Former Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday that the tea party is a positive influence on the Republican Party.
“I think they raised issues that an awful lot of Americans care about,” Cheney said on NBC’s “Today” show. “It’s an uprising, in part, and the good thing is it’s taken place within the Republican Party. I don’t see it as a negative. I think it’s much better to have that kind of turmoil and change in the Republican Party than it would be to have it outside.”
Cheney, who has a new book coming out about struggles with his heart health, said that while he doesn’t consider himself a member of the tea party, its frustration with Washington is “healthy.”
“I’m not a card-carrying member — I don’t think there is a card — but I have respect for what the people are doing,” Cheney said. “These are Americans. They’re loyal, they’re patriotic, they’re taxpayers and they’re fed up with what they see happening in Washington. I think it’s a normal healthy reaction, and the fact that the party is having to adjust to it is positive.”
Dick Cheney Tea party positive for GOP - Tal Kopan - POLITICO.com