IS THE "TEA PARTY" REALLY A POPULIST MOVEMENT?

Considering the fact that it costs around $150 Million to run a presidential campaign the idea that a grass roots movement can happen is a long shot. Actually, our current president is probably the closest thing to that happening. Obama had a lot of money from a lot of small contributors. That's one thing that pisses me off - we put up with Bush for 8 years and now all I hear is this ' we are going to take back our govt!'. Yeah, right. You had it for 8 years, so shut up and give us a chance.

It's my belief that President Obama does not have a chance. There is a huge and widespread misinformation campaign against him that most people willingly believe.

It's too bad, because I think he is doing the right things for our country, the general population, maybe not those in high places though.

The Tea Party is a sham that plays on people's emotions and ignorance. Show me one statement by Ms. Palin where she exhibits any depth of knowledge about any current issue.

2 Replies

@IRFRANK,

Quote:

Considering the fact that it costs around $150 Million to run a presidential campaign

Says who? Doing an old style campaign with lots of media buys and consultants and ten stops a day probably costs that much, but who says all that is required?

1 Reply

@IRFRANK,

IRFRANK wrote:

Considering the fact that it costs around $150 Million to run a presidential campaign the idea that a grass roots movement can happen is a long shot. Actually, our current president is probably the closest thing to that happening. Obama had a lot of money from a lot of small contributors. That's one thing that pisses me off - we put up with Bush for 8 years and now all I hear is this ' we are going to take back our govt!'. Yeah, right. You had it for 8 years, so shut up and give us a chance.

Who are "you" and "us" in this statement? If "you" means Republicans/Conservatives and "us" means "Dems/Liberals" then I disagree.

GWB was the Great Disappointment of conservatism. He redefined the Republican Party (his own words) to represent the Christian Right. He got his marching orders from God and his blessings from folks like Pat Robertson. He threw fiscal conservatism out the window and focused on his "crusade". His first election was the election of no choice - which is why it was as close as it was and came down to a Supreme Court ruling. His reelection was based on fear, as was the ridiculous (JTT has other adjectives, I'm sure) invasion of Iraq. GWB did not in any way represent historical conservatism.

Obama was not elected solely by Dems/Liberals. He carried the moderate/independent vote by a wide margin. He's pissing off the liberals by not being liberal enough and he's pissing off some of the mod/indie types for not being forceful enough in delivering what he said he'd deliver. Many of those traditional conservatives/moderates/independents started the tea party movement. Unfortunately, that message has been usurped by those who think GWB didn't go far enough in bringing their myopic version of God to Washington.

Quote:

It's my belief that President Obama does not have a chance. There is a huge and widespread misinformation campaign against him that most people willingly believe.

It's too bad, because I think he is doing the right things for our country, the general population, maybe not those in high places though.

The Tea Party is a sham that plays on people's emotions and ignorance. Show me one statement by Ms. Palin where she exhibits any depth of knowledge about any current issue.

I agree with the rest of your post.

2 Replies

@hawkeye10,

hawkeye10 wrote:

Quote:
Considering the fact that it costs around $150 Million to run a presidential campaign
Says who? Doing an old style campaign with lots of media buys and consultants and ten stops a day probably costs that much, but who says all that is required?

Reality does. I don't know what data set you are looking at which says you don't need such things.

Cycloptichorn

0 Replies

@JPB,

Quote:

Obama was not elected solely by Dems/Liberals. He carried the moderate/independent vote by a wide margin. He's pissing off the liberals by not being liberal enough and he's pissing off some of the mod/indie types for not being forceful enough in delivering what he said he'd deliver. Many of those traditional conservatives/moderates/independents started the tea party movement. Unfortunately, that message has been usurped by those who think GWB didn't go far enough in bringing their myopic version of God to Washington.

What's really compounding the problem is that the Republican party has been very effective in slowing and stopping business in the Senate. There are something like 400 bills which passed the House, more than half with unanimous consent, which can't even get a vote in the Senate.

Unless you pay attention to politics, it's not easy to tell that it is the stiff opposition which is holding up a lot of the business. It just looks like Obama not getting it done.

Cycloptichorn

3 Replies

@JPB,

ho are "you" and "us" in this statement? If "you" means Republicans/Conservatives and "us" means "Dems/Liberals" then I disagree.

GWB was the Great Disappointment of conservatism. He redefined the Republican Party (his own words) to represent the Christian Right. He got his marching orders from God and his blessings from folks like Pat Robertson. He threw fiscal conservatism out the window and focused on his "crusade". His first election was the election of no choice - which is why it was as close as it was and came down to a Supreme Court ruling. His reelection was based on fear, as was the ridiculous (JTT has other adjectives, I'm sure) invasion of Iraq. GWB did not in any way represent historical conservatism.

Hmmm... I thought Gore was a better choice. So did as many people as voted for Bush, maybe more. I honestly think we would have been better off with Gore. Bush II may not have been your choice, but he was your party's choice. I agree, fear had a lot to do with both elections.

--------------------------
Obama was not elected solely by Dems/Liberals. He carried the moderate/independent vote by a wide margin. He's pissing off the liberals by not being liberal enough and he's pissing off some of the mod/indie types for not being forceful enough in delivering what he said he'd deliver. Many of those traditional conservatives/moderates/independents started the tea party movement. Unfortunately, that message has been usurped by those who think GWB didn't go far enough in bringing their myopic version of God to Washington.

I agree, the fringes have much too strong of a voice. It's what gets noticed, and reported upon. People get sucked in by a 'feels right' message that has no substance, like Palin.

