Friday is the anniversary of Mr. Santelli’s call.
A year later, the Tea Party movement is still rather amorphous. So what is the Tea Party?
On February 19, 2009 Rick Santelli of CNBC called for a Chicago Tea Party as a protest to the Obama administration’s plans to prop up people unable to afford their mortgages.
A number of media outfits have been conducting opinion polls about the Tea Party in an attempt to define it. Pollsters are struggling with the impact of the Tea Party movement, and even the Republican Party is having trouble cozying up to it.
The original Boston Tea Party was a protest to a tax the American colonists were subject to, despite having no say in the implementation of the tax. The protest slogan of the Boston Tea Party was “No taxation without representation.”
Mr. Santelli’s original call was based on a boneheaded financial handling of America’s resources by the Obama administration. This original Tea Party movement was comprised largely of independents and libertarian types that wanted to reign in Congressional malfeasance. But Congress fueled the flame of Tea Party passions with the subsequent stimulus bill and health care reform debate. And since the Democrats chose to push through health care reform legislation and other significant bills without much support and input from the Republicans in Congress, the National Republican Party was able to attach itself to the Tea Party movement. What has resulted is essentially a three-step evolution of the Tea Party.
- Tea Party 1.0
The first iteration of the Tea Party is pretty narrowly defined as a taxpayer revolt. The early participants came from all corners of the American political spectrum, and they all knew that government was mishandling our money and, as a result, losing our trust. This movement was simply encapsulated by the acronym
Taxed
Enough
Already.
This early version of the TEA Party invited the traditional American libertarian sensibility to show itself in public and began to attract messages that went beyond the fiduciary responsibility of government taking us to the second stage of its evolution.
- Tea Party 2.0
The second iteration of the Tea Party developed because of Congress. The refusal to seriously work with the GOP, fueled the anger Tea Party 1.0 members and provided evidence to their claims, convincing a large swath of the politically non-aligned to join in the cacophony of voices opposed to greater government intervention in our lives. TP 1.0 exposed the limitations of government, and TP 2.0 caused the movement to really explode. So what TP 2.0 represents is the general distrust of government Americans have. Whether the Bush administration behaved badly or the Obama administration behaved badly did not matter. The health care reform debate exposed the influence of special interests in our legislative process. TP 2.0 comes close to the spirit of the original Boston Tea Party, with the sense that we are in fact under a “taxation without representation” regime.
- Tea Party 3.0
When the national GOP realized that they could capitalize on the general sense of distrust the American people had with the ruling class by reinforcing the fact that the ruling class was almost entirely Democrats, the effort was underway to co-opt the Tea Party movement. Republican candidates began parroting the messages of the Tea Party, the conservative talkers started targeting the discontent at the president and democrats directly, and the local GOP organizations started organizing around the idea of bashing Obama and the Democrats. TP 3.0 became ugly and, to a large degree, partisan. I believe we are at the beginning of the transition from TP 3.0 to something new as warnings abound for Tea Party groups (one from Constitution Party candidate, Chuck Baldwin; and one from liberal activist and writer, Jane Hamsher).
People that identify themselves with the Tea Party might associate themselves with any one of these three iterations: TP 1. 0 – the Taxed Enough Already folks, TP 2.0 – No Taxation Without Representation, or TP 3.0 – the Coup de’tat or the Republicanized Tea Party.
So what’s next?
There is a lot of evidence that there is a realization within the Tea Party movement that Tea Party 3.0 will lead to politics as usual. Tea Party 2.0 was clearly angry about politics as usual, and it was under 2.0 where the American people were most energized. The South Carolina Tea Party wants nothing to do with the GOP, in Nevada there is an effort to create a third party to challenge Harry Reid AND the GOP for the Senate. In Florida, the battle between Rubio and Crist is for the soul of the GOP. In Kentucky, Dr. Rand Paul is upsetting the plans of the GOP establishment in his run for Senate. In Texas, the “tea party” candidate, Debra Medina, is giving two establishment Republicans, Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison, quite a run.
Across this country there are countless others challenging the establishment GOP in primary races.
So what will Tea Party 4.0 look like?
It is up to the American people. The results of the ballot box will help determine the nature of Tea Party 4.0.
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Laura,
Thank you for you comments. I will file them under M
For moronic.
Jerry,
If you are a candidate who is similar to Medina in that your stance follows consitutional lines, then I wish you the best.
By the way, I commend you on your success at ignoring me. The best way to ignore me would be to NOT RESPOND…
I think I’ve touched a nerve…
Is that all you’ve got? More personal attacks? More personal drama?
