REPORT: Number Of Tea Party Events Down More Than 50 Percent In 2011

Source

A ThinkProgress investigation, however, shows a far different picture. Indeed, empirical evidence points to one conclusion: Tea Party activity has declined sharply thus far in 2011.

For this report, ThinkProgress examined the total number of events across the country listed on the Tea Party Patriots (TPP) and Americans for Prosperity (AFP) websites each month. We then compared the number of Tea Parties that occurred in 2010 with the number that took place in the first seven months of 2011.

The results were startling. For TPP, fewer than half the number of Tea Party events took place in the first seven months of 2011 compared to the same time period in 2010. Furthermore, while an average of 337 Tea Parties were held across the country each month of 2010, this year that number has dropped to just 166 events per month and continues to decline.

The real headline should read: GOP wins House, Tea Party collapses.

I know, I know, a 50% drop is nothing really. I mean it is like no big deal at all. Remember that every grassroots movement that is not dedicated to one party always falls by 50% in its number of events once a party wins back the House and takes control over the national political discourse. If you disagree with that, chances are you’re either a socialist or just not paying good enough attention.

Of course the Tea Party was not mostly a movement of angry Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents dedicated to electing Republicans to office across this country. It was purely non-partisan.

Now this is not to say there truly are people in the movement that are not truly dedicated to the cause of the original movement, do not forget the events fell by 50% not 100% so there still are people out there fighting for what they believe. But what this shows is that much, if not most, of the members in the movement were dedicated solely to the advancement of the GOP electorally.

they will be back in 12 once the corporate money gets back in and faux news rallys the troops.
Hard to hold those grassroots movements without the koch brothers funding them....got to focus mostly on the elections, don't worry about the policy creation moments, those aren't what the TPers are really about

Well, the hard fact is, the TEA PARTY was a very successful rebranding campaign.

The GOP was whooped and there was nowhere to go politically.

There was the Libertarian outpost which was not tarnished, there was a built in audience, name
and a very angry and confused public just as lost as the GOP.

If someone paid enough attention you could see the effort launch as it launched, I certainly noticed it.

FOX News went from a Neo Conservative organization to a Libertarian one very quickly. Glenn Beck
became very conspiratorial and started in with his presentation of false "history". Fox also provided
four or five different narratives about the new POTUS which could appeal to conservative sentiment.
Muslim, Black Panther, Gay, Illegal, Marxist - a flavor for all seasons

...So Beck (instrumental) started up with a false narrative about American Liberal's motives, while
other FOX agents, linked the POTUS (Obama) and Democrats to the concepts and players Glenn Beck
was busy painting up. Without any actual examples of principle to cite in the conservative corral; the
FOX/Conservative complex needed something that could serve as an alternative to the Evil Democrats
and the Beck inspired master plan they were unleashing (remember the GOP is screwed).

The Tea Party was born, GOP could duck into the party and claim to not be associated with the policies
of 2008 and the ensuing disaster, the two time president (who tons of people voted for) and the state of the economy, jobs and all.
It was a great campaign and strategy, hopefully when America elects Rick Perry, the 90% of GOP
who were actually "Libertarians" and against Bush, I mean Perry, will speak up this time

Misoir if you were ten years older you wouldn't buy the crap they sell, you would dig the ideas, but the
Application is really not the impression you seem to think IMO. The GOP are strong arm and they will
walk all over the opposition with ease, great warriors, piss poor practitioners

For one, the tea party is full of people who aren't really against ALL THINGS SOCIALISM. Many people who have let themselves become party of the tea party believe in SS, Medicare, and Medicaid.

And they sure as hell don't believe in cutting those programs so the rich can get another damned tax cut.

They push to far....they will pay for it!!!!

reply to post by Janky Red


Janky, in another thread you asked how conservatives "go to bat" many times for the "big guy". Growing up in the 1950-60s, I remember the Republican Party was known as the party of "big business" and there was a phrase, "Want to live like a Republican? Vote Democratic!"

Of course, my family had both registered Ds and Rs, (and back then voting across party lines was common) and certainly not every R I knew was a "have more". However, up until 1980, at which time the GOP saw their push to widen their voting base by taking in the Reagan Democrats come to fruition, the base of the Ds was the working person.

While the GOP used mainly social/religious issues to draw voters away for 1980, I saw many D's turn to the Rs over the economy, which the Rs never spelled out that their relief for high inflation was to create unemployment and keep wages low, which meant many working class loss jobs/wages. But, hey, as long as the Rs were fighting Godless Communists and Satan...and black criminals...and black welfare queens....and waving the flag and being "patriotic"....the newly created base was satisfied.

The GOP could still be the party of big business, which, especially after hitching their wagon to free trade, morphed into even bigger multinational business. The base could be fed whatever red meat the GOP and their church/media side dished out in order to get their base to line up at voting booths, in order to continue to put the GOP in power, where they could increasingly allow further corporate power to help make decisions in Washington.

(I will interject here that Bill Clinton came from the corporate wing of the Ds, and most people would be surprised to understand, unless they had read about Obama years before 2008, that he, too, was not the flaming Marxist the Rs made him out to be, but another corporate D.)

So, yes, the TPM was certainly taken over for the voting benefit of the GOP. But, hey, as long as there were terrorists and Marxists to fight...and gays to change and unborn to save...

reply to post by Misoir

Very simple.
2010 was an election year.
2011 isn't.
Most Tea Party people have JOBS. We have to work. Just wait until next year. We'll be saving our vacation time.

