So, how many of you are TEA Party members?

[JohnnyLoco]

And the backing of Ratcliffe over Ralph Hall shows the TEA party would rather align with a guy with no record then a guy with a proven TEA record.

So I take it you would rather have a Democrat win if a RINO or your ideal candidate is not nominated?

Sure, the Akins and McDonnels were not slick political operatives, but they weren't establishment and I can guarantee would be better than any Democrat or RINO. Certain TP candidates have not been schooled in the game of politics, this just shows they are normal.

I'm with Sapper in that it seems that most mainline conservatives are showing their true colors when push comes to shove and they are faced with the real change that the Tea Party movement represents. They would rather attack their potential allies and sabotage from within. This maintains status quo, big government, foreign wars, welfare, and massive debt.

 

[JohnnyLoco]

Ive been thinking about this thread a lot today and it just hit me. This thread is a pretty good snapshot of the problems the Tea Party faces. Right now it's a split of a split with multiple fractures.

There's one segment that are sign carrying, face painting, chanting, flag waving, rally attending chest thumpers who believe that if someone doesn't align exactly with their political opinions they must be politically retarded secret Democrats,

and another segment that distances themselves from the first segment because they make the movement look like a bunch of clowns.

There's a completely uninformed but vocal segment of followers and another segment of very informed but less vocal leaders.

There are some who try to make it a single issue platform or

and others who try to make it about so many issues that no one person can ever be exactly the right fit for a candidate;


There is no cohesion. Either you're too Tea Party or you're not Tea Party enough.

There's little to no organization which allows the nuttier more vocal unshaved, misspelled sign carrying crowd be the national face of the Party.

It's a mess and it's not going to get any better until all these groups can sit down, form a solid platform that addresses MOST of the concerns (No JimBob, bringing back snuff dipping in school probably isn't going to make the cut), and present the platform in a way that appeals to the fence voters, young voters and whether you like it or not, the Hispanic voters its pretty much going to be the same ole same ole that it is now.

And pre-vet the damn candidates! Geez.

And they might have more success if people like you would shut it and get the hell out of the way.

 

[TXARGUY]

And they might have more success if people like you would shut it and get the hell out of the way.

LOL Nice way of proving my point!

 

[JohnnyLoco]

But seriously, the speed which the TP movement gained momentum is impressive. Great gains have been made. No movement is without its flaws. I am for uniting the whole conservative movement so we can keep Texas red, stamp out the socialist Democrats, and scare the RINOs further towards the libertarian side.

 

[TXARGUY]

But seriously, the speed which the TP movement gained momentum is impressive. Great gains have been made. No movement is without its flaws. I am for uniting the whole conservative movement so we can keep Texas red, stamp out the socialist Democrats, and scare the RINOs further towards the libertarian side.

Agreed.

And Agreed.

 

[Vaquero]

No sense in scaring folks on purpose. "We fear that which we do not understand".
An eye opening education would suffice in most cases.

 

[Renegade]

So I take it you would rather have a Democrat win if a RINO or your ideal candidate is not nominated?.

I am not sure what your point is here or how you came to that conclusion. I do not care much about Democrat or Repblican I vote conservative. Many Texas Conservatives were Democrats at one time. Hall was one until 2004 even though he had a more conservative voting records than 98% of all Repubicans.

Hall was the stronger TEA Party candidate by far, not sure why the TEA Party did not endorse him. Rand Paul did.

 

[JohnnyLoco]

No sense in scaring folks on purpose. "We fear that which we do not understand".
An eye opening education would suffice in most cases.

And I think that goes to the previous point of Gohmert, Pete Sessions, and Herman Cain holding office before the Tea Party gained popularity. Maybe they saw the writing on the wall, maybe they joined the movement for their own gain.

Tea Party did not invent this ideology. It was present in Barry Goldwater, Milton Friedman, Ron Paul, Reagan, Bob Barr and other libertarians.

 

[JohnnyLoco]

I am not sure what your point is here or how you came to that conclusion. I do not care much about Democrat or Repblican I vote conservative. Many Texas Conservatives were Democrats at one time. Hall was one until 2004 even though he had a more conservative voting records than 98% of all Repubicans.

Hall was the stronger TEA Party candidate by far, not sure why the TEA Party did not endorse him. Rand Paul did.

I have to do a little more research on that race. I don't believe in letting one person or organization lay claim to Tea Partism or what it stands for. How many Tea Party groups have shown up in the last 4 years? "Tea Party" to me is only one piece of the puzzle.

