"The Tea Party" is running against history and time, and neither favors "The Tea Party."
If history is the best predictor of the future, and it usually is, "The Tea Party" will have a short shelf life. Beginning well before the Civil War, such movements have come and gone, including the Locofocos, Barnburners, Free Soil, Anti-Masonic, Know-Nothing, Populist, Progressive and a host of others. In 1948 it was Strom Thurmond's Dixiecrats; in 1968, George Wallace's American Independent Party; and in 1992, Ross Perot's Reform Party. History says that like all of those movements "The Tea Party" will have "one day in the sun."
These movements have lacked staying power, because America has a large, broad-based two-party system that absorbs them by adapting to their demands. For example, the Republicans and Richard Nixon captured George Wallace's movement by adopting a "Southern Strategy."
So the key to the success of "The Tea Party" rests not in its continuous existence, but in convincing one or both of the major parties to adopt most, if not all, of its policy objectives. George Wallace's movement contributed significantly to the rightward move of the Republican Party, strengthening the hand of Republican conservatives against liberal Eastern Establishment Republicans.
Time, too, may run out on "The Tea Party." Coming into existence on the advent of the 2010 mid-term elections, "The Tea Party" must rally its troops now. In political time, the 2012 presidential election is a long way off. "The Tea Party" may lack the staying power to remain a significant force in 2012.
But rallying an independent movement and developing a possible third-party during the Mid-Term presents numerous problems. To illustrate, many states' Democrats and Republicans have selected their candidates for various offices, so that "The Tea Party" is left with supporting a major party candidate rather than developing its own candidates either inside or outside "The Tea Party." Moreover, during the mid-term the public lacks the intensity of focus on campaigns and elections that it otherwise has during a presidential election year. It's that intensity of public focus that greatly helps such movements as "The Tea Party."
Despite history and time running out on "The Tea Party," it can still significantly influence American politics if it establishes effective leadership and articulates a convincing political agenda. Absent a key leader that speaks for the movement and a specific agenda, it will lose much of its potential power in 2010 and its potential for continuing influence in 2012.
Regarding leadership, will someone arise to unify the disparate forces in "The Tea Party"? The media needs someone who can speak authoritatively for the movement. The clock is rapidly running out for "The Tea Party" to rally around an articulate and respected leader.
Regarding its policy agenda, "The Tea Party" must speak in something more than "glittering generalities," such as (1) limited government, (2) fiscal responsibility, (3) free and fair markets, (4) individual liberty base on personal responsibility, and (5) a return to constitutional governance. What does "The Tea Party" mean by each of these? As the political battles heat up, the media and political adversaries will press "The Tea Party" to define what it means by these general policy goals. Specifically, for example, where would "The Tea Party" cut the federal budget or how would it restore constitutional governance?
History and time may be against "The Tea Party," but it still has the potential to shake up America's lethargic two-party system. "The Tea Party's" large voter base could sway many elections in 2010 and influence one or both of the major parties to adjust to its policy and candidate preferences in 2012.
Charles W. Dunn is the current Dean of the School of Government at Regent University. Prior to working at Regent, Dunn served as a special assistant to the Minority Whip of the United States House of Representatives, was the deputy director of the Republican Conference in the House and chief of staff to a United States Senator from New York.
Axel W. Caballero: Latinos Launching Campaign Exposing Tea Party Racism
The Tea Party is nothing but a group of white people that are scared to death because they are staring down the barrel of the end of their world.
The Demographics are against them and they know it.
Whites will soon be a minority in America.
BTW, I'm an old white guy myself who is pretty damned embarrassed by these racists.
I think it will be a better time when no one group is a majority, who can then suppress all other minorities.
I figured out that this racism and hate was unfair and crazy at about age 6, even while imbedded in your typical (at the time) racist extended family.
The Tea party might help lead to the GOP's downfall, but it can't rise to replace the GOP. The GOP has too much $$$ and influence and even if it (GOP) is replaced it won't be the TP that fills the void. The TP doesn't agree with itself today, there's no reason why it'll suddenly be able to do so. The TP is good at angering people (that's what it does for a living) and this is when it's "popular."
If the GOP moves further to the right to co-opt the TP, there will be no hope of either to solve our many social problems. (Distinct from the GOP's use of the Southern Strategy, when there were many people hoping to stay in power).
Even if our economy recovers, we'll need a decade or more of substantial govt involvement - the power of "No" and "No way" will soon make Americans banish both the GOP and theTP to the asterisk bins of history.
And that will save us from these incompetents...they wouldn't know a policy objective if it hit them in the face. Their rage against what they consider to be wrong means nothing without viable solutions to the problems and issues (real or imagined) that anger them. I have yet to hear anything meaningful from them, just soundbites parrotted in misplaced awe of Limbaugh, Beck and company. Its all such bad theater...
