Posted on 06/24/2011 6:57:20 AM PDT by Hawk720
The anybody-but-Mitt Romney faction developing within the tea party may pose a problem for the former Massachusetts governor’s presidential ambitions, but some tea party organizers worry it could also backfire against the movement itself.
Romney, the current Republican front runner, is viewed skeptically – at best – by many tea partiers. And disagreement over whether to actively oppose him threatens to undo the uneasy truces forged in the run-up to the 2010 midterms and undermine the fledgling movement’s influence in the GOP.
The possibility of Romney winning the nomination is even reviving debate about whether activists should embrace, or even form, a third party – an idea that until recently had been dismissed as harmful to both the movement and the GOP.
“I honestly don’t know whether the movement will perform well” in the presidential election, said Mark Meckler, co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots, a national coalition of local groups. “I don’t think anybody is looking for a third party candidate, but anybody who would count out that possibility, I just think is ignorant.”
Another tea party leader, Matt Kibbe, president of FreedomWorks, describes the presidential election as a potential “Achilles heel” for the movement, which arose in 2009 in opposition to what its activists saw as unchecked government spending and expansion under President Barack Obama.
“Our power comes from the fact that we’re not dependent on anybody to be the leader,” Kibbe told POLITICO, conceding the tea party’s diffuse and decentralized nature may be better suited to congressional races than presidential politics.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
Our national committees take no donations, and I’m not paid. We’re entirely grassroots. So, you have your facts wrong, as usual.
You don’t have to play hall monitor. I’ve been here more than a decade, and most folks know exactly who I am. Those who don’t can find out right on my homepage.
By the way, I am a republican. Will be until the day I die.
The facts that I posted are correct, you weren’t quoting me.
You made it clear that you operating from the shadows is going to continue, which seems sleazy to me when your tag line could so easily let people here know that you are at work, and posting against Palin, and all Republican President candidates as a political professional.
You are the Party Chairman of your own political party that will be running against Governor Palin.
The Presidential election of 1976 was lost in one county in Ohio.
Well, on the bright side, it all led to two terms of Ronald Reagan. Sure was painful though. Really painful.
If anyone is acting like a party hack here, it’s you.
No, they weren't. Totally twisted and distorted.
You really don’t like to be outed as a professional do you.
You are an actual Party Chairman, it seems tacky for you to be attacking regular people as “party hacks”.
Who is your party running for 2012?
What a load of BS.
I “outed” myself on FR more than a decade ago, when I first signed up. I’ve never hidden my identity here, ever.
I don’t see your real name and links to your political associations on your homepage. Seems kinda hypocritical.
Which fact are you claiming is wrong?
Remember, this is the pre-election time for opinion and polling surveys. These calls are commissioned and financed by an abundance of candidates. Many big political decisions are based on the results of these surveys. The telephoner is making tallys of the reception and answers he gets while he is talking to you.
If I get a call overtly or subtly relating to Romney I will patiently listen to the pitch....and then let the phoner have my unabashed opinion.....in a nice way, of course. The phoners are merely college students, housewives and the like making a few extra pesos as callers.
It's vitally important we exert our collective influence on these telephone surveys.....otherwise, we lose a tally mark plus we forfeit our opinion on Romney to others....and this is not a good idea.
Leni
You don’t see that because I am just a regular Joe, you are a political professional advancing your party which you Chair, and your party’s candidate, while attacking Governor Palin and all GOP Presidential candidates, while hiding that you are actually at work.
I think that if the Republican Party Chairman, or the Democrat Party Chairman tried that, that they would make sure that we all knew who they were, and that they would be open and forthcoming, and probably less hostile, but then they would not have to be outed repeatedly.
I’m not claiming any facts are wrong, since you didn’t present facts. You presented twisted lies, as you have done repeatedly concerning me over many, many months.
Your repeated trollish personal attacks grow tiresome.
A little reminder for ya, again:
Welcome to Free Republic!
Free Republic is the premier online gathering place for independent, grass-roots conservatism on the web. We're working to roll back decades of governmental largesse, to root out political fraud and corruption, and to champion causes which further conservatism in America. And we always have fun doing it. Hoo-yah!
"No, they weren't. Totally twisted and distorted."
My facts are all correct. Even the Democrat Chairwoman would not be as hostile as you are being, she would own up to her leadership position, and why she was posting against Palin and Bachmann on this Romney thread. We would be well aware that she officially represents an opposition candidate and party.
Why wouldn’t I be hostile? You’ve been attacking me personally and lying about me over and over again on thread after thread after thread for more than a year. You think I’m going to give you a hug?
Try being a little more honest.
I am a lifelong independent and I am not challenging you posting, I merely want you to make it front and center that you are actually a party official, and an actual Party Chairman, and that you are posting as a professional, doing his party’s work to advance your candidate, who will be running against the GOP, and against Governor Palin and Bachmann.
There's your problem. You're under the illusion that this is a Republican Party website.
You are hostile when identified as a Party Chairman, care to share with me a lie that I have told about you, on “thread after thread”?
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