Who here believes that the Tea Party is a grassroots organization?

[Luissa]

Who here believes that the Tea Party is a grassroots organization? Anybody? Anybody?

It was at one point, then it got hijacked by people like Palin and the Koch brothers.

No it didn't, they joined in with them.
The Tea Party are still the voters of this nation.

So am I, and I choose not to follow someone like Palin... Or believe the Tea Party has an resemblances of a grass roots organization anymore.

 

[ConservaDerrps]

Yeah, I mean once corporate sponsors start buying elections for your guys, guess what you are? Part of the same system you fought so hard against! Good jerb Tea Party!

 

[JoeNormal]

OK JoePostingBot, show us what evidence you have that it's not.

Evidence is not hard to find. Here's a short Reader's Digest version of a video where you can hear it straight from the horses mouths:

Or if you want to do a little more reading, here's an article from the New Yorker magazine:

[Your site apparently won't allow me to post URLs until I'm not such a newbie]

 

[WillowTree]

Taxed EnoughAlready is was and still is a grass roots movement. The taxpayers are fed the hell up with fiscal irresponsibility. The Koch brothers have nothing to do with that.

 

[JoeNormal]

Who here believes that the Tea Party is a grassroots organization? Anybody? Anybody?

The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures.

OH I don't believe it started OUT as a movement orchestrated by traditional power structures.. BUT it certainly now HAS major clout with most GOP and some Democrats that also are part of the Tea Party!

Remember this was all an outgrowth of:
CNBC commentator Rick Santelli were the origins of the modern Tea Party movement. ..

Team Obama is rewarding bad behavior. It is enlarging moral hazard. It is expanding its welfarist approach to economic policy. And with a huge expansion of government-owned zombie lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Team Obama is taking a giant step toward nationalizing the mortgage market. . .

Reporting from the Chicago commodity pits, my CNBC colleague Rick Santelli unleashed a torrent of criticism against this scheme. Santelli said: “Government is promoting bad behavior. . . . Do we really want to subsidize the losers’ mortgages? This is America! How many of you people want to pay for your neighbor’s mortgage? President Obama, are you listening? How about we all stop paying our mortgages! It’s a moral hazard.”

There are numerous things not to like about Obama. Topping my list is the fact that none of the douchebags who cratered our economy have been put in jail.

But speaking of loser's mortgages, Mike Lee, the Tea Party darling from my home state of Utah just short sold his house and cost the bank $400,000. Yup, he's a real fiscal conservative.

What I wonder most is why Tea Partiers are so dead set against a social safety net. Ostensibly, most of the members fall into either the easily displaced category (in terms of education, job skills, or by means of large corporations invading their turf), or the category that already recieves generous government subsidies (retirees). Could you comment on that?

 

[TakeAStepBack]

The tea party started in 2007 as a grassroots movement in support of Ron Paul. They then were quickly co-opted by main stream republicans to dilute the original message and put them under the two party umbrella. With the help of republican backers and the media.

The original movement has since moved onto another movement, the RP revolution, which is now also being sold down the river of principles to the tug boat of the establishment line-tow for senator Rand Pauls political career.

Who gives a fuck about any of this any more anyway? It's all about the big statists and how much babysitting we demand from "officials".

 

[Darkwind]

Who here believes that the Tea Party is a grassroots organization? Anybody? Anybody?

It was at one point, then it got hijacked by people like Palin and the Koch brothers.

It hasn't, but don't let that stop you.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Who here believes that the Tea Party is a grassroots organization? Anybody? Anybody?

I suggest you go faint at an Obama rally

 

[NYcarbineer]

The Tea Party is the right wing of the Republican Party. Same animal, different name, different hats.

 

[NYcarbineer]

Forgive me. I guess it's just coincidence that Tea Partiers have done everything in their power to increase the political clout and wealth of the Koch brothers.

You really seem to have the gift of gab. I always know I've won when the responses become jpgs.

The rightwing nuts here will always try to ridicule and bully you off the forum as a first resort.

Hang in there. Underneath that crap they're the biggest bunch of fat pussies ever assembled.

 

[NYcarbineer]

The Tea party couldn't possibly be funded by the big money interests. That's why their darling Scott Walker had to scrape by in the recall with little more than all those nickel and dime 'grassroots' contributions...

 

[TakeAStepBack]

The Tea party couldn't possibly be funded by the big money interests. That's why their darling Scott Walker had to scrape by in the recall with all those nickel and dime contributions...

And still won by landslide margins against the union and dems 21 million dollar plus expenditure to get Walker removed. Regardless of who spent more, you're off topic.

