The Tea Partyers are just a fringe group...right?

Wrong:

www.huffingtonpost.com...

Tea Partiers are not a fringe phenomenon. The political views of those who identify with Tea Partiers from a distance and those who are actively engaged in the movement are very similar. From the perspective of Tea Party detractors, the sympathizers are for the most part as extreme as are actual Tea Party organizers and participants.

And there are plenty of those sympathizers. While people who are official members of Tea Party organizations and those who attend Tea Parties are relatively few, those who are generally sympathetic to their cause are many. In fact, taken together, these three groups comprise 47% of likely voters according to our latest survey. Senator Scott Brown's assertion that he could not win with a mere support of the Tea Party Movement misses this larger point: Tea Party activists can elect few people but Tea Party supporters can elect many more and winning without at least some of the Tea Party sympathetic vote is, at the present moment, a tall order.

This is written by John Zogby... a very mainstream pollster.

Don't be surprised if these Jim Crow supporting, Sarah Palin loving Republicans are elected in a town near you.. and soon.

Underestimating their influence (as the majority here are currently) will mean you're gonna be in for a nasty surprise... and soon.

If you're a conservative, make sure you know who you're ACTUALLY voting for... if you're a Democrat, make sure you vote.

Which?

The tea party is fractioned into 2 groups

1) the old tea party (Tea Party) original group that has been around for ages...they are basically a bipartisan group demanding the government stop wreckless spending and start taking seriously the debt. They were very active and critical during the bush years and got almost no coverage.

2) the new tea party (Tea baggers)...aka, the anti-obama party that hijacked the tea party in name only. They are simply robots for whatever fox news tells them to believe in.

I identify with the first group, which makes me a tea party sympathiser. I laugh at the tea baggers and their transparent nonsense they are told to spout.

I would love to see multiple parties arise and gain a foothold....what I would really like to see is a constitutional convention to change out system over to a true parliamentary system with the president being a figurehead with the governing prime minister elected from the majority party ruling....with of course votes of no confidence etc.

Ain't gonna happen though. And the tea party hasn't the internal strength to last.

The tea party has a very limited future for one very real reason...to date they have offered no solutions...nothing except whining and gripping. ya can't run a party on that. And while it seems to be working for the GOP right now, sooner or later they are going to have to offer solutions and more specifically new solutions...as it is they seem stuck on the same old same old and that is not going to work anymore in the years to come. Regardless of cutting spending etc...there are going to have to be tax increases or the whole system will fall apart.

In all reality that is what the push to reform health care is all about...an attempt to control costs before it gets out of hand. We are talking social security...medicare and medicaid here folks. If the costs are not reigned in it runs the risk of bringing the whole system down...and if the Democrats had had any real balls they would have said this right out...and Obama would have used the bully pulpit to push the issue instead of trying to stay above the foray.

These are the core issues behind almost everything that is happening but the politicos just don't wanna talk about it because they want to get reelected and they think that if they are straight with the people they won't be.

The tea party has no clue about all of this...nor does the right wing...so they have no real solutions and as such are little more than bluster and self absorbed whining.

The GOP and the Democrats know the score...but both are too spineless to bite the bullet and face the issue...

and the result of this is we are screwed.

No sarah palin and the tea party will not be riding to the rescue.

reply to post by seethelight


Wow, it is amazing the HuffPo allowed that to be put on there site. Just admitting that people are fed up with the government is a huge step for Arriana. Must have been a pretty interesting meeting when discussing this piece.

Now, what I find interesting is the parts of the article that point out ways to takeover or to try to include the TPM. What the author does not realize the "Populist" move by either the President or the Repubs will only piss off the movement. You can see that by the disdain most of the TPM has for the Palin and Repub move to do a National Convention in their name. What the hell was that?

Anyway, this article is the exact proof that I need to show that both the Dems and the Repubs are attempting to either derail or incorporate the movement. Both parties want the status quo which is corruption, mismanagement, cronyism, corporatism, and elitism.

Would it not be nice if we the people could just rid ourselves of the sock puppets (Dems Repubs) and their bankster/mega corp masters.

I have a dream.

The endisnighe!