Most of the TPM members I know are just people that are embarrassed at being associated with Bush and his GOP neocon agenda of wars and preferential treatment of the rich.

Let's be honest....the TPM folks are republicans and in the long run will vote a straight GOP ticket; no matter the rhetoric and posturing as independent. Tea partyers would rather be struck blind than vote for a democrat.
A foolish and thin masquerade at best.

Originally posted by beezzer
reply to post by Misoir

 

Very simple.
2010 was an election year.
2011 isn't.
Most Tea Party people have JOBS. We have to work. Just wait until next year. We'll be saving our vacation time.

No, they are following the example of their leader and half-term governor by quitting.

edit: that was a little lowbrow of me beezer. My apologies.

reply to post by Count Chocula

Um, no.


Ew.

reply to post by Count Chocula


I have to say count I find this quite low. Out of respect for others here, why did you follow him to another site to dig up info. It is the same old ambush style politics both parties have used to destroy this country of mine.

I will give the concept that the tea party has become a sham that the neo cons used. I made a thread on it. Again people were used by TPTB.

I find the behavior demonstrated in your post very borderline. Attacking the poster and not the views to be equivalent to bullying and at best dirty politics.

It also irks me you associated mental illness very subtly with all beezers post and by extention anyone that shares what I personally consider misguided veiws. However having deal.t with many disabled vets who have PTSD, I find your treatment of the subject to be less then acceptable. You should be ashamed for your misuse of this particular disability as a weapon against someone and should apologize immediately.

I am very offended.

The main underlying theme of this thread to me echos as the same as mine...
tea party used by top
Tea party being abandoned by top now

I do not see where someone posting on another board about being disabled is relevent to the topic. Would you be so kind as to connect the dots before I report the post as what I see it as.

Thank you

reply to post by Misoir


I think you need to factor replacement events, i.e political rallys held by candidates. Its election season and many of these folks who were attending Tea Party are obviously politically engaged and are likely attending their fair share of those events, some of which are largely the same thing.

reply to post by ripcontrol

S'all right. It's not me. On that sight my user ID is Count Chocula.

Originally posted by ripcontrol
reply to post by Count Chocula

 

blah blah blah....

I am very offended.

...blah blah blah
Thank you

www.tampax.com





anyways

I didnt say it was beezer. I have been to a tea party rally and what i saw there struck me as extremely hypocritical, basically a bunch of elderly, overweight, pastey white folks who look like the poster children for a type 2 diabetes commercial.

Actually knowing most of those folks there I can honestly say at least half were on disability or social security.

The underlying theme of the modern republican/tea party seems to be SCREW YOU I GOT MINE.

Originally posted by beezzer
reply to post by Misoir

 

Very simple.
2010 was an election year.
2011 isn't.
Most Tea Party people have JOBS. We have to work. Just wait until next year. We'll be saving our vacation time.

How are you able, with a straight face, STILL pretend the 'tea party' is anything other than a rebranding of the same old NeoCon GOP?

Also, if all those Tea Partiers are working, as you claim, then the economy must have improved under Obama, because there were thousands of them unemployed(apparently, since they had time to drive to Washington and take part in a FOX news/DickArmey/FreedomWorks political rally) immediately after Bush' administration.

reply to post by beezzer

reply to post by Misoir

Very simple.
2010 was an election year.
2011 isn't.
Most Tea Party people have JOBS. We have to work. Just wait until next year. We'll be saving our vacation time.

Exactly! But you know those libs... always grasping at straws and interpreting everything, anything, as a sign of the TPM's demise.

Keep waiting, Misoir...

reply to post by incrediblelousminds

How are you able, with a straight face, STILL pretend the 'tea party' is anything other than a rebranding of the same old NeoCon GOP?

You do realize that the original neocons were actually liberals, don't you?

Also, if all those Tea Partiers are working, as you claim, then the economy must have improved under Obama, because there were thousands of them unemployed(apparently, since they had time to drive to Washington and take part in a FOX news/DickArmey/FreedomWorks political rally) immediately after Bush' administration.

Oh sure, I'll admit that Obama tried his best to drive them out of their jobs, but he FAILED.

Fact is, many TPM'ers own their own businesses and can set their own hours.

Why is it that Tea Partiers stick to slogans and (unfunny, poorly structured) jokes and smug repetition of party lines instead of actually engaging their opponents in intelligent debate?

A: Because most of them treat the GOP like their favourite sports team, to be rah-rah-rah'ed into victory. They wouldn't be a part of the movement without cheerleaders like Sarah "Hot Mom" Palin and Michelle "Tough Teats" Bachmann to get them riled up.

reply to post by SmedleyBurlap


Talking about "actually engaging their opponents in intelligent debate", what did your post actually add to the discussion?

Pot -- kettle --......

reply to post by mishigas


aint noone yet has ever gotten the neocon label right on this site.

that neocon obama spreading freedom and democracy in libya and elsewhere in the world proves the truth of that statement



i had to laugh at some of these defintions:

fits the left more than the right imo

www.urbandictionary.com...

reply to post by neo96


For someone who claims to be non-partisan, you sure do spend, well, the vast majority of your time being very one sided in your critique of political parties.

I'm sure it's just a coincidence.

Why do you hate Liberty and want to destroy Freedom?