Tea Party Now a Huge GOP Liability

[hazlnut]

Tea Party Now a Huge GOP Liability

The resignation of South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint from the Senate followed close on the heels of the desertion from the Tea Party of Freedom Works head Dick Armey took some by surprise. DeMint and Armey were the two biggest and most identifiable fish in the Tea Party-affiliated pond. DeMint could be relied on to broker his name ID and prodigious fundraising prowess to every Tea Party-backed Senatorial candidate -- and loser.

Armey was a tireless advocate at big, stagey Tea Party rallies and confabs for the Tea Party's anti-big government hard line message. Now both are out. If that wasn't bad news enough for the Tea Party, GOP conservative House leaders turned on it and ousted Representatives Tim Huelskamp of Kansas and Justin Amash of Michigan two of the loudest Tea Party position advocates from the House Budget Committee. They were kicked to the curb almost certainly because GOP House leaders know they have to make a deal with President Obama on the budget or risk being further dragged through the public and media mud as being the cause for shoving the nation over the fiscal cliff. The Tea Party's brand of patented loose cannon obstructionism is too threatening to a GOP still reeling from the election flop. The ouster of the Tea Party hardliners and desertions by GOP bigwigs from the movement was hardly the first rumbling that the lights are dimming for the Tea Party.

Why does the GOP allow this small loud and stupid minority to continue to steer their ship into one shit storm after another?

The TeaScum has already cost us a credit rating. They won't be happy until we're downgraded again.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

Tea Party Now a Huge GOP Liability

The resignation of South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint from the Senate followed close on the heels of the desertion from the Tea Party of Freedom Works head Dick Armey took some by surprise. DeMint and Armey were the two biggest and most identifiable fish in the Tea Party-affiliated pond. DeMint could be relied on to broker his name ID and prodigious fundraising prowess to every Tea Party-backed Senatorial candidate -- and loser.

Armey was a tireless advocate at big, stagey Tea Party rallies and confabs for the Tea Party's anti-big government hard line message. Now both are out. If that wasn't bad news enough for the Tea Party, GOP conservative House leaders turned on it and ousted Representatives Tim Huelskamp of Kansas and Justin Amash of Michigan two of the loudest Tea Party position advocates from the House Budget Committee. They were kicked to the curb almost certainly because GOP House leaders know they have to make a deal with President Obama on the budget or risk being further dragged through the public and media mud as being the cause for shoving the nation over the fiscal cliff. The Tea Party's brand of patented loose cannon obstructionism is too threatening to a GOP still reeling from the election flop. The ouster of the Tea Party hardliners and desertions by GOP bigwigs from the movement was hardly the first rumbling that the lights are dimming for the Tea Party.

Why does the GOP allow this small loud and stupid minority to continue to steer their ship into one shit storm after another?

The TeaScum has already cost us a credit rating. They won't be happy until we're downgraded again.

The TPM is in essence the Old Bush Base; the front men may be fiscal ‘conservatives’ but not far back in the ranks you’ll find the social conservatives, Christian fundamentalists, and fiscal extremists – the same extremists responsible for the credit rating downgrade.

The TPM/Old Bush Base is the most energized, fanatical, and hyper-partisan of republicans – they call into the AM radio shows, contribute to all the rightist blogs, and post on internet message boards.

They determine who is or isn’t a ‘RINO,’ and successfully intimidate the moderate Old Guard accordingly.

Indeed, during recent elections the majority of TPM victims have been moderate republicans, not democrats.

For example:

Republicans knew that if they engaged in overt criticism of DeMint and his true believer approach, they risked (1) angering the tea party movement that helped drive the GOP resurgence after President Obama's election in 2008 and (2) inviting a well-financed primary challenger that would affix them with the dreaded tag of "RINO," or Republican In Name Only.

For GOP and tea party, a growing divide - CBS News

And:

Frustrated by their inability to achieve some policy goals, conservatives in Republican states are turning against moderate members of their own party, trying to drive them out of state legislatures to clear the way for reshaping government across a wide swath of mid-America controlled by the GOP.

Political groups are helping finance the efforts by supporting primary election challenges targeting several dozen moderate Republicans in the Midwest and South, especially prominent lawmakers who run key state committees.

Conservatives work to cull moderate Republicans - Yahoo! News

The problem is further exacerbated by the fact that moderate republicans just don’t do ‘extremist,’ it’s simply not who they are – and they’re consequently paying the price.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Why can't we all believe the exact same things like all the Democrats have to?

 

[whitehall]

That's it Tea Party people. Put away your copies of the Constitution because a radical sissie advocate says you are a liability to the party he loves (to hate).

 

[hazlnut]

Teabonics.

And TeaPod Hypocrisy.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

The GObP KNOWS that the pretend party has cost them dearly. Right now, they're a bunch of old white guys madly juggling fruitcakes.

Isn't THAT an image!