Don't get reliable news from the Huffington Post, it's not a real newspaper. Now I see why the democrats keep getting on the bus every election. Use multiple news sources and do the homework. Then make the informed vote. Look what voting for the well spoken pretty guy got us into.

Like faux news is a credible source? ROTFLMAO!!!

Ariana Huffington has never been a strict liberal...she is a political gladfly...in the early mid 90's she was a supporter and cheerleader for newt the gingrich. She has been a strong supporter of Obama's but that is changing...but as it stands she is not embracing the GOP or tea party.

reply to post by iMacFanatic


You have to look at all the news sources and then the internet. Also you need to get as much info from the source.

People like you that continue to spout off about Fox and people like Beck are falling for the propaganda I am sorry to say.

For your info, I even watch Ed and Rachel. I still cannot watch Olbermann, that guy gives me the heebee jeebees.

Keep drinking the koolaid (one source decision making), and you will continue to be misinformed.

Maybe you should in your comment put a reply to or something to indicate WHO you are talking to.

Deny ignorance and arrogance.

The endisnighe.

They've been talking about the Tea Part on the MSM lately more and more to be honest. If you pound anything into the minds of Idiot America, they eventually begin to gain some interest.

reply to post by endisnighe

You make a lot of assumptions about me...someone you do not know. Cute...but very wrong in all counts.

reply to post by iMacFanatic


Well, it is hard not to when all you did was attack a source of information.

Or are you suggesting something else when Fox news was never brought up at all in the conversation.

Kind of sounds like the new RACE CARD.

When people talk about something and then someone chimes in-

You mean Fox or FAUX news, of shows someones inclination, or do you want to prove me wrong?

Yes I made an assumption, and I am making a new buzzword right now.

Pulled that FAUX CARD pretty quick didn't you?

I think the majority of the original tea party thinkers have long since distanced themselves from the hijacked movement.

It was actually Independants, Constitutionalists, and Libertarians, and other political moderates,who got it rolling. It had so much power that the Republicans and mainstream media were quickly put on the job to take over the anti-taxation movement and derail it. (My observations)

Now look where it is...the top Republicans can walk in and say "Im a Tea Partier". (Wolf in sheep clothing)

It's a great shame. But who can say they are surprised by such nasty tactics? The mainstream media and the political establishment will do anything to protect the IRS and the Fed. (The boat started rocking)

Go look up some of the oldest threads on ATS and other websites that first mention Tea Party ideas. You can research and find a lot.

Although I admit I do not know the exact person who came up with the idea and first suggested it, nor the early chain of events, I think my generalizations should be more accurate than the gross disinformation/misinformation spread by the mainstream media. They are actually pretty unreliable so I just don't trust their track record for getting things right. They are very bias this is for sure.

People on ATS may seem like they have commercial/ulterior/establishment agendas, but it is actually somewhat rare 10-15% tops (85% only have personal agendas rather than ulterior). The majority of people are sincere and do not even consider lying. People spill their beans on the Internet lol.

So go check out early threads on ATS to find the truth about the Tea Party's early intentions.

Keywords to search for:
1)Tea Party
2) Fed
3) Ron Paul
4) IRS
5) Fractional Reserve Banking

Look for stuff 3+ years old.

If you find anything good please share I'd love to learn more like I said I am just summarizing and giving my analysis of the more likely scenario based on my relative position of observation.

Just remember the media did indeed hijack the movement and cast it into a very negative stereotype once it got steam. This was directly due to the anti-income tax element.

FOX News started acting like they were "on the side of the Tea Party", which was misleading, because every other news organization used this to claim the Tea Party was a "Neo-conservative Republican" movement. The other connotations attached by the "liberal" media were "redneck, rascist, violent, terrorist" and in the traditional mean spirited manner, "patriot, constitution, liberty" were equated to these previously noted negative connotations. (Unfair dirty tactics)

If you already know these things than Good. This shows our society has memory, which is a great sign for the future. I am only posting this summery of events so that those who know nothing about the subject will see a in depth analysis for their own consumption.

Make of it what you will, like I said it's simply observations and I am open to any research that proves me wrong. Post it up and I will read it with an open mind. Anythings possible.

Point is, political moderates and Constitutionalist won't touch the "Tea Party" movement with a 100foot pole these days. It went mainstream "Republican". For God's sake Sarah Palin was giving the keynote speech, it is being undermined big time.

