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Michigan Primaries a Tea Party Failure?
Michigan Capitol Confidential ^ | 8/12/2010 | Jack McHugh

Posted on 08/13/2010 6:11:59 AM PDT by MichCapCon

A number of pundits here and nationally have pointed to recent primary results as evidence that the Tea Party movement is ineffective or a failure. These analyses are flawed, because they are based on a conventional Republican vs. Democrat electoral politics worldview. This misses the Tea Party’s rejection of the entire ruling class establishment, including the major political parties as currently constituted...

(Excerpt) Read more at michigancapitolconfidential.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; History; Politics
KEYWORDS: elections; michigan; teaparty
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1 posted on 08/13/2010 6:12:02 AM PDT by MichCapCon
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To: MichCapCon; cripplecreek; MaryFromMichigan; PGalt; magslinger; grellis; Kieri; Darren McCarty; ...

MI ping


2 posted on 08/13/2010 6:12:42 AM PDT by MichCapCon
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To: MichCapCon

Spin; outright lying; and race, income and gender baiting are the only arrows left in the the Marxist quiver.


3 posted on 08/13/2010 6:15:22 AM PDT by dools007
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To: MichCapCon

3 of my 5 votes went the way I wanted them to. I qualify that as a success.


4 posted on 08/13/2010 6:15:22 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Remember the River Raisin! (look it up))
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To: MichCapCon
because they are based on a conventional Republican vs. Democrat electoral politics worldview. This misses the Tea Party’s rejection of the entire ruling class establishment, including the major political parties as currently constituted...

If that's the case, then why is it that the majority of self-identified Tea Partiers are registered Republicans?

5 posted on 08/13/2010 6:24:27 AM PDT by Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus (The success of Darwinism was accompanied by a decline in scientific integrity. - Dr. Wm R. Thompson)
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To: MichCapCon
We had three solid conservatives who split the vote. Mike Bouchard should have dropped out as it has been obvious for the past month that he couldn't win.

Now Michigan has the choice between Jennifer Granholm's third term or the second coming of Bill Milliken. We lose either way.

6 posted on 08/13/2010 6:25:08 AM PDT by bwc2221
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To: MichCapCon
I haven't made up my mind as to whether the recent primaries represent a "Tea Party Failure" or a failure of the GOP to CLOSE THE PRIMARIES.

Yes, I'm shouting again. I am a registered Independent, and I am asking the GOP to close the primaries. Either close them, or find a way to winnow down the choices before the actual open primary vote. Or, have some kind of rule that the nominee must obtain 51% of the vote, or face a run-off.

I am very leery of Synder, and I sincerely believe that crossover Dems were responsible for his win, not Republicans. (Or conservative-libertarian minded independents ;)

7 posted on 08/13/2010 6:26:25 AM PDT by MaggieCarta (I'm never fully dressed without a snark.)
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To: cripplecreek

Been reading this crap. Megan Kelly asking if Palin should stay out of the primaries.

Palin’s candidates are usually dark horses. She instills some enthusiasm for them, people who perhaps would stay out home and not vote, come out and vote...So instead of one candidate with no competition we have two, and a bigger turn out.

In short the Tea Party and Palin endorsements is bringing more conservatives into the game, and more likely that they will vote in September.

These people are scared to death about what might happen.

If Feingold, Reid and Boxer lose then we take over the Senate.

I’m not expecting anything, but right now this might be the biggest route in history in the making.

Keep blaming George BUsh yo @ holes...


8 posted on 08/13/2010 6:28:17 AM PDT by nikos1121 (Parying today for a new house and senate that is conservative)
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To: Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus

Sounds like someone else is attempting to set the parameters more to their liking. The tea partiers can’t be forced into a specific mold.

I suspect most regular folks type tea partiers see the nomination of former GOP congressman and “career politician”, Tim Walberg as a good thing.


9 posted on 08/13/2010 6:54:40 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Remember the River Raisin! (look it up))
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To: MaggieCarta
I live in OH, but am currently in AZ where there are multiple GOP candidates for several offices. I'm hearing the ads. I'm just not seeing a lot of tinkering or maneuvering by non-Republicans. Rather, I see EVERYONE attempting to portray himself as the "most conservative" person in the race. It's difficult for me---an outsider who nevertheless watches politics closely---to figure out who indeed is the "most conservative" among these candidates.

What I see as the most significant message is that EVERYONE IS RUNNING AS A CONSERVATIVE, EVEN THE DEMS. This needs to be the message. If Obamaism is so great, why is NO ONE running on it?

10 posted on 08/13/2010 7:01:07 AM PDT by LS ("Castles made of sand, fall in the sea . . . eventually." (Hendrix))
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To: MichCapCon

Michigane is a frakin’ rat hole, literally. All one needs to do is look at Detroit to see the future of the nation under the libtard and progressive Dems........ =.=


11 posted on 08/13/2010 7:02:36 AM PDT by cranked
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To: MichCapCon

Where the Tea Party dies, so dies the local govt.


12 posted on 08/13/2010 7:06:56 AM PDT by paulycy (Restore Constitutionality: Marxism is Evil.)
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To: MichCapCon

The first tea parties were held on April 15, 2009. So the movement has been around for only some 16 months. *ANY* victory the Tea Party has so soon against the long-established, corrupt Democrat and GOP parties is impressive.