I suppose that is all that’s left when there’s nothing left of substance for you to say…
Jerry,
“The success of the Tea Party will be dependent on its willingness to just keep hammering away, to keep offering up challengers to the establishment and to never stop pushing and educating. ”
I think you are on to something here. Everyone seems to think the tea party should be putting forth their OWN candidate. I don’t think that is necessarily the best option here. While many in this country thirst for a viable third party candidate I believe the tea party does it’s best work when in the face of establishment politicians. I want to see MORE little old grandma’s telling their representatives off. I want to see MORE doctors telling politicians that healthcare will ruin them. I believe the tea party serves best as the peoples voice. Besides, the electoral system pretty much makes it impossible for a third party candidate to succeed.
Laura,
I IGNORE what you say most of the time because I am not about to waste my time with an Ideologue who can’t even be bothered with another point of view. And since you can’t even keep the promises you make (i.e. your drama queen quitting of this site) I don’t see where I should. I don’t have to justify myself to someone who complains about the things she does herself. The attacking of the American public by you and several politicians over last summer only serves to show that it’s anyone BUT your sides policies that are to blame. Take some responsibility yourself, then I will consider the same. My parents paid off their home, have no credit card debt, paid off their car, AND STILL LOST $60,000 worth of value in their home. They don’t “deserve” it as you say. I have no credit card debt, no mortgage, and make my car payments. Yet somehow I am EXPECTED to bail out those who can’t handle their money? Go jump off a cliff with that and tell me how it works out. You cast a generic blanket over ALL of society and act as if YOU are better. Again it’s that “if only” fantasy the left holds. “If ONLY the public weren’t so greedy!” “If only the public could balance their checkbooks!” “If ONLY the public listened to what we said this wouldn’t have happened!”
COW PIES!!
If only YOU kept YOUR promises then we wouldn’t be having this discussion right now would we?
Erik,
Based on my observations and analysis, Scott Brown emerged as a Tea Party candidate before the Tea Party intelligentsia caught on to the GOP coup de’tat. But now they are aware. on Judge Napolitano’s Freedom Watch show, he and his guests have been hammering this point home for the past few days. I think Glenn beck’s radio program of February 12th really brought the reality home.
In Texas we have a true Tea Party candidate in Debra Medina. Whether she wins or not, her presence has dramatically changed the race as our incumbent governor is now trying to adopt her campaign elements into his own rhetoric.
The success of the Tea Party will be dependent on its willingness to just keep hammering away, to keep offering up challengers to the establishment and to never stop pushing and educating.
I am pushing with my own run for elective office. I may not win, but I will educate and my voice will be heard.
“The next evolution of the Tea Party is to kick the GOP out of its ranks or not.”
Don’t hold your breath. The Republican voters in Massachusetts had a golden opportunity to apply this principle by voting for Joe Kennedy. Whether he had a prayer to win is irrelevant. His stated stance on issues was the closest thing to what the Tea Partiers claimed to stand for all summer and into autumn. They had handed to them on a silver platter the chance to put their money where their mouths were. They could have voted their consciences and made a statement to the rest of the nation. However, the movement was hijacked by the GOP and, in the name of preventing a filibuster, most constituents simply showed up to vote down party lines and allowed big govt candidate Scott Brown to fill the void and continue Blue State biz as usual. It took less than 24 hours for Brown to stand at the podium and let Massachusetts Republicans realize that though he might be conservative for their state, he probably isn’t almost anywhere else.
My prediction for TP 4.0 (as if it means anything) is that fewer will show up in the TP 1.0 format and try to start over, but hopefully with a stronger core and with more backbone. Because to continue on the present course after being absorbed by one of the two major parties would demonstrate that we are back at square one and that everything the TPs were trying to accomplish – so they said – was for naught.
Again, read the link I provided. It’s all right there. There are plenty of people in the movement talking about armed insurrection. I couldn’t make that junk up…
Oh yeah, reading has already been shown to be something you are unwilling to do, so instead you go for the personal insults. That shows just how little you have to say of any value or substance.
I do not hate my fellow Amercians, but I am disappointed in them. I saw plenty of otherwise decent people do their fair share of contributing to the debt and housing crisis first hand. They refused to listen to anyone who tried to encourage them to be more responsible and sought out the people who told them what they wanted to hera. You see, they felt they were entitled to more. Before these otherwise good people start casting blame elsewhere, they need to take some of the responsibility for the current economic situation themselves. They are not totally to blame, but they are certainly not blameless by a long shot. Look at the stats- a large percentage of homes are in forclosure and even more with late pays of 30 days or more, a record number of delinquincies on other secured and unsecured debt, like cars and credit cards, people choosing to pay their CREDIT CARD BILL over their mortgage and a record number of bankruptcies, even after the tightening of laws. People choosing to just walk away from any home that is not their primary residence.
