Posted on 01/07/2012 10:12:20 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
I don't know what happened between November of 2010 and January of 2012, but from the looks of things the Tea Party died.
How else do you explain it?
Rewind to November of 2010, race after race, congressional seat after congressional seat, Governorship after Governorship. Only a little more than eighteen months after President Obama had packed the mall in Washington for his historic inaugural, the Tea Party held it's historic event in which nearly the same size audience had attended--according to maps supplied by the USA Today. That event catapulted a state by state tsunami-like momentum where grassroots, low tax, small government, pro-founding principles, pro-life, pro-national security, and pro-God forces aligned and an election victory of historic equivalence shook America in 2010.
The driving force of that agitation then as it is still today was the effect of a poor economy, government intervention, federal overreach, bureaucratic mandates, and punitive taxes on the nation's beleaguered small business community. Entitlements, bail-outs, and criminally reckless spending ensued.
The Tea Party believed that the buffoons authoring the mess should be dealt a blow. And in 2010 they leveled power in the Congress.
The single biggest example of this overreach was for Washington politicians, behind closed doors, with no transparency, to take a health care reform law--deem it as passed--and force upon the American people the worst piece of legislation to be passed since World War II. Little wonder that even the worst Vice President in our history, Joe Biden, used an expletive to describe it.
"Obamacare" as it would soon become monikered was and is at this very moment--in this election cycle--the singular most visible sign that this nation must take a different course.
Some very good people got elected in 2010 to attempt to help lay the groundwork for the complete repeal of Obamacare. Star-On-The-Rise Governor Nikki Haley in South Carolina, and Senator-soon-to-be-the-next-Vice-President Marco Rubio rode the shoulders of these Tea Party votes, and pledged with their victories to return power to the voice of "We The People." The failed candidacies of Sharron Angle and Christine O'Donnell were also propped up almost entirely by the support of these first amendment patriots who simply wished to keep government in check.
Former Governor Sarah Palin rallied these troops, showed up and helped them raise cash, enthusiasm, and enlistments. The numbers of the Tea Party were tens of thousands of times bigger than the largest Occupy Wall Street gatherings--combined!
Yet only a little over a year later and the goal of the Tea Party to complete it's work and overturn Obamacare is all but dead.
In 2010 even Ann Coulter was making speeches at CPAC warning that if we chose the candidate who had authored Obamacare to become the nominee, then President Obama would be easily re-elected. She was right of course.
But somewhere along the line instead of being bold, defiant, grassroots, and in control, someone started feeding voters the meme that the man who saw to it that $50 state-subsidized abortions were included in his vision of mandated government health care, was the best of poor choices.
Even Ann Coulter 2.0 drank the kool-aid.
Worse yet the choices that are left in the race are establishment folks who ate earmarks for a living in Pennsylvania, embraced government involvement in the biggest hoax of our time--man made Global Warming, and who could forget the man that as Governor of Massachusetts raised taxes on everything from gasoline to "certificates of blindness." (No it's real... Look it up.)
Your humble correspondant has detailed the easy path that Obama's forces will take to not merely defeat a Romney GOP candidacy, but to pummel him into tapioca.
And according to my sources, campaign strategists who consult for the Obama team confirmed, they are getting the GOP candidate they most want.
I need to remind you that the win in Iowa meant strategically nothing. Those delegates will go to whoever the likely nominee is, and won't even be assigned until the convention. New Hampshire has a puny amount of delegate votes--but at least they will be genuine delegates. This year South Carolina is where the battle truly begins. South Carolina has more delegates than Iowa and New Hampshire combined and Tea Party strongholds from Virginia all the way around the coast to Texas are delegate rich battlegrounds.
The two biggest priorities for primary voters are to decide which candidate can make Washington DC as inconsequential to the life of the average American as possible, and who can challenge President Obama directly on the worst legislation of our time--Obamacare.
Mitt Romney has no track record that would point to being able to accomplish either of these. Even a small whiff of a challenge on Obamacare by Romney will be followed up with an Obama "thank you" note for writing it for him.
