# When did the teaparty become a subset of the Republicans? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 10, 2013, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-teaparty-become-a-subset-of-the-republicans/670921 "2013-10-10T21:21:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 6
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-teaparty-become-a-subset-of-the-republicans/670921/6 "2013-10-10T21:59:02Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > (If you absolutely must whine about my taking it for granted that the teaparty was astroturfed into existence and that Fox News/talk radio is wholly distinct from real media/journalists then consider that a poison pill that’s irrelevant to the thread and take it to the Pit.) The Tea Party was, in fact, astroturfed into existence. As I’ve pointed out on the board before: > [@What is the Tea Party movement, really?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-tea-party-movement-really/664271/46): > > The Tea Party formulation happened at least 6 months prior to Santelli’s (IMO scripted) rant. The whole “movement” was a well-financed and planned thing, not a grassroots movement as it’s backers would have the nation believe. > > Zack Christenson, a producer of conservative Milt Rosenburg’s radio show, registered the domain [ChicagoTeaParty.com](http://ChicagoTeaParty.com) in August 2008, for instance. As I asked in another thread: was he somehow psychic and just “knew” that a spontaneous grassroots movement with the same name (and that shared his own political goals and ideology) would appear soon afterward? > > :dubious: > > :rolleyes: --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-teaparty-become-a-subset-of-the-republicans/670921)._