THE TEA PARTY RISES UP AGAINST AMNESTY

Powerline ^ | 07/01/2013 | Paul Mirengoff

[SeekAndFind]

It took a while, but the Tea Party movement seems now to be in full cry against amnesty-style immigration reform. The cry isn’t unanimous but, according to this article in Politico, it’s overwhelming:

Activists are promising to spend the congressional recess reminding lawmakers who support the Gang of Eight legislation what the base is capable of. Think loud town halls, jammed phone lines and primary challenges down the road — echoes of Obamacare three years ago.

“The anger is more intense now than it was in 2010,” said Judson Phillips, founder of Tea Party Nation. “They are more upset about the amnesty bill than they were about Obamacare.”

That last statement sounds like an exaggeration. But no Republican legislators supported Obamacare, so there was no cause for anger against incumbent Republicans in 2010 on that score. Even so, the Tea Party took down several prominent Republican legislators over financial bail-out related issues.

I wouldn’t be surprised if many in the Tea Party are as upset about “bailing out” 11 million or more lawbreakers as they were about bailing out troubled financial institutions.

In any event, House Republicans have little incentive to find out. As Politico notes, as a result of the cynical creation of safe congressional districts for Black and Hispanic members, most Republican members represent districts with few Hispanics. And virtually all Republican members were elected in 2012, a year of extremely high minority turnout.

Perhaps the best evidence of Tea Party anger is the letter (rather cloying, I thought) that the movement’s former darling Marco Rubio recently wrote to “conservatives and Tea Party” activists.

The letter begins, “Over the last few days, I have received numerous emails and calls from conservatives and Tea Party activists from across the country regarding immigration.” That key words are “over the last few days.” They show that, although the outrage of the conservative base was slow to develop — in part, I think, because key Fox News shows initially didn’t much air the anti-amnesty side and, unlike Team Amnesty, that side lacked the resources to advertise on Fox — it has now arrived.

Congress might still enact amnesty-style reform. But I’m more optimistic now that it won’t than I was a week or two ago.

[Waryone]

Can you think of anything the republicans have “put the kabosh to”? Can you think of any subject where the republicans haven’t given in? Even though the Ayottes and the Rubios are TEA party republicans, they have either become co-opted liberaltarians like Ayotte or they are stealth liberals like Rubio.

Texas did do a good job with Ted Cruz.

Just as a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Solving these problems has to start by taking care of what we have in front of us to do. We can pay absolutely no attention to them when they tell us we have to vote for them because they think we have no where else to go. We can throw these clowns out of office in the primaries and stop believing them when they say they didn’t mean it, they’ll be good and vote conservative if we just vote them back into office.

I try not to fault people for attempting to do something and not succeeding. I find fault with those who give up or don’t even try. Many GOPe republicans not only don’t they try, they join the other side. The TEA parties are the only ones letting the GOPe know that is not acceptable.

[wku man]

"For all its bluster and fury, the Tea Party has failed to stop ANY of the Obama agenda."

The Tea Party definitely slowed the Obammunist agenda with the a** whupping it helped deliver in 2010. It was only when, for whatever reason, the Tea Party went "behind the scenes" that it lost its effectiveness. The Tea Party's power came from being loud, being visible, being out in the streets and on the local news TV screens. Unless it (we) returns to the streets, the Tea Party will continue to be a footnote.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[SZonian]

A little thing that had to do with help from 0’s friends at the IRS comes to mind...

[Lakeshark]

It was only when, for whatever reason, the Tea Party went "behind the scenes" that it lost its effectiveness

Really? You don't understand what the IRS and the audits did? Really? You sdon't understand what the democrat/media comples did to the TEA party? Really?

[Tzimisce]

The Tea Party didn’t kill the gun bill.

If they had that kind of leverage in the Senate, they would have used it to kill the Amnesty bill.

[Tzimisce]

Okay: list some things the Tea Party has done so far.

Taxes are up.
Government growth is up.
Obamacare is still in effect.

Am I missing something? What has the Tea Party accomplished?

The Tea Party COULD do something if it wanted too.

But for some reason, it won’t.

[Tzimisce]

Slowed?

Well what good is that?

[dixiechick2000]

In 2010, the TEA Party put the brakes on Obama’s unbridled socialism.

They were, then, thwarted by Obama’s government.........unlawfully.

[dixiechick2000]

The Republicans knew about the Obama government’s unlawful dealings with the TEA Party, but did nothing about it.

They feel just as threatened as the dems do.......and rightly so.

[justa-hairyape]

Can you think of anything the Tea Party derailed? I can’t.

Do you still have a gun ?

