Posted on 10/27/2015 10:41:29 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
So the other day Dave Weigel tweeted: “So the Freedom Caucus, far from throwing the GOP into disarray, forced a significant upgrade in the speaker race. Ryan > McCarthy.” Weigel is completely correct about this, and Eric Cantor bitching about how unrealistic the Tea Party demands are is hilarious bonus awesome. How unrealistic are those demands? Because they’ve gotten a lot of them out of the party, even if they’ve been reluctant to accept them.
Gallup has a poll out today showing fewer Americans than ever identifying as members of the Tea Party. And that’s actually fine, because movements like these are temporary – they adapt and change over time, and are synthesized into the different parties.
Six years in, the legacy of the Tea Party is clear: it has dramatically shifted the Overton Window on expectations for policy within the Republican Party, fundamentally altering what can conceivably be achieved.
In 2010, the Tea Party primaried a bunch of Republicans against the wishes of the establishment. Frequently, and not without good reason, they were criticized and maligned for shooting the party in the foot. There are mitigating circumstances but still. Some of the candidates were kind of ridiculous.
But out of that ridiculousness came awesomeness. The Tea Party wave produced some of the best Republican politicians in a long time. The most interesting rising conservative stars at the moment are Ryan, Lee, Cruz, Rubio, and Paul – only one of whom truly comes from the pre-Tea Party era.
So what do these radicals do when they get into office? In 2011, they proposed the Cut Cap and Balance plan. It was absurd on its face, a crazy idea no one took seriously. But Republican leadership had no plan for anything. So what happened? The BCA! Which the Tea Party then OPPOSED! They do this time and again. The Tea Party made possible the most important fiscal victory in Washington in decades – and they didn’t like it!
There was a backlash of course. John Boehner decided he needed to bring the Republican Study Committee to heel, so he installed loyalist Steve Scalise – never realizing that in doing so, he was laying the foundation for the House Freedom Caucus that would seal his fate.
The Freedom Caucus, largely a Tea Party entity, started claiming scalps. They took down Boehner because he wouldn’t let Congress work the way it should, then they treated Kevin McCarthy like a sad clown. Then they put their weight behind a moderate, Daniel Webster, who no one had ever heard of. The end result is… Speaker Paul Ryan, which wasn’t supposed to be possible. And who does he choose as his new chief of staff? David Hoppe, a solid conservative with scars from a dozen prior battles.
What a difference from just a few years ago. Remember the first Ryan roadmap plan from back in 2008, the one that the whole GOP freaked out about and many moderates worried was going to ruin the party? The original sponsors were this obscure budget ranker and this nobody senator from South Carolina, who are now respectively the president of the Heritage Foundation and the Speaker of the House. And now the roadmap is pilloried as this horrible squish idea!
Conservatives may not like what Ryan’s speakership may bring, as Matt Lewis notes. But there is no question the Tea Party has now forced into office the most conservative and talented leading congressman of his generation. And again – they don’t really want him! He’s not good enough! Whenever they win it’s not enough, and that’s great!
The Tea Party has become this big, dumb, lumbering character from a Wodehouse story, who stumbles and complains and screws up at every turn… and yet somehow leaves previously unimaginable, almost impossibly positive change in its wake.
The Tea Party is Tommy Boy.
CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO...
I don’t know any fight which the tea party has won.
I got news for the GOPe, I live in Texas and if Ted Cruz doesn’t win the Presidential nomination, I can assure you we will be sending Ted back to the Senate for a long time.
“But there is no question the Tea Party has now forced into office the most conservative and talented leading congressman of his generation.”
Ryan can only be conservative if compare to Ted Kennedy, Obama or Reid.
We Tea Partiers won’t be happy until freedom and adherence to the U.S. Constitution (emphasizing the IX and X Amendments) are restored.
Sadly, that means we will never be happy in our lifetimes.
This is an interesting point.
I don’t like Ryan, don’t want him as speaker.
Yet, it is progress to get rid of Boner AND keep McCarthy out.
Ryan is better than either of those.
We just need to keep going.
If it is not to be Ryan, we need someone to step up quick who is better and wants to do it.
Ryan cannot have it so the right to call for a new speaker is discontinued.
Next is McConnell.
Dave Brat out of Virginia. Got rid of Eric Cantor. That was definitely a WIN!
“the most conservative and talented leading congressman of his generation”
That’s a silly comment. The bloom was off that rose a long time ago.
The writer is coming from a myopic mainstream or establishment view.
This is the sort of logic that says "Well they've slowed the train down, but they are still not happy."
No, the train is still going to hit with enough force to kill everyone on board, so no, we're not happy because it hasn't been slowed down enough.
“David Hoppe, a solid conservative with scars from a dozen prior battles...” Is this the same David Hoppe who was/is a lobbyist for the US Chamber of Commerce, an organization which pledge monies to destroy the ‘radical’ conservative base(Tea Party types) of the Republican Party??
“David Hoppe, a solid conservative with scars from a dozen prior battles...” Is this the same David Hoppe who was/is a lobbyist for the US Chamber of Commerce, an organization which pledge monies to destroy the ‘radical’ conservative base(Tea Party types) of the Republican Party??
Sorry about the double post. Received a warning regarding FR being infected by malware and attempted withdraw said comment. Instead a double post.....??
Yeah, I’ve been getting the malware “notices” all afternoon as well.
In real terms we lost on Obamma Care, we lost on Common Core, we lost on passing a fiscally responsible budget, we lost on the Keystone pipeline, unless laws are enforced we are losing on immigration, we have lost on holding the IRS accountable for unconstitutionally targeting us, we are lost on holding Erik Holder accountable for fast and furious, we will no doubt lose on holding Hillary accountable.
Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. -Winston Churchill
I agree. There are many victories to count, but they are almost entirely electoral. If the party had embraced the movement instead co-opting or removing it, we would be in a much better place. We have to celebrate the election of some much better Senators and House members as well a slew at the state level. Too bad our biggest opponent isn’t in the opposition party. WE are the opposition.
Indeed, if the tea party is winning ... wouldn't the government be half its size by now?
Defining Ryan as a TEA Party grade Conservative is nothing but spin as part of an effort to redefine the political spectrum.
Defining Ryan as a TEA Party grade Conservative moves foaming-at-the-mouth socialist/one-worlders like Obama and Hillary to the center.
Defining Ryan as a TEA Party grade Conservative is nothing but spin as part of an effort to redefine the political spectrum to the left.
If Ryan is a hard core conservative then foaming-at-the-mouth socialist/one-worlders like Obama and Hillary to the center.
Apologies for the double post.
That malware notice is screwing up my PC.
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