Funny thing about that- no one from the federal government made them sign for and use that credit card. No one from the Obama administration made them sign the cash out loan refi based on an inflated housing value that put them upside down. No politician made them sign that adjustible rate or interest-only mortgage for payments they could barely afford on more house than they needed. But the GOVERNMENT was to blame for all that? Please. The average price home was $225k at one point with the average American FAMILY with TWO wage earners was pulling in $55k a year. Add an average car payment of $400 a month. Add in hair, nails, dinners out several times a week, $4 lattes. Do the math- the average American was choosing to live irresponsibly and beyond their means. But it’s all the government’s fault? The average American had no part in it? If the government spent money it did not have, it was only representing what the average American was doing. And now that the house of cards has collapsed people are angry? And want Fed blood? Physician, heal thyself.
For those who did what they were supposed to, they are not in trouble. They didn’t overspend, they saved as they always do and they planned ahead for the future. But they are not nearly as common as you try to make it seem. We wouldn’t be here if they were.
Maybe you are one of these people who placed yourself in a tough spot by a lack of restraint, I don’t know. But your defensiveness begs the question. If you are, blaming the government is a temporary fix at best. Unless the average American learns how to handle their money and live within their needs, to be satisfied with what they have and can reasonably expect, we will be here again and then who’s fault will it be?
“Instead of looking in the mirror to their own contributions to the housing troubles, debt crisis and their own responsibility for the state of the elected officials in Washington (voter apathy, low voter turnout, one-issue campaigns, negative campaigning, selection by soundbite), they admittedly went looking for someone to blame.”
So let me get this straight. Someone who PAID their mortgage, had no credit debt, lost the value of their homes, is responsible for the failure? What a moron. Casting a blanked of responsibility over everyone but those who actually deserve it. But then again coming from someone who condones public harassment I’m not surprised. Why do you HATE your fellow Americans? Oh yeah… because they don’t agree with you. Look in the mirror yourself for a change and realize that your partisan slip is showing as usual. Since you can’t even keep your own promises. Like never returning to this site again according to your drama queen send off article.
“The Tea Party 4.0 threatens to be an armed insurrection utilizing various militias, not all of whom operate under the kindest of motives.”
You’re mental. Up your dosage, change your meds. NO ONE HAS CONDONED ARMED INSURRECTION. Except for you trying to cast a false image of the public.
Thanks for the link to the article. I had read it, which is why I posted this article. They don’t understand the complete movement. The next evolution of the Tea Party is to kick the GOP out of its ranks or not.
Ronald Reagan is not a god to the Tea Party. Ronald Reagan is a god to the GOP. The key to understand is that the GOP is attempting to co-opt the Tea Party. If that happens it will be because the Tea Party movement has failed.
Another irony…Ronald Reagan is a god to this movement, yet taxes are lower now than they were under Reagan, as are interest rates.
Methinks that it’s the lack of fat and happy on the borrowed money of others- home equity based on the ability of buyers to get loans they shouldn’t have been able to get that sustained unrealistic property values, easy credit, leasing for cars that they really couldn’t afford, etc. Not all “handouts” that came out of the pockets of honest working folk went to the poor and destitute or came out of government coffers. Most came from less incidious and indirect ways. But none of the middle and upper middle class was crying then, since they were the recipients, along with the beneficiaries of lower real taxes with no corresponding reduction in spending.
Remember, it’s all the governments fault…
The Tea Party 4.0 threatens to be an armed insurrection utilizing various militias, not all of whom operate under the kindest of motives. Read this article I read just earlier today…
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35416483/ns/politics-the_new_york_times/
Apparently these people never heard the phrases “Be careful what you wish for” and “self-fulfilling prophecy”… Ironically, when the economy was good, these people couldn’t have cared less, by their own admission. Only when the economy bobbled did they start to look around for answers. Instead of looking in the mirror to their own contributions to the housing troubles, debt crisis and their own resp0nsibility for the state of the elected officials in Washington (voter apathy, low voter turnout, one-issue campaigns, negative campaigning, selection by soundbite), they admittedly went looking for someone to blame. When the economy settles down they will go back to being fat and happy again and leave their mess for the rest of us to clean up.
Thank God this group does not represent the majority of Americans, but greed, discontent and a need for a scapegoat other than themselves is driving far too many people to listen. If they stopped and thought for a moment, isn’t the same “New World Order” they so fear just the group to try to stir up chaos in order to mask what they are doing. Divide the country and pick up the peices on by one…
Are they right to fear? Possibly, but they need to take a good hard look, emloy logic over indignation and pay greater attention to who they truly should be fearing…