# What now for the Tea Party? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 9, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493 "2012-11-09T16:33:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [November 11, 2012, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493/21 "2012-11-11T22:24:02Z")
> [@L. G. Butts](#): > > I think they would stay relevant if they stuck with their fiscal conservative roots and dropped the social conservative, ultra religious, racist platform they have embraced since the 2010 election. They actually always were ultra right ideologues calling for smaller government except in peoples bedrooms, but before 2010 they denied it and claimed to be only interested in fiscal conservatism. It was this transition that killed them, IMHO. Perhaps you’re right if ‘fiscal conservative roots’ is a euphemism for “oh my effing god, a black man is about to become president of the United States!” because that’s the real reason for their rise in 2008. The social crap was always there as well. As far as I see it, the fiscal conservatism rhetoric was simply a smoke screen. Also, there was no transition; they are as they always were, and they’re not dead…yet. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493/22 "2012-11-11T22:36:56Z")
> [@L. G. Butts](#): > > I think they would stay relevant if they stuck with their fiscal conservative roots and dropped the social conservative, ultra religious, racist platform they have embraced . . . > [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Perhaps you’re right if ‘fiscal conservative roots’ is a euphemism for “oh my effing god, a black man is about to become president of the United States!” because that’s the real reason for their rise in 2008. The social crap was always there as well. As far as I see it, the fiscal conservatism rhetoric was simply a smoke screen. . . . It would be nice if **L.G. Butts, Ph.D.** were right, but, alas, **Onomatopoeia** is right in this case. (Geeze, you guys have hard names to type!) The Tea Party presented itself as having a deficit-reduction platform – but almost immediately revealed their true colors in attempting to de-fund Planned Parenthood, and in a number of other extreme ultra-conservative moves along the fundamentalist social agenda. In state legislatures, they got into teaching creationism. And the overt racism of their early rallies was unmistakeable. They were a Trojan Horse from the ugliest part of the Bible Belt from day one. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493/23 "2012-11-12T00:07:48Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Of course, that also applies if a left-progressive party emerges and absorbs the left of the Dems. Progressives v. Democrats might be the lineup in some places. Yeah. That’s gonna happen… ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493/24 "2012-11-12T00:15:04Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Yeah. That’s gonna happen… Not **many** places, but in certain big cities, certainly Progressives v. Democrats could be the lineup. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493/25 "2012-11-12T00:19:59Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Not **many** places, but in certain big cities, certainly Progressives v. Democrats could be the lineup. Okay, I’ll give you highly localized possibilities of that. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493/26 "2012-11-12T00:21:30Z")
> [@George Brunemann](#): > > And the movement got no support from the top during the campaign, he said. > > “You never heard a single utterance of the words ‘tea party’ from Mitt Romney or Paul Ryan,” Brunemann said. “I believe the downfall of the Republicans this time was that they never gave credit to the tea party.” Well, the GOP and Romney didn’t seem to get any help from the Tea Party either this year, Mr. Brunemann. What were you doing all summer and fall? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493/27 "2012-11-12T00:39:58Z")
Looks like [Kansas](http://www.kansascity.com/2012/11/10/3909897/the-stars-editorial-conservatives.html) gets to be the Failure Lab of Tea Party governance. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493/28 "2012-11-12T01:24:09Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Yea, I agree. I can’t really see them backing-off much, through primaries and the '10 elections, they seem to have a pretty strong lock on the GOP House and state-elected gov’t posts and the RNC power-structure. Its pretty hard to even distinguish a GOP as separate from the tea-party any more. Moderates, or even independently minded Conservatives have largely either retired, been run out of the party or embraced the tea-party schtick. > > And they don’t really seem like the types to take the latest election as some sort of signal that they’re brand of Conservatism is an electoral loser. > > I suspect they’ll keep-on keeping on so long as the GOP holds the House, at least. Agreed. They are what was known as “Movement Conservatives”, reenergized upon replacing the now-weaker organized Religious Right as prime driver of the movement. And with the discrediit of the Neo Cons they now are in a strong position. Rick Santelli is credited with having first popularized the name Tea Party when referring to how both W-era Republicans and Pelosi/Obama Dems alike had set up an economic quagmire that they would seek to address by taxing and spending, while both were bailing out the big banks while the little guy lost his house, and spinning it into: “the banks f&#_$d you, America, and it’s_ the government’s\* fault”. Probably as a way to get the little guy to channel their anger into something other than hanging the big bankers and people like Rick Santelli from the rafters of the Exchange. Meanwhile the old-school Religious Conservatives had been kind of sore-assed at having been taken for granted (even betrayed) by the neocons who never actually tried to legislate the moral agenda. And of course, as has been mentioned, the _OMG Stop The Black Muslim Socialist Kenyan!!_ crew was there and ready to step right up and grab the front row from Day One. They all naturally coalesced into the coalition of the ticked-off and their first target were any Republicans who compromised. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493/29 "2012-11-12T02:18:29Z")