---------------------------

You make a good point about the easy "us" vs "them" trap I fell into. It doesn't help to define things that way. I just get really angry about the vast misinformation and lies I see all to often. It's starting campaign season here in upstate Carolina and the political ads are disgusting. I need to turn the TV off.

1 Reply

@Cycloptichorn,

I agree, cyclo, which is why I hate the two party system that we have today. It's about games, power, and control. They aren't there to represent the people. They're there for themselves and their parties.

0 Replies

@hawkeye10,

Quote:

No, most people don't want to put that much time and effort onto figuring out the ramifications of proposed policy that is never going to happen because it is going to get a complete rewrite by the corporate henchmen, AKA the lobbyists, before it ever gets passed

1.) Most -- or, at least, a significant number of -- people think it is a virtue to ignore politics and to be centrist, which is where many of our "independents" come from and why there are swings from left to right.
2.) Most people are too busy working since real wages have been the same for 80% of the population for more than 30 years.
3.) The real criminals are the lobbyists who represent those who have deprived the American worker of his wages for more than 30 years.

1 Reply

@IRFRANK,

IRFRANK wrote:

Hmmm... I thought Gore was a better choice. So did as many people as voted for Bush, maybe more. I honestly think we would have been better off with Gore. Bush II may not have been your choice, but he was your party's choice. I agree, fear had a lot to do with both elections.

I don't have a party, hunni, and I didn't vote for George. It was a damn bitter pill to swallow but, as much as I thought he was a nimcompoop, I voted for Al -- only because I knew it was going to be a close vote and I had to do whatever I could (one small vote) to keep Bush2 out of the White House.

1 Reply

@Cycloptichorn,

What's really compounding the problem is that the Republican party has been very effective in slowing and stopping business in the Senate. There are something like 400 bills which passed the House, more than half with unanimous consent, which can't even get a vote in the Senate.

Unless you pay attention to politics, it's not easy to tell that it is the stiff opposition which is holding up a lot of the business. It just looks like Obama not getting it done.

Cycloptichorn

Right. But try that logic on a "Tea Partier".

1 Reply

@msolga,

I think that "people" believe sarah palin in one of them -- despite hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of clothes from Saks and six inch heels -- because she has been packaged that way. People in America believe what is on the wrappers of the premade foods they buy. palin is just another box of corn flakes.

0 Replies

@plainoldme,

3.) The real criminals are the lobbyists who represent those who have deprived the American worker of his wages for more than 30 years.

The criminals are the politicians who take their money and serve their needs.

0 Replies

@IRFRANK,

Quote:

Right. But try that logic on a "Tea Partier".

That's like trying to kick a mule. Never gets what you want.

These guys don't care about logic, they care about emotion. It is emotion that drives them, not a careful study of the issues. You can't argue with them, because they just disengage the moment you begin to reveal their cognitive dissonance and illogical positions.

Cycloptichorn

0 Replies

@Setanta,

I am so glad to see you agree that we have not had a truly liberal president since Carter. Clinton was, at best, a centrist Democrat . . . although I have a different idea of what centrist means than most. Obama is no liberal.

1 Reply

let's be a little more honest here folks, Obama and the Dems are every bit as much in the pockets of "big money" as are the Repubs.

1 Reply

@dyslexia,

dyslexia wrote:

let's be a little more honest here folks, Obama and the Dems are every bit as much in the pockets of "big money" as are the Repubs.

Oh, I think it's fair to say 'slightly less.' A simple examination of the money streams shows that they flow with far less impedance to Republican causes.

Cycloptichorn

1 Reply

@farmerman,

I entertained the thought that the now famous "witch date" was a lie, something to make a splash on Maher's program.

I have been criticized here for my work history and the campaign I have run to eliminate ageism in the work force. I have been accused of collecting welfare, which, shows that the accusers know nothing about welfare. But, I do work, sometimes up to three jobs at a time. That said, I don't think o'donnell works. Nor do I think she looks for work or attempts to earn a living but rather that she founds questionable organizations, such as The SALT, with cute acronyms and manages to find people Maher who can use a bimbo from time-to-time as comic relief on his tv now-defunct tv show.

Besides, anyone who thinks o'donnell actually matriculated at Oxford deserves to have her as Senator.

1 Reply

@plainoldme,

Slick Willy Clinton is a classic conservative Democrat. I knew of him in Arkansas when i lived in Southern Illinois, long before he made it to the White House. My grandparents were conservative Democrats--and my grandfather was the precinct committeeman. I can spot 'em a mile off. Look at DOMA--Clinton was appealing to his base--rural, conservative Democrats and black Democrats. He correctly judged that what he lost among the left wing of the party wouldn't hurt him.

1 Reply

@Cycloptichorn,

Quote:

What's really compounding the problem is that the Republican party has been very effective in slowing and stopping business in the Senate

See Bob Cesca in The Huffington Post, 29 September 2010.

0 Replies

@Setanta,

I tend to forget about DOMA but I haven't forgot about Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell, which is another conservative tactic.

What really bothers me about DOMA and Don't is that they fly in the face of the claim that some conservatives make of favoring personal liberty.

(The only redeeming aspect to Don't-Ask is that it seems to be a step toward eliminating prejudice and prosecution of gays in the military. It is just is taking too long. Compromise can be grueling.)

I think that too many of our famous righties here deny that there are conservative Democrats. The most vocal of that group, ican and okie, never acknowledge that there are such people.

1 Reply

IS THE "TEA PARTY" REALLY A POPULIST MOVEMENT?

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