It is almost impossible to believe and violently sickening to accept that in light of the clear mandate of the Tea Party that the GOP stands on the cusp of returning to "establishmentism." (Imaginary word mine.) But it appears that for all the big talk, tens of thousands of local rallies, and the single largest non-inaugural event to ever occur on our nation's mall, the Tea Party has died.
Which is sad, for me personally, because I addressed those patriots, on that mall, that cloudy Washington DC day.
That first tea party in DC took place exactly three days after President Obama's joint session, where he had instructed his supporters on Obamacare to go "get in people's faces" if they disagreed with the policy. He told his critics that he was calling them out.
I remember bringing that little point to the attention of the close to 1.2 million gathered on the mall that afternoon. The chants of "Here we are, Here we are, Here we are" rang in my ears for days.
Sadly now I wonder, "Where'd we go?"
As someone who recently called Romney “evil” on this site, it’s grieves me to have to defend him.
The “$50 abortion” thing is half-true at best.
If we’re going to attack Romney for something that was covered by Massachusetts law for DECADES before he signed anything—something that, had he vetoed the whole bill would have been put right back in by the dem legislature—we’re admitting we haven’t enough REAL things to attack him on.
Look up the facts. Then attack Romney for all the actual stuff—don’t give him and his fans the excuse that his record is being distorted.
Never, I fear, at least not in my lifetime.
GB was not well received on FR, still takes a beating today. Just post something positive about him and you will see.
I don’t think so...
We Tea Party members are busy doing our homework on who to vote for down ticket. We will be at the voting box with bells on after learning who is available.
The Tea Party has no leader to be in the spotlight every day but we’re still pissed at both parties for the way they try to hijack or stop our movement.
And it's obvious why folks are feeling "despair". The Republican leadership of the House and Senate has totally failed to translate their strengthened position into any kind of meaningful action.
Largely, the deficiency is traceable to the GOP Senate leadership and members. More than once, they have cut the legs out from under the GOP House.
Yes, but don’t forget the fiasco with all the other candidates (including Paul and Cain) and the budget compromise with Obama. They didn’t abandon the GOP just because Coulter endorsed Romney, although that’s a very bad sign.
She had a crush on Chris Christie, who is just Romney with an eating problem. I love how they claim Gov. Christie is 300 lbs. I’m 360 and he’s nearly two of me!
No monthly meetings? I am in the bluest of blue cities and we DO have monthly meetings. Around August 2009 we decided that the rallys were fun and effective, but we meant business. We started training average people to be precinct captains, school board members, city council members, etc. As a result we won 80% of the open seats in all county-wide elections in 2010. Discount the Tea Party at your own peril.
I'm too tired to read to the end of the thread, but what you've said is true and also a tragedy.
We have the right person. We know who she is. We know she was preparing to run. We don't know who/what elitist/threat against her family finally prevailed.
As for me, I know beyond a doubt that our country lost the best chance we had when Sarah Palin couldn't (Not didn't, but couldn't) run.
I'm also too old to get over what we lost or hope in some other "one" - tho I'm trying. By the time "that person" comes, there won't be anything left to come to.
What a bunch of bull, pun definitely intended.
The way I read your fable, after allowing themselves to be driven to the butcher by the dealer, the bulls should now stand by and allow themselves to be slaughtered rather than make any sudden moves to save themselves.
Perhaps you are more clever than I am able to comprehend. Perhaps not.
The GOP never left. We just primaried some of their lousy candidates into oblivion in '10.
The Middle East will explode this year. Foreign, not national, events will drive the November election.
Tea Party is regrouping and focusing on local races. Challenge is that there is no single tea party org, some are pure constitutionalists, some libertarians, some GOP 2.0, some right to life and bulk are financial oriented and there are probably 101 other driving factors of some of the orgs.
Without a national spokesperson, unifying them at least in concept, it does appear to be withering.
