Is the (tea) party over? Mainstream GOP turns back far right

Washington (CNN) -- Establishment Republicans, backed by business-friendly outside groups, launched a counter-offensive this year against conservative Senate challengers after two election cycles of hard-right candidates winning GOP primaries but losing in November.

Republicans need to flip six seats this year to win back the majority and don't want the same scenario to play out again. The tea party's scorecard this year is far different than in 2010 and 2012, when it knocked off several establishment-backed candidates.

It's too early to say if the party's over, but as Stuart Rothenberg of the non-partisan Rothenberg Political Report wrote earlier this month, "it's already clear that the pragmatist conservatives have stopped the anti-establishment's electoral momentum."

CNN

So far this years run up to the mid term elections have the establishment GOP winning over tea Party candidates. We watched time and time again in both 2010 and more so in 2012 tea party candidates win over establishment GOP candidates only to lose against Democrats. I have viewed the tea party kinda like Ross Perot, taking votes away from the main stream GOP in general elections.

Too many tea party elected officials jump the shark and lend there support to fast for situations that develop across the nation, like Rand Paul supporting the Bundy joke of a situation. There catch phrase on Rinos isn't being spread around like it once was.

There politics of obstructionism isn't going to win many elections as so far most of the elections they have won was against GOP opponents. Now we have Koch brothers money vs. GOP establishment money.

Guess main street republicans are sick of having to cater to the tea party elected officials in everyday politics so there is a huge push to eliminate them from the equation.

I don't think tea party candidates can beat democrats in general elections, and the taint of the tp movement is going to make it very difficult for the GOP to win against democrats as well.

It should be a interesting election cycle for sure.

One of the biggest victories the mainstream Republicans have had (with the help of the main stream media) is painting libertarians as 'far right', and mixing libertarians in with the 'tea party' as a whole.
Nothing could be further from the truth.

a reply to: LDragonFire

Best quote from the source:

It's too early to say if the party's over, but as Stuart Rothenberg of the non-partisan Rothenberg Political Report wrote earlier this month, "it's already clear that the pragmatist conservatives have stopped the anti-establishment's electoral momentum.

In other words, we can't say anything for sure, but we found this guy who thinks its the case. I just love when news organizations try to declare victory or defeat for a party before anything definitive is known.

originally posted by: butcherguy
One of the biggest victories the mainstream Republicans have had (with the help of the main stream media) is painting libertarians as 'far right', and mixing libertarians in with the 'tea party' as a whole.
Nothing could be further from the truth.

I love this. Somehow the 'tea' folk are both reckless small-gov libertarians and religious zealots who want war against [women, Iran, children, science].

Seems it's just become the generic all-purpose Boogeyman for whatever they need whenever they need it.

a reply to: LDragonFire
Sounds to me like typical CNN liberal wishful thinking.
The article itself says 'it's too early' to know.

IMHO - both the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street started out as good grass roots groups that could have helped America. The Tea Party was hijacked by the far Christian right. The OWS was hijacked by Soros and big left wing $$. Now the Tea Party is not what it started out being and OWS was crushed under the weight of Soros money. The Tea Party is still alive, but different. OWS is dead.

They are tying to kill them off with stories like this. The seed of doubt. An ape scratches its head.

Yea, just forget ever seeing anything remotely constitutional, anti tax, anti crony capitalist or socialist and of the people change anything.

As soon as I read:

but as Stuart Rothenberg of the non-partisan Rothenberg Political Report wrote earlier this month

I knew it was BS. If there were such a thing as a non-partisan political organization, CNN wouldn't be covering them.

a reply to: FlyersFan

I didn't see OWS crushed by anyone's money, I saw it crushed under a policeman's boot.

originally posted by: butcherguy
One of the biggest victories the mainstream Republicans have had (with the help of the main stream media) is painting libertarians as 'far right', and mixing libertarians in with the 'tea party' as a whole.
Nothing could be further from the truth.

Main stream media didn't have to paint them as anything, they did to themselves.

Tea party will perish as people evolve and get out of the cult mentality.

Just need time.

I read about this a couple of months ago:

www.macleans.ca...

a reply to: LDragonFire

You know what is funny, and sad at the same time. That you and other Progressives live in this fantasy world where you truly believe that your opinions and statements rule to opposition.

CNN is your source for telling "Ring Wingers" what is and what should be??

Now that is too funny.

I really don't see people of the Tea Party telling Progressives how they should act or govern. Don't really see where you guys get off thinking this for others.



And again, CNN as your source??

a reply to: LDragonFire

The Tea Party, on the whole, had some very good intentions at its start.
Once the radicals began to shout louder than the rest, they got all the attention and the basic message was left out.
Small government and low taxes are not bad ideas, it is how they are accomplished which is the hard part.
It is better to work within a system to bring about changes than to tear it down just to make a point.
Actually, moderation is the key, and there is no better moderator than time.
It took time for us to get into the mess we now see, it will take time to set things right.
It didn't all start a few years ago with the election of one man and it will not be fixed in a few weeks with the election of someone else.

a reply to: thisguyrighthere

lol true.

It came to a point where the hardcore right uses communism, the Mao/Stalin to scare people into doing(or not doing) something they don't agree with, now the hardcore left has the "evil tea partier and their associates" want to start war, kill certain children, invade countries, establish a religious government.

Only way to win votes!

originally posted by: LDragonFire

originally posted by: butcherguy
One of the biggest victories the mainstream Republicans have had (with the help of the main stream media) is painting libertarians as 'far right', and mixing libertarians in with the 'tea party' as a whole.
Nothing could be further from the truth.

Main stream media didn't have to paint them as anything, they did to themselves.

You are saying that Libertarians painted themselves as 'right wing'?

originally posted by: butcherguy
One of the biggest victories the mainstream Republicans have had (with the help of the main stream media) is painting libertarians as 'far right', and mixing libertarians in with the 'tea party' as a whole.
Nothing could be further from the truth.

One of the other things they've hidden is the natural coalition, on many issues, between small "L" libertarians and the left wing. I'm speaking of people genuinely on the left. Not corporatist Dems who toss around such labels about themselves.

a reply to: LDragonFire

5 key primaries to watch

Washington (CNN) -- It's one of the busiest days in this year's primary calendar.

Six states from coast to coast hold primaries on Tuesday, and again anti-establishment candidates face long odds in high-profile Republican showdowns.

Since its birth in 2009, the tea party has had a number of primary successes, with victorious challenges from the right producing major headlines for the movement.

But they've also given the party plenty of headaches and hurt its chances of winning back the Senate, effectively costing the GOP five winnable elections over the last two cycles.

CNN

So we have today as a good indication of how it will go this year for the tea party. We will see if your stars ring true.

a reply to: macman

Right, the tea party never called anyone a RINO? So its only the GOP your forcing them how to act or govern? Forcing them to all be conservative....

It would be nice if the Tea Party was a real third party and not an in party movement.

I'm all for more political parties getting on any ballot or elected office no matter my dislike for some of their core beliefs. The only way to break our political deadlock is multiple third parties with real money backing.

No matter if the Tea Party is over or not the Democrats will make sure to paint every member of the GOP who has had even just a photo op as one of them. For most of America the Tea Party is repulsive and GOP would love to purge it from eveyones memories during any national elections. This is a scenrio where the "liberals" would love to see the Tea Party stay active and continue to lets its loudest nuttiest members continue to make public statements that the general voting public see as disgusting. The GOP would like to put the Tea Party in the closet and let it operate in the few places it has supporters but, keep it completely out of the national spot light.