The funny part is, look how the political grassroots caused the establishment to scramble over a peaceful tax protest.

We the People underestimate our potential strength thats for sure.

Sorry for the Novel (3700 characters), but it was something that needs to be said so random readers who don't know much about the subject will be exposed to it.

Don't shoot the messenger, because he will ignore your bullets

Just making sure something absolutely ridiculous has ZERO percent chance of happening. I do not care how outrageous it sounds. Just....Just, read it. Be cautious and be vigilant.

Here you all go:

Not that I believe it, but I'd rather avoid it. Can't be too safe, can we?

reply to post by Fromabove


Foolish fool.

Poll shows strength of tea party in Iowa
iowaindependent.com...

Rasmussen Poll: Tea Party Beats GOP on Generic Three-Way Ballot
www.politicsdaily.com...

Of course, since the Tea Party IS the GOP, that's a kinda meaningless poll.

What these other polls do show though is that Zogby didn't just magic these numbers up for HuffPo.



And hey, look at this Obama bashing article:

Obama Finance Chair Linked To Subprime Industry:
www.huffingtonpost.com...

Yes, on HuffPo, and it's not the only critical article their, by a long shot.

You;re just used to your lockstep politics on the right.

On the left, we take EACH OTHER down.

In fact, that's exactly why Rahm used the word retarded in the first place, to attack LIBERALS for attacking OBAMA.

Get your # straight.

This is nothing new. Every so often someone new comes around that grabs the attention of the disenfranchised that in turn kicks off a grassroots movement. A few notable names that spring to mind:

Sarah Palin
Ron Paul
Ralph Nader
Ross Perot

This is not new territory. The only difference these days is the advent of technology which allows for the quick dissemination of rhetorical spin, news and information.

reply to post by endisnighe


Yeah, the constant mud-slinging against Fox News is getting a bit old... but keep in mind, this is a corporation that won a legal battle (that spun off from them crushing a story to appease Monsanto) that stated that they can report news that isn't true.

I dare say that the "Ugh! Huffington Post? That's a commie mag!" card is becoming played just as often as the Faux card. As far as I'm concerned, neither is legitimate news service and is simply the mouthpiece for their respective party.

[edit on 8-2-2010 by Someone336]

They are no longer fringe as the Republican Party and Fox news has hijacked the intention behind the tea party movement to support the war on terror and turn the movement into a patriot movement rather than a truly constitutional movement. This is why they are publicized. The message is now that of reformed neocons still bent on spending all the countries money on unsustainable wars to benefit corporations.

reply to post by Someone336


Yes, attacking the messenger has to stop.

Attack the message, otherwise it is just a obfuscation technique. Like I said, I want all the information from all sources and I will investigate the truth.

The Faux card and the Huff card should stay in the deck.

reply to post by endisnighe


Hey, you would be surprised about the left!

His eminency the Chomsk has made pretty much the same point a week ago or so. Don't be fooled by the DNC rhetoric, there is always a large discussion within grass-root democrats about wheter to hate the RW grass roots or find common ground with them (since they share many of their grievances while disagreeing on the solutions...)

article:

www.zmag.org...

[edit on 8-2-2010 by NichirasuKenshin]

Of course political parties, particularly the ones out of power, are going to try to hijack a movement with the kind of chops the teaparty has. They'd be fools not to try. If the GOP held the reins right now, it'd be the dems trying to hijack...remember the antiwar protests? Same thing...almost exactly. Protesting govt. actions.

Who cares. If we, as citizens, can't learn to tell the difference between ideologies, and choose the one that best suits us, well then we're doomed. I'm a supporter of the original idea behind the teaparty movement. Less govt. intrusion into our lives. Smaller govt. is better govt. If I can't get that, then I want a fiscally responsible govt. If the teaparty movement can help achieve that, it'll have my support. If I feel it can't, then it'll get no support from me. It's up to us.

reply to post by endisnighe


I agree. It takes careful analysis, comparisons from multiple sources (both domestic and abroad) and a study of people's reactions to the story to get to the real heart of the matter.

Just take a look at this link and check out each of the conglomerates on the left hand side. There is no boundary lines between these media monopolies, it's just one large beast with no goal other than profit.