Posted on 08/28/2012 5:23:35 PM PDT by upchuck
Is the tea party changing the Republican Party from the inside -- or selling out to the GOP?
As Republicans prepare to officially roll out Mitt Romney as their party's presidential nominee at the Republican National Convention this week, major tea party groups and figures have descended on Tampa, Florida, to schmooze with party bigwigs and rally for Romney.
But Romney's conservative credentials have long been viewed with suspicion by the movement. So it came as a surprise when, before at least one event, tea party organizers committed what some activists would consider heresy: seeking approval from establishment Republicans to rally.
All of it has opened up a once unthinkable charge: the movement that's rabble-roused and rocked the GOP establishment since 2009 is now too cozy with it.
"The top national groups have already sold out," said Judd Saul, a prominent Iowa activist associated with the Cedar Valley Tea Party. "They don't truly represent the grassroots."
"Even before the caucuses, these guys were all pushing for Romney even when the primaries were going on," Saul added.
"It's a pretty widespread (sentiment). A lot of activists have noticed that."
But presidential historian Douglas Brinkley doesn't see this phenomenon as anything new.
"I think it happens all the time in politics," said Brinkley, a political analyst and professor at Rice University. "The grassroots people are the people who are hypermotivated. They are people willing to go to rallies and hold bake sales and ... and they're always later kind of seen as auxiliary players once it gets to the main game when the elections come in the fall."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Maybe if you people quit squealing in hysteria because your candidate of choice did not get the nomination and started listening you might finally get a clue about what is going on in this campaign
But I know, so much easier to just keep squealing the same old slogans and ignorance based talking points then bothering to pry open you welded shut minds.
CNN’s concern for Conservative Tea Party and Republican Party members is touching. /s NOT!
Hey CNN, go [ expletive deleted ] yourself!
Try to remember a few months to a few years back when you were perfectly happy to convey the idea Tea Party members were terrorists.
I don't care.
“Grassroots” is term the MSM uses for the Paulers.
Spoken like a true “compassionate” conserv....please check your principles at the door.
As always during campaign season, the loudest squealing is coming from you, MNJohnnie. Do you really think this is effective, or is it just therapeutic for you? Either way, simmer down, you’re spittling up my iPad screen from the inside.
Nice answer.
We’ve been jelly in this country for so long people can’t even spell r-e-s-i-s-t-a-n-c-e. Busy stalling, putting it off, cooperatin’ and complyin’ in their own shake down, but talking pretty big against those whose rope just broke with the go along to get along crowd.
It's your vote. Waste it any way you want.
The thing that scares the big TWO Parties the most are political groups that are outside of the mainstream Party followers. I’m outside of the Party myself as an Independent, and I am damn proud of it. Parties, hacks, thieves, and corruption, have all become synonymous.
As a once very strong independent tea party supporter (my first post on FR dealt with it) there is a case to be made that the TP was hijacked by big money and global political interests. My interest was always advancing the USA, demanding a Congress that listens to average Americans, fiscal responsibility from government, and an end to our policeman of the world role unless we are fully paid for it by countries that benefit. I’m tired of putting world defense on American’s credit card.
MNJohnnie, if it weren’t so expected, I would find it rather depressing to see you so willing to carry the laundry of a person like Mitt Romney here.
I’m not looking forward to watching you defend every Leftist thing he does over the next four years, but I’m sure that’s exactly what I’m going to be treated to.
He is a Leftist. You can’t gloss over that. What he does will be Leftist all too often. And when you spend your time defending him on a Conservative forum, that means the voice of the Left is louder, and the voice of Conservatism is that much less.
Not a good prospect, if you truly desire to see Conservatism heralded, and advanced.
We’re about to have Conservatism’s voice muted AGAIN.
The same could be said for the opinion of someone who doesn't even know where we keep the towels, yet.
Federal Deficit 2006 $160 BILLION. (Last GOP controlled Congress and White House)
Federal Deficit 2010 $1.6 TRILLION (Last Democrat controlled Congress and White House)
Even YOU should be able to figure out the math. If you cannot, then stay home, you are too politically ignorant to be voting.
Today’s events have nothing to do with my preferred candidate winning or losing. So, go butt a shorter stump and try again.
Those Tea Pary Representatives we voted into Congress in 2010 gave us the NDAA and have not protested this president’s assumption of rule by decree. They have complained a little about what he did but not about his right to do it. It is accepted by Congress, including our Tea Party Congressmen that the President has the right to rule by Decree. Some of them just don’t like what he has done with those EOs, not his right to use them to sideline Congress. Congress has cooperated in cutting itself out of practical government. It is a fait accompli accepted by everyone in the political class. There is no turning back now. The next presidents, no matter who they may be will have that right, too. Once the presidency passes another election with that power intact it is irretrievable. To be a President is now to be Amerugo Chavez.
Oh, Johnnie Johnnie how very sad.
The only people squealing on FR are those who have abandoned their alleged conservative principles in favor if the GOPe liberal pick.
It’s one post after an other “suspended what you believe and follow us”.
So you go right on demanding and demanding that we follow you, just so you can feel better about yourself.
Sorry honey.
I stand by what I said in post #4, To the headline: don’t know about all so called conservatives but many of them on FR certainly have.
And just so you know, the description fits you to a T.
Are you people really this stupid? Have you not paid attention to a any thing O has done the last 3.5 years?
Couple of problems with that math, starting with TARP. You opposed the President on that one, I take it?
That was a courtesy ping as Johnnie mentioned you.
The R Party is a center-left party facing a far left L Party. The candidates are a relatively competent socialist manager(see Massachusetts)and a Left Revolutionary. In such a contest the Left wins and then loses to a Party or cabal even further left and so on. The Left works politically under the slogan and practice of no Enemies to the Left. Romney acts also under that slogan in publicly refusing to even say that the kenyan is anything other than a nice guy who just isn’t very good at being president.
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