13 posted on 08/13/2010 7:11:00 AM PDT by kevao
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To: cranked

Saved me from posting something quite similar. Thanks.

LLS


14 posted on 08/13/2010 7:12:43 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (WOLVERINES!)
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To: cripplecreek; MichCapCon; All
Sounds like someone else is attempting to set the parameters more to their liking. The tea partiers can’t be forced into a specific mold.

I suspect most regular folks type tea partiers see the nomination of former GOP congressman and “career politician”, Tim Walberg as a good thing.

Yes, and those are exactly the points I've been trying to make here on FR for months!

Who are Tea Partiers? They are conservatives, for the most part, people who are concerned with the acute problems of spending, taxation, huge debt, etc., but who largely are also pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-gun, anti-illegal immigration, etc. (i.e. social conservatives) as well as supporting our troops and supporting a strong defence of the United States on the world scene (i.e. defence conservatives). The fiscal issues just happen the be the acute agonists for us at the moment, so that gets the most noise.

Tea Partiers are NOT, however, libertarians for the most part. Indeed, the trawling I've done on libertarian sites tends to suggest that hard-core libertarians, at least, tend to be contemptuous of Tea Partiers (for not going "far enough," for being foolish enough to think they can change the system through activism, for not supporting Ron Paul, etc. etc. etc.).

Survey after survey suggest that a little more than half of self-identified Tea Partiers are registered Republicans. A little less than half are independents who used to be Republicans. Only a very small (low single digits) minority are "true" independents and "conservative" Dimocrats.

Walberg is the perfect example of the short-sightedness of the "toss 'em ALL out" mentality. Look, if we do retake the Congress, we need people who know the ins and outs. I don't mean people who know how to scratch backs and deal with lobbyists, but I DO mean people who will understand how to use things like parliamentary procedure to our benefit. That's much easier to learn when you have some old conservative pros teaching you than when you're all a bunch of wet behind the ear young bucks.

Walberg is a solid conservative - regardless of whether he's been in Congress before or not. MOST of our representatives are actually solid conservatives. The problem is that 95% of the media time devoted to Republicans is given to the RINOs like McCain, Graham, and the Evil Twins from Maine. So, people (including a lot of FReepers) get it into their heads that, by gum, THAT is what the GOP is, THAT is what all Republicans are - even though this is NOT the case. But who here, who is not from these states, can name more than a handful of "unknown" Republican Congressmen from, say, Alabama or Utah or Illinois? Probably not very many - even though most of these guys are actually conservative and on our side.

I just can't jump onto the GOOOH anti-incumbency bandwagon. If somebody is an incumbent and is a solid conservative, I will support them. If they're a RINO, then primary them and get them out of there.

15 posted on 08/13/2010 7:18:41 AM PDT by Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus (The success of Darwinism was accompanied by a decline in scientific integrity. - Dr. Wm R. Thompson)
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To: bwc2221

There are few things in life more guaranteed to produce more disappointments than MI Republican primaries.


16 posted on 08/13/2010 7:19:14 AM PDT by Theodore R. (Rush was right when he said America may survive Obama but not the Obama supporters.)
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To: Theodore R.
Actually, Rocky - a conservative - beat out the party hack, who was endorsed by Brooks Patterson. Too many times we have 4 or more people in the primaries. It's time we started having runoff elections like the south. I doubt Rick Snyder would get any more votes in a runoff than he received in the primary.
17 posted on 08/13/2010 7:25:07 AM PDT by bwc2221
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To: Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus

I never bought into the “Vote out all incumbants” thing. It seems pretty foolish to punish the good with the bad.


18 posted on 08/13/2010 7:38:03 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Remember the River Raisin! (look it up))
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To: MichCapCon
Most voters don't follow the detailed public policy differences between the candidates, so Snyder's victory can be legitimately viewed as a Tea-Partyish selection of an "anyone but the political class" outsider.


In Vermont, this line of thinking played a big role in getting Bernie Sanders elected mayor of Burlington and then to the U.S. House seat from Vermont. I would guess that it also played a role in getting Obama elected as well. The Tea Parties certainly have an element of non-ideological populism, but I think that the bulk of the movement is committed to a principled position in favor of limited government.
19 posted on 08/13/2010 7:57:52 AM PDT by rob777
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To: LS
What I see as the most significant message is that EVERYONE IS RUNNING AS A CONSERVATIVE, EVEN THE DEMS. This needs to be the message. If Obamaism is so great, why is NO ONE running on it?

Exactly! Even the Dems are running away from him.

I suppose, then, the question becomes, "What, precisely do you mean by saying you are a 'Conservative'?"

Does it mean that you are all for "smaller government" ... uh, except when it comes to appeasing Sr Citizens (who vote in large numbers)-- then, Social Security and Medicare are untouchable "third rails". Or, you are for "smaller government"...um...except when it comes to farm subsidies ... auto bailouts...etc., etc.

Thanks for letting me babble, LS.

20 posted on 08/13/2010 8:01:08 AM PDT by MaggieCarta (I'm never fully dressed without a snark.)
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