Top Five Reasons The Tea Party Could Fail

National Journal:

The problem with a leaderless movement is that everyone wants to be heard, and there's only so much oxygen in the room.
[...]
Although local Tea Party groups might continue to thrive, coming together on a national level might exceed the expertise of these political neophytes.

Read the whole story: National Journal

Comments

[freecitizen1946]

02:12 AM on 02/09/2010

America the beautiful, where EVERYBODY thinks they are the centerists.

[jerryatthebeach]

03:55 PM on 02/08/2010

TEA PARTY, Were all in this together. Stay focused and be inclusive of everybody. Do you think Black and Hispanic Americans want a 9 trillion dollar deficit?? We all want to get our Democracy back on track. Regards, your gay centrist REPUBLICAN...

[LoliAnne]

03:02 PM on 02/08/2010

LOL! You weren't supposed to tell them!

Now how are we supposed to laugh at their pathetic attempts at a "party"?

[Littlewords]

01:07 PM on 02/08/2010

Top Five Reasons The Tea Party Could Fail

Top Five Reasons The Tea Party Has Failed

1) Lack the disclipline to identify and pick one or two key overarching causes to rai1 and r@ge against.
2) Lack the critical thinking to then correctly aim at the right source of their r@ge cause
3) Lack the self awareness to see how they are manipulated by senior leaders on the right
4) Lack the numbers to be meaningful: 1000 conventioneers is akin to the size of a regional k1an rally.
3) Lack the spelling and grammar skills for protest signage to articulate their messages and causes

[purplejesus]

12:02 PM on 02/08/2010

if obama was white and all other factors the same, the tea baggers would not exist plain and simple

[FalstaffsMind]

10:49 AM on 02/08/2010

They missed the #1 reason. Those people simply do not represent much in the way of campaign contributions.

[MJinCanada]

12:26 AM on 02/08/2010

I am reminded by an earlier comment that Canadians had a rather interesting political protest movement a couple of decades back that also put fielded candidates in several elections. There wasn't one in my constituency, but I did donate to the cause because they had such an interesting platform.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinoceros_Party_of_Canada

[freecitizen1946]

08:31 PM on 02/07/2010

so the Tea baggers convention and Sarah Palin's 8th grade level speech was covered by ALL the cable networks like it was the second coming of jesus.

Q: How many people actually attended this "convention"?

A: 600

Q: What did they pay for the privilage?

A: $500

Q; What was the additional ticket price to hear Sarah speak?

A: $350

Q: What did it cost for the Republican Party to pretend they cared about these confused and bewildered people desperately looking for somebody ELSE to blame for ALL their troubles?

A: Almost nothing.

Priceless!

[FOXYROSE]

05:53 PM on 02/07/2010

The teabaggers are here to stay and growing everyday - why, because a whole bunch of us are sick and tired of taxation w/o representation! We are very aware of the corruption in both parties and how the "silent majority" has had to shut up for too long. No more of the same - those days are over. With the power of the internet we will take back our country from the far left and the far right - listen up, politians - it's time you listened to the people and not all the special interests that we the people have to pay for.

[bulfinch]

09:08 PM on 02/07/2010

You do nor realize that you ARE BEING MANIPULATED?

[freecitizen1946]

01:28 AM on 02/08/2010

A. You can't take back this country FROM the far right by joining it.

B. You have ALREADY been screwed by folks who are now claiming to be your salvation.They ARE the guys who walked away with ALL the cash just a few months back and are now trying to blame our pending bankruptcy on liberals and illegal aliens.

Believe me we're ALL mad as hell, America has just taken a bullet between the eyes delivered by Wall Street's crimminal class and its twitching carcus is still standing on its feet not knowing that its already dead. The question is how can you be SO stupid to take it out on those who NEVER had the power to take this country down. The tea bagger movement is the same old mix of thinly vailed hate and racism that has kept the working class powerless and at each other's throats for years. As long as we believe we can't trust each other THEY get exactly what they want, which is everything of value that isn't nailed down.

[ReedYoung]

04:09 PM on 02/07/2010

Conservative "ideas" (Milton Friedman's, really) about economics have already gotten more time than they're worth since 1980. The jury is in on your "small government" cult.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thom-hartmann/the-great-tax-con-job_b_242065.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-tasini/the-bigger-shame-the-rich_b_162485.html

You know what the direct results have been, so pleading now for more of the same is tantamount to treason.

[Margo Arrowsmith]

03:45 PM on 02/07/2010

Historically, K K K and neoNazis chose losers in society, didn't have the abilities to make it in society and fed their resentment of 'others' who have done better. These people fill the ranks of those organizations.

Tea People have stepped it up. They have reached out to white audiences that have succeeded, with diplomas and degrees, good jobs and small businesses, but still live resentment. Instead taunting with what they don't have, they are taunted with the perceived loss of what they do have. Because these are really the same people, just a little smarter, it has worked.

At a 4/15 'party' in Raleigh, only one could explain the words on his sign, and he was wrong about what it meant to be 'represented'. He had the idea that if his candidate didn't win, he wasn't represented. Like he had the Constitutional right to have his guy win.

Most of them couldn't do that much. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyFg4LxDDBI

However, remember, most poor white people didn't, don't join the neo fascists most small business people and Republicans don't become Tea People.

But this is what they are about, searching out the ones who have just enough ability and work ethic to have 'made it', but not enough savvy to understand.

This is what they have in common with the lowest of the low. Yes, both groups work the fear of what is different and the resentment of anyone else who does better than they do.

[Martha12]

03:28 PM on 02/07/2010

I find this teabag nonsense almost as sad as it is dangerous.

Sad for the folks we see with their signs, confused and angry, and dangerous because of who is behind this.

Rupert Murdoch still brags about changing the entire political landscape in Australia AND claims responsibility for Margaret Thatcher in England .

He accomplished that, they very same way he is operating in the US, with all the newspapers and magazines he owns, but most egregiously with FOX "news".

[Veratruth]

02:54 PM on 02/07/2010

I bet these teabeggers saved their economic stimulus (that they gripe about) along with SS (that they gripe about) to attend this bashing event. I used mine to help boost the economy ... I mean the POTUS. HAHA

[CR46]

02:20 PM on 02/07/2010

The number one reason>>>>>


Their Teabagger Queen Sarah Palin can't remember 3 talking points and had to right them on her palm. LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ReedYoung]

03:19 PM on 02/07/2010

Funny, but attacking their idol, no matter how factual and deserved, only incites them. Their "ideas" are easy enough to dismantle, and I think that's more effective, so can we agree to focus on those please?

In light of current events, their Achilles heel is certainly economic policy, **if** grassroots Progrssives can make our case worth a darn.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thom-hartmann/the-great-tax-con-job_b_242065.html

If we can't make that case, IN THIS ECONOMY, it's my opinion that Progressives deserve Jeb Bush.

[CR46]

03:59 PM on 02/07/2010

Not attacking, just writing the truth. I really don't care if I "incite" a bunch of backwards thinking rac.ists at all.

[terry63]

05:43 PM on 02/07/2010

No telepromter?

[spinns17]

02:15 PM on 02/07/2010

the baggers are right about some stuff.i think we can work with them more than the repugs.third party i say.T party you go.

[StupidPeopleSuck]

04:40 PM on 02/07/2010

Seriously?

[ReedYoung]

05:04 PM on 02/07/2010

Wall Street reform?