[ansel12]

In 2010, the tea party was made up of social conservatives, more religious than the GOP, and with about half of them identifying as the “religious right”.

This article is bogus.

Survey | Religion and the Tea Party in the 2010 Elections
September 2010:
Nearly half (47%) also say they are part of the religious right or conservative Christian movement. Among the more than 8-in-10 (81%) who identify as Christian within the Tea Party movement, 57% also consider themselves part of the Christian conservative movement.

They are mostly social conservatives, not libertarians on social issues. Nearly two-thirds (63%) say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, and less than 1-in-5 (18%) support allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry.

[itsahoot]

Social issues were not part of the platform. In fact, Jenny Beth Martin, leader of the Tea Party Patriots told the New York Times, “When people ask about [social issues], we say, ‘Go get involved in other organizations that already deal with social issues very well.’ We have to be diligent and stay on message.”

Easy to understand when they post the answer to the problem. Libertarianism is ≠ to Conservatism, in fact it is easy to understand why Goldwater lost so badly.

[Biggirl]

Good news, the Dems will lose the USA Senate, that is a given.

[Smokin' Joe]

First, we have heard what the TEA party is from the MSM (who have been consistent about one thing--they got it wrong.)

Second, even the GOP has derided the TEA party as anything from marginal in influence to inconsequential--to the point many TEA party supported candidates have abandoned the principles that got them TEA party backing in the first place. (When you win and still can't make headway, a lot of people will wonder why put out the effort.)

The TEA party concept has been trashed by opponents and grabbed by those who would 'lead' a grassroots movement. While a grassroots movement might follow some natural leaders from within, the top-down arrangement doesn't work (except to funnel donations) to the people who would deem themselves leaders. That can be a turn-off, just another plea in an overstuffed inbox already full of donation requests.

Whether Adam and Steve were together or not wasn't a serious issue four years ago, so it came on the radar since then, along with court decisions forcing Christian Businesses to act against their beliefs to serve such arrangements or close shop.

I really doubt, despite the saturation campaign of the homos to get some sort of 'acceptance' that the polls accurately reflect the beliefs of the American people, but would wager that there are numerous biases inherent in the populations polled, the way the questions are asked, and the means of response.

Claiming social issues are the dividing factor only marginalizes the impact of the TEA party because it divides, at least in theory, people who realize that government waste is government waste, largesse is largesse, and failure to have a budget, much less balance one, is part of the problem.

Similarly, I'm not so sure the Abortion issue is such a split as the polls allegedly claim.

While those of us who disagree with the homosexual agenda or abortion find ourselves constantly under attack in the media, and in some instances people may be cowed against speaking up the homonazis, that would not cause people to stop pushing against spending more than the country can afford, especially wastefully.

There is no way to separate all the social issues from the fiscal ones, simply because the fiscal issues are related to the social ones. You can't spend public money supporting the abortion infrastructure or giving grants to organizations which funnel money into Planned Parenthood or require people to buy state approved insurance which funds abortions--and subsidize it with public dollars without entangling the issues.

While things have become more complex, it is difficult to avoid the fact that the IRS has been used to disfavor organizations which should have been nonprofit, and that the use of the IRS in that way also deters people from putting their name on the rolls for fear of being audited--a process which can be expensive and disruptive even if no wrong is ever found.

That disruption can kill a small business, wreck relations with vendors, and cost a family dearly.

So with the lawless regime in Washington, with every communication snooped, is it any wonder people are more quiet about their doings and beliefs?

Is it any wonder that there would be an appearance of lagging support?

It is there, just fewer people are talking loudly less the neogestapo are listening in.

[subterfuge]

A “Senior Fellow,” eh?

Bloviating under a false pretense. Wait until the masses see there tax returns this year and the next. Lets see how weak us Tea Party people are when obama death care starts denying care and those costs skyrocket int the stratosphere.

[odawg]

I think that the IRS has a different take on the Tea Party than the author of this pathetic article.

[ozarkgirl]

Good article and I agree, they need to stay on topic and the topic is Taxed Enough Already.

Let other groups deal with the social issues.

Tea Party is getting a bad rap by going off message.

[xrmusn]

At the risk of being called ‘anal’ it is NOT the

Tea Party

it is the TEA Party
Even in answers to this particular ‘hit’ piece, very few FReepers refer to it as TEA

Tea Party is Alice and the Mad Hatter sitting down to a spot of tea while RUINING the rest of the country.

Mad Hatter: Would you like a little more tea?
Alice: Well, I haven’t had any yet, so I can’t very well take more.
March Hare: Ah, you mean you can’t very well take less.
Mad Hatter: Yes. You can always take more than nothing.

See, ‘they’ look at Tea Party as in ref to the above chat.

Which definitely looks like true LIB SPEAK...

[lentulusgracchus]

[Article] The tea party has begun to look not like a broad-based coalition of economic conservatives but simply the most conservative wing of the Republican Party.

RiNO droppings.

First they tried to define conservatives out of the GOP. Now they're trying to define conservatives out of the Tea Party, by redefining the Tea Party to be the same thing as the "economic conservatives" that they once said were the real GOP conservatives.

Same bull, different day.

Meanwhile, the Democrats are still pounding social issues like there's no tomorrow -- they aren't afraid someone is going to call them a raciss, because they know the MSM RatMedia have their backs, and if anyone DOES call them, or prove that they are, racists, nobody will ever hear it. (Mark Halperin's boast/promise to Charlie Rose at the GOP National Convention 2012.)

Preclusive security -- the 'Rats have got each others' backs.

[Liberty Valance]

Navel gazing bull cookies.

[skeeter]

Arriving to the thread late, but gotta say this guy’s premise is pure unadulterated GOPe bullish*t.

[Darren McCarty]

The problem is that too many tea party groups, especially national groups are more about cults of personality, big fish in small ponds, consuluant fees, and running their mouths instead of getting things done.

[Mmmike]

“Occupy Wall Street” was staged by the demmunist/labor union L*ft to take the momentum away from Glenn Beck’s rally in Washington which followed on the heels of the early upsurge in the Tea Party movement.

[bert]

Lois Lerner is the reason. She destroyed the infrastructure.

Lois Lerner must be tried, convicted and executed for her crimes against the Republic.

[palmer]

But the Tea Party has drifted away from its strict economic-conservative origins. Yes, opposition to Obamacare and government spending remain priorities. But increasingly issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and immigration have become the tail that wags the dog.

That is true. Furthermore guess what is at the root of all these problems: federally funded abortion, federal gay benefits, federal government support of illegal immigration? Can anyone guess?

The primary root of all of our social problems is the expansion of the federal government.