[wku man]

Of course I understand the IRS harassment, and the bullsh*t accusations against us by the media...I was there.

I purposefully avoided getting into that because some people out there can't seem to accept that it's not one or the other that caused the Tea Party to go underground, but both. My point is that in order to be effective, the Tea Party needs to get back out in the streets and get loud. Getting into an argument over semantics, which we're so good at here on FReep, is counterproductive.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[wku man]

"Well what good is that?"

I couldn't say it better than justa-hairyape did...you still have your gun, don't you? Thank the Tea Party and the drubbing they delivered in the 2010 elections for slowing the Obammunist agenda.

That said, you and I agree that the Tea Party needs to find its collective spine and come back out of the shadows. Its (our) strength always was that we were loud, motivated, and in the streets.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[Lakeshark]

No prob, I was just pointing out the obvious: Bambi used the organs of the state and the media to neutralize the TEA party, there was no “whatever reason” to it, they did what all good totalitarians do, they took out their opposition and did not allow it free voice.

[Tzimisce]

The defeat of the gun bill had nothing to do with the Tea Party.

If the Tea Party had that much clout in the Senate, we wouldn’t even be talking about Amnesty.

I don’t know why the gun bill was defeated in the Senate. I don’t think anyone else is all that sure either - but it wasn’t the Tea Party.

[wku man]

"I don’t know why the gun bill was defeated in the Senate. I don’t think anyone else is all that sure either - but it wasn’t the Tea Party."

That sounds a lot like the atheists saying they don't know what caused life to emerge on Earth, but they know it wasn't God's doing. Lame.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[Tzimisce]

You know, if I was a liberal I’d be laughing and pissing in your face too.

While you’re sitting on your ass being the smartest person in the room, the left’s taking over.

Think about that while you’re on your high horse.

[wku man]

You just want to get in a fight with someone, don't you? Take it elsewhere, Chuckles, 'cause I have better things to do with my time than babysit a toddler having a tantrum.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[justa-hairyape]

You say you do not know why the gun bill was defeated, but then you say the Tea Party had nothing to do with it. You contradict yourself. You either know or you do not know. You cannot do both.

[dixiechick2000]

” I couldn’t say it better than justa-hairyape did...you still have your gun, don’t you? Thank the Tea Party and the drubbing they delivered in the 2010 elections for slowing the Obammunist agenda.”

Actually, Obamacare was the reason for the 2010 drubbing.

“That said, you and I agree that the Tea Party needs to find its collective spine and come back out of the shadows. Its (our) strength always was that we were loud, motivated, and in the streets.”

It’s not a “spine” that the TEA Party needs. It’s the 501c4 designation...which the IRS did not give, and STILL has not given.

The progressive groups who requested 501c4 designations sailed through...not so the TEA Party requests.

They are still persona non grata.

[wku man]

"Actually, Obamacare was the reason for the 2010 drubbing."

Says you. Others I have talked with said it was the porkulus. Others said it was cap and tax. Yet others said it was increasing gas and food prices. In truth, it was probably all of those reasons and more. Let's quit arguing semantics and start focusing on defeating those who are pushing all of those agendas, eh?

"It’s not a “spine” that the TEA Party needs. It’s the 501c4 designation...which the IRS did not give, and STILL has not given.

The progressive groups who requested 501c4 designations sailed through...not so the TEA Party requests."

So? The deck is stacked against us...what else is new? Is anyone really surprised the IRS is being used to shut us up? Are we going to use that as an excuse to just stop fighting? To cower in the shadows, like the pants-wetting Pubbies in Congress do whenever a real fight is at hand? Are we going to let our enemies determine how we respond to their attacks?

I'm sure glad our military hasn't had that mindset over the years..."Gee, General Bradley, the Germans aren't attacking where we thought they would, so I recommend we retreat until they do." Or, how about, "Gee, General MacArthur, Tokyo Rose is calling us racists, so maybe we should stop all attacks and go behind the scenes, because we sure don't want them to think we're racist." Sheesh...are we not going to fight because our contributions to the cause aren't tax deductible? Are we really going to sit down and shut up because our enemies are saying bad things about us? If that's what's stopping us from getting mean with these dictators, then we deserve whatever tyranny they impose upon us.

The Tea Party (and We The Sheeple in general) needs to grow a spine, and come out of the shadows. Just because our enemies aren't fighting fair is no reason for us to strike the tents and go home. It means we need to fight even harder, protest even louder, march even further in the streets, hold even more rallies, make even more calls to Congress, and yes, donate money even if it's not deductible!

Or we can just keep on coming home from work, yelling at O'Reilly for an hour, then going on FReep and arguing whether the parting is on the left, or the parting is on the right.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!