Glenn Beck lost his platform, Sarah Palin backed a little out of the limelight to play a role as outside commentator, Michelle Bachmann faded, etc etc. No leader voice = no concept of unity.
Not sure though that we need unity at national level. The state legislatures and US House and US Senate races do not require national coordination, and that is where Tea Party activists can really shine.
My theory is vote out all incumbents regardless of party...the new guys cannot possibly be worse than the old ones.
No, the bulls should obviously move to save themselves. I agree, the alternative is illogical. Many of the candidates themselves have pointed out how there is no turning back from the consequences of this election.
But your interpretation may be my fault. When I did a "copy" on the fable, on this thread, I accidentally didn't copy the last line,
"And they refused to close ranks."
The point of the fable being that as a result of some of us Conservatives pointing out how many "similarities with liberals" (the butchers) a particular available Republican candidate (the Dealer) might have and using those similarities to argue against eventually closing ranks (and some even suggesting those who disagree are not conservative enough), Obama gets re-elected and does the political job on us all. Obviously not closing ranks is illogical, but then again they are farm raised "bulls".
The "complete" version is as follows:
A cattle dealer once drove some bulls to the slaughterhouse. And the butcher came with his sharp knife.
"Let us close ranks and jack up this executioner on our horns," suggested one of the bulls.
"If you please, in what way is the butcher any worse than the dealer who drove us hither with his cudgel?" replied the bulls."
"But we shall be able to attend to the dealer as well afterwards!"
"Nothing doing," replied the bulls firm in their principles, to the counselor. "You are trying, from the left, to shield our enemies -- you are a social-butcher yourself."
And they refused to close ranks.
I don’t think the Tea Party died. I think there’s a “wait and see” approach right now. Now is the time to speak with our votes!
The dems have in their ‘Mitt folder’ a virtual ton of damning points, both true and false which will grind Mitt into mulch in short order. We will be left with a quivering, unelectable boob who will lose at least 49 states.
We all must remember there is no “The Tea Party”. Anyone or entity that claims ownership of this grassroots conservative movement is not to be trusted.
It is true Tea Partiers have been quiet as far as street demonstrations go. But I see evidence of persistent Tea Party influence on a continuing basis. Fact: Tea Partiers have been loudly, albeit individually, declaiming Boehner, McConnell and the rest of the Washington RINO clowns. We’ve been loudly and persistently decrying the RINO-led/Demrat-controlled GOP and its support for RINO candidates. Who would deny that the legislative picture in Wash. would be much worse if it weren’t for Tea Partiers?
You all remember that a conservative won the first Iowa Caucus—Bachmann. The RINO candidates have never even achieved a lasting decisive advantage from the GOP/demrat push polls. The GOP’s favorite son—Romney(care)—won small while the conservative Santorum sharply advanced. I don’t see how his so-called loss can be described as anything but a win given GOP, demrat and media attempts to pretend he did not exist.
Everyone knows the Marxist Republic of NH will favor Romney. But I don’t think he’ll have a game changer result. Why: Because too many Americans are being negatively affected by the Usurping Marxist Onada’s policies. The GOP, demrats and media are desperately trying to persuade us that the economy is not at the top of everyone’s list. You believe that and I have a nice bridge to sell you.
SC is up next and already the push polling is making it look like Romney is invitable. Happening in Florida, too. Florida has been tepidly GOP for a number of election cycles now. But one thing is sure (IMHO) is that enough of Florida’s large senior population understands the Onadacare threat. If Romney manages a win in Florida it will be small. Again no game changer.
Through all this Santorum will continue to pick up steam. IMNO Newty and Perrywinkle are done. That means there will be a clear choicewill emerge—Romney or Santorum. Tea Partier’s will rally around Santorum. Real Tea Partiers will not support a RINO. It’s like saying “better Red than dead”.
Ask Ann Coulter, she’s the smartest person in the room.
Amen!
I’m not dead, just watching the candidates make fools of themselves. The election is a few months away.
I’m concerned about the suspension of habeas corpus and dismissal of the separation of powers.
just bidding my time.
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