The one unifying thought they have seems to be disbelief at having a black president.
I think that they will fade away as the economy continues to improve.
The willful ignorance train has taken off at a very rapid speed!
To end the willful ignorance that has dominated tea bagger mentality would require an enormous amount of factual reality based education. Fox/Beck/Palin/Limbaugh/GOP/Conservatives ARE not up to the task because they do not immediately profit!
The learning curve that is needed to formulate, articulate and create a "vision" of what American Society could LOOK like … with tea bagger policies and governance in place ….WILL derail this train!
After all, these folks ARE willfully IGNORANT and are opposed to accurate, documentable FACTS!
Dick Armey, leader of FreedomWorks finances much of the tea party to rail against "government-run" health care.
YET............... Armey's been on the PUBLIC DOLE.....as professor in the taxpayer-supported University of Texas system with FREE HEALTHCARE, and as a member of Congress with government health care supported by you, the taxpayer, {and he still is}.
The Teaparty mantra: ideological purity and intolerance to dissent, entirely contrary to the founding principles that have always defined America.
Teabaggers are led by opportunists who manipulate the movement to further their own selfish gain. Their mantra is irrational, uncivil and petulant.
America is being misrepresented by the Teaparty, they are only pursuing their need for power in Washington, and certainly will abandon their supporters once they do.
They will merely return us into the abyss created by Bush & Co.
Pelosi flying in her own personal commercial jet, which we pay for, Gore using private jets, limos,
and Suv's to travel while both rail against polluting vehicles.
Tree-huggers continue using plastic bags, air conditioning, gas-powered cars, drive-up windows, while complaining about global warming. Let's not forget Obama's New York date nights
and the first class gas-guzzling junkets by Dems to Copenhagen. No fuel wasted there.
Tea-partiers' ideology revolves around two convictions: reducing the size of govt s intrusion into our lives, & reduction of excessive government spending. The ideological platforms of the Dems and the Repubs. have twenty times the planks that the TeaPartiers do, They are far from ideological.
How can they be opposed to dissent, if their entire movement is based on dissent? They get ripped and defiled by the MSM and Dem leaders 24/7. Who are the real dissenters? Your own tirade exemplifies the ongoing dissent of the left against them. No hypocrisy here.
Petulant and uncivil? Yeah, those senior citizens are so violent and destructive. TeaPartiers are ticked off and expressing their justifiable disappointment in govt. Read any polls lately? A poll just out today states that 90% of Americans think that govt. is doing a lousy job. Everybody's ticked off. Code Pink - now, there is real petulance and lack of civility.
As an Independent voter I watch carefully and see who is influencing the teaparty, hypocrites such as Armey who was a very poor public servant at best and yet grabs his healthcare and runs with it.
The r@cist undertones of the teaparty are disgusting at best, as witnessed by their signs and rhetoric.
You are using the same ign0rant talking points about Pelosi, so far the house has passed 290 bills, all languishing, waiting to be addressed by the Senate. The rightwing has chosen to totally paralyze this government....just because they lost.......nothing was done in the past eight years other than use trillions of our dollars for an illegal war in Iraq. Socialism for the Iraqis if you will.
Not a single Rethug has ever considered doing something about our dire healthcare system that eats up 18% of our GDP...200 to 400% more than any other industrialized, technologically advanced nation, our whole economy is threatened.
Not only did W use Chinese $$$$ for this war, he also raided our SS trust fund, putting the future of this nation in severe danger.
When it comes to the polls, people are disgusted with government, mostly with the Rethugs who nearly sent us into the abyss and are unwilling to govern.
For some reason you seem to think sending this country back to the dark ages is the answer....no thanks, been there for eight years...not going to let that happen again.
Now after saying all that,,, I believe they've shown dems how to get attn to fight their own representatives who seem like their caving in to the right too often,, something by the way you never see when the republicans are on top,,, and that's being held accountable by their own base...
Bush/Cheney showed us all that sad reality,,,,,,,, the silence was deafening..
The Dems aren't going to enjoy much time to garner centrists; the left-wing is becoming restive. If the Dems lose their base they are going to have to depend heavily on those (rather hypothetical) centrists.
the negative blitz against a group of people who just wanted to view there anger did you forget free speach, maybe if you listened a little to them, remember dems aren't always correct , rep aren't alwsy correct. and not everything the tea party said was stupid.
Everything I've seen, read, and heard is based on lies, distortions and willful ignorance of America and American society and disregards the progress made in the last 50 years!
Seriously ... do you want a restoration of "literacy test" for Americans to vote for example?
Progressives, Democrats, Moderates and Independents must muster the "courage of our convictions” AND participate in OUR Democracy! Loudly and with the passion of our collective beliefs in America’s ideals!
Our VISION of America is as valid as these tea baggers! And WE are on the “right” side of history! (Pun intended)