> [@Aquadementia](#): > > They should just go away. > They’ve been co-opted and a joke. > > I never got the name in the first place. > Tea taxes haven’t been an issue for almost 235 years. > Try associating with something relevant today and call yourselves the **Tobacco Party**. But that would take growing a pair. It’s partly from the Boston Tea Party and partly that TEA = Taxed Enough Already. There are conservatives that are all about small government and who always think they are paying more in taxes than they should be, taxes on stupid stuff for other people. There’s also a subgroup that really gets into worshiping the Founding Fathers. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493/30 "2012-11-12T02:23:46Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Agreed. They are what was known as “Movement Conservatives”, reenergized upon replacing the now-weaker organized Religious Right as prime driver of the movement. And with the discrediit of the Neo Cons they now are in a strong position. > Rick Santelli is credited with having first popularized the name Tea Party when referring to how both W-era Republicans and Pelosi/Obama Dems alike had set up an economic quagmire that they would seek to address by taxing and spending, while both were bailing out the big banks while the little guy lost his house, and spinning it into: “the banks f&#_$d you, America, and it’s_ the government’s\* fault”. Probably as a way to get the little guy to channel their anger into something other than hanging the big bankers and people like Rick Santelli from the rafters of the Exchange. > > Meanwhile the old-school Religious Conservatives had been kind of sore-assed at having been taken for granted (even betrayed) by the neocons who never actually tried to legislate the moral agenda. And of course, as has been mentioned, the _OMG Stop The Black Muslim Socialist Kenyan!!_ crew was there and ready to step right up and grab the front row from Day One. > > They all naturally coalesced into the coalition of the ticked-off and their first target were any Republicans who compromised. So, what do they do now? Will they try to influence things again in 2014? And under what name? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493/31 "2012-11-12T02:28:37Z")
How much greener would the democrat’s platform have to become to pull in the Green Party? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493/32 "2012-11-12T02:52:23Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > How much greener would the democrat’s platform have to become to pull in the Green Party? The Democrats don’t have enough insane pseudoscience in their platform to pull in the Greens, and I’d like to keep it that way. ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493/33 "2012-11-12T11:47:18Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > So, what do they do now? Will they try to influence things again in 2014? And under what name? They are rough and tough riding, independent sorts who admire the pioneering frontier American spirit so my vote is for the Barebackers. There are Republican blue and have balls also … ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493/34 "2012-11-12T12:53:30Z")
As soon as the two or three billionaires who are funding it get bored, the grass roots Tea Party will whither and die. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493/35 "2012-11-12T13:23:46Z")
I find it amusing that they’re putting the blame for the election losses on two factors: (1) They weren’t far enough to the right; and (2) All those damn minorities, like blacks, Latinos, women, students, Muslims, Jews, and blue-collar workers. Interesting, isn’t it? When in doubt, blame the minorities. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493/36 "2012-11-12T14:26:12Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > The Democrats don’t have enough insane pseudoscience in their platform to pull in the Greens, and I’d like to keep it that way. You are misjudging the Greens. Luddites they ain’t. No doubt many members are woo-friendly, but there is nothing pseudoscientific nor pseudoscience-friendly in the Ten Key Values. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493/37 "2012-11-12T14:36:32Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > I find it amusing that they’re putting the blame for the election losses on two factors: > (1) They weren’t far enough to the right; and > (2) All those damn minorities, like blacks, Latinos, women, students, Muslims, Jews, and blue-collar workers. > > Interesting, isn’t it? When in doubt, blame the minorities. Psst! Women aren’t a minority. Okay, black, Latina women students from a blue-collar background are, but… 😉 ---
**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:** [November 12, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493/38 "2012-11-12T14:42:35Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > Psst! Women aren’t a minority. They seem to _think_ women are though. Or maybe they just think women only count as three fifths of a person. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493/39 "2012-11-12T15:53:28Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > So, what do they do now? Will they try to influence things again in 2014? And under what name? Damn right they will. They will seek to further entrench themselves as the force to be reckoned in the Republican Party when it comes to ideological/spiritual orthodoxy. Expect the GOP midterm primaries to be mostly a repeat of the last two turns in tone and content. No real need for a catchy name if you have everyone go to you to find out what the “True Conservatives” think. Also, the egg on Karl Rove’s face with the Presidential and Senate races may lead a lot of the Tea Partiers to feel they have the standing to make demands on the big-biz “Republican Establishment” types. On their side the Establishment Big Guns may feel they really should invest into the statehouse and congressional-district level, where the TPs held the ground in this election – and both sides may agree on the need to find a way to prevent O’Donnells, Angles, Akinses and Mourdocks in the future. > [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > I find it amusing that they’re putting the blame for the election losses on two factors: > (1) They weren’t far enough to the right; But we already knew they were going to say that all along > [@](#): > > (2) All those damn minorities, like blacks, Latinos, women, students, Muslims, Jews, and blue-collar workers. > > Interesting, isn’t it? When in doubt, blame the minorities. Now, now, it’s not even really the minorities… it’s the people who _want things_. Y’know, like public educations, or equal pay, or recognition of their marriages, or access to health care. As opposed, I suppose, to the people who want non-things like farm subsidies or tax breaks or drilling permits or a border wall or a bombing of Iran. The whole point of the election is to have people decide what DO they want the government to do or not do, dudes… ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493/40 "2012-11-12T16:23:27Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Damn right they will. They will seek to further entrench themselves as the force to be reckoned in the Republican Party when it comes to ideological/spiritual orthodoxy. Expect the GOP midterm primaries to be mostly a repeat of the last two turns in tone and content. No real need for a catchy name if you have everyone go to you to find out what the “True Conservatives” think. Well, in that case, I wouldn’t expect 2014 to be a repeat of 2010 in terms of Republican electoral success (however mixed). I think the TP brand/ideology pretty much achieved market-saturation that year; nowhere to go but down. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-now-for-the-tea-party/640493.md?page=3)