"Political Notebook: Tea Party’s large core not active, survey says
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And here I am looking at it in the printed paper on my desk.
"Gauging the scope of the tea party movement in America" by Amy Gardner, Washington Post | October 24, 2010
In an unruly, unpredictable and chaotic election year, no group has asserted its presence and demanded to be heard more forcefully than the tea party. The grass-roots movement that was spawned with a rant has gone on to upend the existing political order, reshaping the debate in Washington, defeating a number of prominent lawmakers and elevating a fresh cast of conservative stars.
But a new Washington Post canvass of hundreds of local tea party groups reveals a different sort of organization, one that is not so much a movement as a disparate band of vaguely connected gatherings that do surprisingly little to engage in the political process.
Yes, the TRUE TEA PARTY PEOPLE of America.
The GOOD, WELL-MEANING Americans fighting to save their country!
Seventy percent of the grass-roots groups said they have not participated in any political campaigning this year. As a whole, they have no official candidate slates, have not rallied behind any particular national leader, have little money on hand, and remain ambivalent about their goals and the political process in general.
"We're not wanting to be a third party," said Matt Ney, 55, the owner of a Pilates studio and a founder of the Pearland Tea Party Patriots in Pearland, Tex. "We're not wanting to endorse individual candidates ever. What we're trying to do is be activists by pushing a conservative idea."
Of course, as an individual here on this blog I can and do endorse. It all depends on how they are treated by the agenda-pushing establishment media.
The group, with 25 active members, meets to discuss policies and listen to speakers, Ney said. "We provide opportunities for like-minded people to get together," he said.
You know, the way the Founding Fathers imagined our politics to be.
The local groups stand in contrast to - and, in their minds, apart from - a handful of large national groups that claim the tea party label.
Related: Tea Party Refuses to Take the Pledge
Most of those outfits, including FreedomWorks and Tea Party Express, are headed by longtime political players who have used their resources and know-how to help elect a number of candidates.
The findings suggest that the breadth of the tea party may be inflated....
Yeah, anything you can do or say to discount them. establishment media.
In a fair election you guys get a whipping tomorrow.
In all, The Post identified more than 1,400 possible groups and was able to verify and reach 647 of them. Each answered a lengthy questionnaire about their beliefs, members and goals....
Virtually all said that economic concerns were a factor, and nearly as many cited a general mistrust of government. Opposition to President Obama and Democratic policies was a big factor, but only slightly more so than dissatisfaction with mainstream Republican leaders....
You see what I am trying to say, world?
There ARE GOOD PEOPLE being made to LOOK BAD by our agenda-pushing establishment media here in AmeriKa!!
While the tea party groups may lack a unifying direction or vision at the moment, the results show that they are ripe for action. A remarkable 86 percent of local leaders said most of their members are new to political activity, suggesting that they could be turned into a potent grass-roots force heading into the 2012 elections....
It is a POTENT GRASS-ROOTS FORCE NOW -- if voting means anything in AmeriKa anymore!
That was where the printed Globe ended it.
Of course, their general lack of interest in politics also suggests that they could just as easily recede, particularly if the economy improves.
Like all Obamamaniacs from 2008?
The tea party's biggest successes this year have come only after one of a handful of well-funded national groups swooped in to mobilize local support.
The establishment usurpers saved the Tea Party, sigh. Who put out this filth?
In upset victories in Alaska and Delaware, for instance, the Sacramento-based Tea Party Express spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on advertising for Republican Senate candidates Joe Miller and Christine O'Donnell, respectively.
Oh, and they were HARDLY BACKED by the ESTABLISHMENT!
The establishment incumbent in Alaska is waging a write-in war, while the Republican establishment disparages O'Donnell -- or was Karl Rove just blowing smoke?
Other national groups, such as FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity, have also built organizations and spent millions of dollars on advertising, high-profile bus tours or other direct campaign tactics.
Some of the local group leaders may find such tactics distasteful. Fifty-seven percent said they want to operate as a network of independent entities. And many organizers said the lack of coordination and the independence of the groups are what drew them to the movement, even if it is a liability when it comes to turning their beliefs into action....
The tea party has been accused of racism by its political opponents after comments from some prominent members and signs at several major rallies this year that attacked Obama for either his race or the false belief that he is a Muslim.
Also see: South Carolina's Falling Star
Who are the racist supremacists now? Looks as if they are coming from my jewspaper!
At rallies, for instances, organizers have kicked out questionable members and have sought to project a more tolerant image....
The groups clearly do not identify with any particular national leaders....
When asked to name a national leader who best represents their views, more than a third of the groups said "no one."
I would have said Ron Paul, although I doubt he would like the title.
At least he acknowledges that the grass-roots Tea people are a significant voice who represent millions of Americans.
********
One question remains: If most tea party groups don't engage in political campaigning, what exactly do they do?
You are reading it.
And if agenda-pushing newspapers don't engage in real reporting.... ?
--more--"
Also see: Local Tea Party movement organizing poll-watchers
That's not where the problem is; the problem is inside the machines.