 

[Avatar4321]

Who here believes that the Tea Party is a grassroots organization? Anybody? Anybody?

The actual Tea party members and local leaders of the Tea Party who are organizing it.

The real question is who believes the nonsense that it's made up?

 

[Avatar4321]

The Tea party couldn't possibly be funded by the big money interests. That's why their darling Scott Walker had to scrape by in the recall with little more than all those nickel and dime 'grassroots' contributions...

So if someone has money and they support a grass roots movement, the movement is no longer grass roots?

Im not sure I follow that logic.

 

[DiamondDave]

Forgive me. I guess it's just coincidence that Tea Partiers have done everything in their power to increase the political clout and wealth of the Koch brothers.

You really seem to have the gift of gab. I always know I've won when the responses become jpgs.

Only in the world of the troll does posting an unsubstantiated, bullshit assertion or opinion constitute 'winning'

Pretty soon this putz will morph into TDM and tray and push off assertions and opinions as 'truth'

 

[Katzndogz]

The Tea Party did not start out in support of Ron Paul. Talk about revisionist history. The Tea Party started out in 2009 with a rant by Rick Santelli.

Since its inception in February 2009, the Tea Party movement—with the help of viral videos and social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter—almost instantly found a large and loyal following that has gained traction and supporters.

In fact, Gallup poll in late March 2010 revealed that 28% of Americans have a positive perception of the Tea Party movement.

A Televised Birth of a Movement

CNBC's Rick Santelli is widely credited with launching the grassroots movement. While standing on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on February 19, 2009, he unleashed what can only be called a rant against the Obama Administration's proposal to help homeowners facing foreclosure refinance their mortgages.


Read more: History of the Tea Party Movement — Infoplease.com History of the Tea Party Movement — Infoplease.com

The Tea Party is the Taxed Enough Already party that has no particular head, although the person coming closest isn't Ron Paul, it's Sarah Palin.

The movement claims no national leader or figurehead. Some say that Sarah Palin assumed the role as #1 Tea Partier when she delivered the keynote address at the first Tea Party Convention in February 2010 in Nashville. Some 600 people attended the full convention, and another 500 sat in on Palin's speech only.

"America is ready for another revolution," she said. In a barb pointed at President Barack Obama, she said the movement is "about the people, and it's bigger than any one king or queen of a tea party, and it's a lot bigger than any charismatic guy with a teleprompter."


Read more: History of the Tea Party Movement — Infoplease.com History of the Tea Party Movement — Infoplease.com

 

[Papageorgio]

Who here believes that the Tea Party is a grassroots organization? Anybody? Anybody?

I believe it as much as I believe Occupiers are a grassroots organization.

 

[NYcarbineer]

The Tea party couldn't possibly be funded by the big money interests. That's why their darling Scott Walker had to scrape by in the recall with all those nickel and dime contributions...

And still won by landslide margins against the union and dems 21 million dollar plus expenditure to get Walker removed. Regardless of who spent more, you're off topic.

That 21 million number is bullshit, and the topic is the tea party and big money.

If you want to argue that Scott Walker didn't have overwhelming Tea Party support, or that he didn't get tons of money,

by all means do so.

 

[tjvh]

Forgive me. I guess it's just coincidence that Tea Partiers have done everything in their power to increase the political clout and wealth of the Koch brothers.

You really seem to have the gift of gab. I always know I've won when the responses become jpgs.

Best of luck!

 

[midcan5]

The tea party movement grew out an assortment of economic events caused by republican policies and Barack Obama's win in 2008. One wonders what would have become of the conservative whiners had McCain picked a realistic VP and won? Personally, I think it would have faded (see below) as most 'group whining' does when situations change.

With the democratic win, the wackos went loony, and big money wanted nothing of an America of truth justice and the American way. They wanted power and control back, and thus was born the loudspeaker of perpetual whining, aka tea party. And the funds to whine loudly. You know the people who held signs to keep the government out of their medicare.

The same situation ensued when Clinton won, but Clinton had the Internet bubble and millennium as his Keynesian moment and all was well for a while. Oh, and he raised taxes as Reagan did, just not as often. Good piece below.

How the Tea Party movement began | World news | guardian.co.uk

Tea Party info:

http://www.usmessageboard.com/tea-party/116607-would-the-tea-party-exist.html
http://www.usmessageboard.com/the-romper-room/131004-the-tea-party-and-the-kkk.html
http://www.usmessageboard.com/tea-party/134673-tea-party-anarchists.html
http://www.usmessageboard.com/tea-party/114928-tea-party-and-sympathizers-please-read.html
http://www.usmessageboard.com/tea-party/121511-the-very-angry-tea-party.html