 

[JohnnyLoco]

Ratcliffe says it’s not just about how long Hall’s been in office, but also about the choices he’s made. He’s criticized Hall on his voting record over his long tenure, including his votes to raise the federal debt limit, something of a tea party litmus test. Overall, Hall voted to raise the limit seven times between 1985 and 2005.Hall’s campaign said those votes were wrapped up in other legislation with overwhelming conservative support, such as the 1997 Balanced Budget Act.
“Ralph has said many times that the tea party is a megaphone for the problems in Washington,” said Hall’s campaign consultant, Ed Valentine. “Congressman Hall voted against President Bush’s bailout. He’s voted against Barack Obama’s bailout. He’s stood up to the Washington, D.C., leadership.”
Hall’s campaign says Ratcliffe has his own connections to Washington. Ratcliffe worked as a U.S. attorney under President George W. Bush and now works with a law firm run by former Attorney General John Ashcroft.
Hall’s campaign has seized on Ratcliffe’s connections to Ashcroft, saying the firm has deep connections to Washington lobbyists. Ratcliffe, who is not a registered lobbyist, denies that his work with the Ashcroft Group has anything to do with lobbying.

Ralph Hall, John Ratcliffe jockey for tea party support as runoff nears | Dallas Morning News

From the looks of what this article says, Hall has voted to increase the debt limit. I don't know where Ratcliffe is coming from, he may indeed be an establishment snake who is seizing upon this opportunity.

I'm sorry though, these guys like Hall and Lamar Smith who have lived in Congress for years and have done very little to change the direction of government spending have targets on their backs now, and for good reason. This was not a problem with Rep. Ron Paul. There can be no compromises now, when the country is on the brink of economic disaster, and these guys like Hall and Smith, or Cornyn, love to compromise, while they paint themselves as conservative.

 

[Texasjack]

I think a lot of people who support Tea Party candidates refuse to join the actual party and I think the reason is that they got really burned out on what happened with the Republican and Libertarian parties. The Republican "Old Guard" that still runs the party (think Sen. McCain) is just as sleazy as the Dem/Commiegrats. The Libertarians seem to attract some real whack jobs ("LSD for everybody!"). We'd rather support people who share our goals than link up to a party that might have a few broad platforms that are just marginally better than the opposition.

Yeah, I realize that it's hard - if not impossible - to get anything done in Washington (or Austin) if you don't have some cohesion. But I look at what's going on in D.C. and I think if the whole bunch slid off into the ocean we'd all be better off. SOMEBODY has to stand up for what's right and be willing to take the heat for having a real stand. Otherwise those lousy bastards are gonna shred the Constitution before the next major election.

 

[ROGER4314]

I owe no allegiance to any political party. I registered as a Republican but I will oppose any long term incumbent even if he/she is a Republican.

Flash

 

[TheDan]

The "Tea Party" is not a political party, but a grassroots movement to encourage both Republicans and Democrats to move more to the center.

+1
I'm not sure why it gets talked about like a third party. The potential for split votes only exists in the primaries where there will be a run off anyways. There will never be a tea party presidential candidate however because of the way presidential primaries work. The establishment can lock out whoever they don't like from the convention.

What we really need is to come up with something better than first past the post winners and just do away with our two party system

 

[NeckBeard]

I went to a Tea Party the other day.
Hosted by my 6 yr old granddaughter.
We had pretend tea and pretend homemade cookies.
Best cookies ever.

that's the only tea party i'd be involved with. she added some jack to my tea.

 

[Renegade]

I read today one of the TEA Party platforms is anti-incumbency even in the face of someone who is all in on Taxed Enough Already. Didn't know that but it explains Ralph Hall.

 

[Sapper740]

Really? This from a guy who uses Wikipedia as a reference source?

Simple disdain for a website is not evidence that it's contents are incorrect but if you have any concrete evidence that some of the politicians on that list are not affiliated with the TEA Party then I'll be pleased to look at it.

 

[Eddie Dean]

I am and have been for 5 years. How about the rest of you TGT members?

Nope.

 

[Sapper740]

Nope.

Vancouver has a very active OC group. Have you attended any of their rallies?

 

[Eddie Dean]

Vancouver has a very active OC group. Have you attended any of their rallies?

I have. I have also gone to OC events in Port Orchard. Good times for sure!

 

[TXARGUY]

Tea party goes after Cochran in Miss. GOP primary

http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=25676397