal with world over-population. We do not need one set of despots to fix this problem.
  79. A one world government would not be necessary to have international agreements to step up wars on organized crime, slave and human trafficking, sex slavery, drug dealing, and unlawful gangs; somehting that should be done.
  80. Any government employee found guilty of insider trading will be removed from office, imprisoned for one year, and will never be eligible for re-election.
  81. The Pledge of Allegiance will be said every day in schools and Congress.
  82. A prayer will be said before each session of Congress.
  83. Only U.S. citizens will vote in our elections. Also, any necessary steps will be taken to be certain that each person votes only one time and that dead people no longer have voting rights.
  84. While they are being phased out, we must evaluate the feasibility of the private sector administering Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid in order to eliminate the usual government waste.
  85. Patents of any type on either plant or animal (including human) genes will be abolished until hunger and disease are eradicated worldwide.
  86. More research concerning such violent personality disorders as narcissism (megalomania), anti-social disorder (sociopathy), and especially malignant narcissism (megalomania and anti-social disorder) needs to begin.
  87. Millions of trees are killed each year for unwanted mail. Similar to the “Do Not Call” telephone program, we must develop a plan to stop unwanted mailings.
  88. Computer artificial intelligence has evolved to the point that it can predict the future with extreme accuracy.
  89. It will be illegal for elected officials to become lobbyists or obtain any job that could be construed as being in conflict of interest.
  90. Any U.S. citizens who want to live full time somewhere other than the U.S. will be given a one-way ticket to any country that will accept them, but they must first permanently give up their U.S. citizenship.
  91. Any candidate for federal office found to be guilty of lying about themselves or their opponents will automatically be eliminated from their race.
  92. Congressional ethics committees will act on all infractions within two weeks.
  93. Switch to using recorders instead of transcripts in court.
  94. We will gladly grant citizenship to those who pursue it legally and have some skill or asset that will be of benefit to the U.S.
  95. The necessity of the Federal Reserve Bank needs to be re-evaluated.
  96. Link the dollar to gold and silver again, as it worked so well for 200 years, so our savings and pensions will retain their value.
  97. The U.S. Treasury should have actual (not imaginary) accounts of the gold, silver and other monetary assets and debits that can be independently audited regularly.
  98. One problem our Founding Fathers could not foresee is that a Constitutional amendment could now be passed without a majority vote.
  99. Early in our history, people were encouraged to settle land, populate the country and even more recently, to own houses.
  100. Our policies regarding such percentagewise insignificant groups as Communists, Socialists, Fascists, Nazi’s, and Progressives at both ends of the political spectrum are so impotent that all we do is humor them.
    www.teaparty-centrists.com

I’m sure I could find more but I think we’ve already got enough. It’s pretty clear the Tea Party is not speaking with a unified voice. It is, as I wrote, a coalition of people who have a spectrum of different political gripes.

25

Definitely. But the biggest uniting issues are:

  1. Government reform
  2. No bailouts
  3. Reduce spending
26

Regardless of its exact origin (Ron Paul the Cracked?), the Tea Party took off after the historic election of November 2008. (Since, despite GOP coming up with a top-notch ticket like McCain-Palin, even Americans weren’t quite stupid enough to re-elect Republicans after the demonstration of perfidy and incompetence by the Cheney-Rove Administration, guess why the 2008 election was “historic”?)

Matt Taibbi does a good job summarizing the Tea Party. In this article, he’s able to pin down the feelings of two Tea Partiers:

27

That’s some crack journalism there. Reminds me of a week ago,when some kids got Obama supporters to sign a petition to repeal the Bill of Rights. All they had to tell people was that Obama wanted it, and they were okay with it.

28

None.
At all.

No Medicare, no Medicaid.
Deformed babies born to addicted moms? They can pay cash.

But I found #77 to be more astonishing:

Think as we do, or be banished.

29

And bye-bye to the VA.

That’s pretty obviously an anti-Sharia plank, which ignores the fact that following Sharia within the US would be an extra, voluntary system of arbitration and adjudication on top of (and not instead of) the existing laws, much in the same way that Orthodox Jews or the Amish have community-based religious laws that do not supersede the jurisdiction of the regular local, state and federal legal system.

30

No-those are just the three that you find most important.

31

One thing to remember is that the “Tea” Party movement is that it is (or was) an acronym - Taxed Enough Already. It used to be properly identified as the TEA Party movement. That pretty much summed up the core belief of the original grassroots movement.

What it has become, well, that’s another matter.

32

The Tea Party is the id of the American right-wing. They’re everything that the Republican elite kept suppressed throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s…John Birch, Concerned Citizens’ Councils, Illinois Nazis…everything that the Republicans USED TO recognize as fringe and out-there. Now they ARE the GOP base. Good luck with that…

33

But they did not think of that until they had picked the name and started having rallies, I’m pretty sure.

34

Cite?

35

Pretty much from the beginning, actually.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1673405/Tea-Party-movement

"The Tea Party movement’s first major action was a nationwide series of rallies on April 15, 2009, that drew more than 250,000 people. April 15 is historically the deadline for filing individual income tax returns, and protesters claimed that “Tea” was an acronym for “Taxed Enough Already.”

This was two months after what some (including the article) cite as the impetus for the movement - Rick Santelli’s tirade on CNBC in February 2009. So again, from essentially the beginning of the movement, it was the TEA Party.

I followed it from the very earliest days and that was my understanding from the beginning. Of course, Tea Party has a long historical connotation for America, so it would make sense that someone would make an acronym to fit the movement, but that was the idea I think. Again, it has morphed into something much larger and less focused since then, I don’t think taxes are the primary focus anymore. Unfortunately.

36

The “TEA” acronym wasn’t suggested by some protesters until the national rallies later that year. It was originally named after the Boston Tea Party, and that is what most members will refer to when asked what the name stands for.

37

But the same people who are calling for tax cuts are also calling for paying off the national debt. Wanting both of these things is unrealistic.

38

Remember Ross Perot? He was that rarest of creatures, a somewhat-in-some-ways hard-headed economic populist. His solution to the deficit was to raise taxes and cut spending at the same time.

He was not able to sell that.

39

Did you read the quote from the article I posted? It specifically states that within two months of Santelli, protestors said it was TEA Party, not just the Tea Party. It was also the first nationwide rally, April15, 2009, where this became prevalent.

So pretty much everything you said, so not sure why you said it?

40

Have you read the book and examined its methodology?