Who is the Tea Party, 2?
“Just, really a group of American Citizens”
“2 + 2 does not equal 5”
“We’re like missionaries.”
More from my site
Who Is The Tea Party?
Wall Street Journal Poll: Tea Party Movement Gaining Strength
Tea Parties Take Credit For Obama’s Electoral Victories
Bayshore Tea Party Updates
Tea Parties To Impact Freeholder Race
Bayshore Teaparty Goes Rogue!
Can The Tea Party Survive Victory?
Tea Party Flag
Getting out the vote?
Bayshore Tea Party Group Boasts of 1000 Members, Staunch Backers of Anna Little
Thanks for posting this interview and to Ms. Gonzalez for her dedication. Any negative words, signs, or gestures at right-of-center groups -on the rare occasion they may have occurred-are likely plants of the left. People don’t emphasize this enough. The media runs with a rumor or sign saying a Tea Partier did it. I think the entire topic of the ‘R’ word should be dismissed as a media creation. Thanks.
I’m curious to read your thoughts on the difference between being a Republican and being a Tea Party member, Art.
I don’t say this negatively and I hope any and all Tea Party readers here don’t take this this wrong way because I can more than appreciate the work that the “Tea Party” groups are putting in, but it kind of seems dishonest to me, or almost cowardly for lack of a better term, to not just be a proud and open Republican and instead hide your Republican principles and ideals behind the label of “Tea Party” – which is essentially pushing Republican principles.
Again, not bad mouthing the Tea Party or the people, but I get plenty of people asking me why I never got on board with the Tea Party groups when they were first forming after the “Ron Paul Revolution” and just continue doing my own thing as a Republican and it’s simply because I’m proud to be a Republican, I’m happy to let people know I’m a Republican and I’m not going to hide behind any other label to push the principles I believe in, which I think line up well with the same principles that the Tea Party advocates and with the core Republican principles that I believe the general populations wants to see. I think our nation as a whole would be better off if the energetic and active “Tea Party” people worked within the Republican party to make sure that better candidates get the Republican party line in primaries, to make sure that doors are knocked on for the general election – and generally do the work that committeemen should be doing, but don’t seem to be doing for the party and really ensure that when the general population thinks Republican, they can believe in the principles and not just see another politician who doesn’t represent the people or stand by a set of principles consistent with what our party stands for.
All just my $0.02 and all are welcome to disagree. 🙂
When Mike Halfacre ran his losing campaign for Congress, he often sought out the support of Tea Party Republicans. After he quit the race in disgrace, however, Halfacre, in a neighboring Congressional race, went on to endorse liberal Diane Gooch over the Tea Party-favored candidate, Anna Little. (Talk about betting on the wrong horse. Little crushed Gooch.)
I would have liked to hear this woman’s views on the various frauds that claim to support the Tea Party when it is in their political interests to do just that, but who betray the Tea Party the very moment they no longer need the party/movement. (e.g., Mayor Mike Halfacre)
Hey James,
Ask Murkowski, Castle, Lazio, Bennet,
Greyson,Gooch, Quarteracre, Oxley,
Krappy Kryllos, etc. just how republican
we are????
The parties are just opposite wings of the same bird.
ps
R’s have an even lower rating than D’s.
CAN YOU HEAR US NOW!!!
James,
As Brian d has pointed out, some of the Tea Party first targets were Republicans who betrayed their supporters.
Today, most Tea Parties support some or many Republicans. Some are “real” conservatives, which also seems to be a large per centage of Tea Party members. Are there many Democrats? No. There are other parties represented but not in numbers nearing conservatives. Also you might note that we would be willing to throw out, most of the current members of Congress.
This still leaves us with where do we go after we throw them out or try to replace them. Well we read a bit about our founders intentions and found that people we know, trust and share views and values with would best represent us. THat is where we are now. Are all of the current candidates getting Tea Party support? No! Why not? They do not meet our requirements for representing We The People. Republican, Democrat or Independent.
I would say that I have been a Republican for most of my life but have, on occasion, cast votes for Democrats and Independents.
Most of us in the Tea Party groups I’m acquainted with, have shunned the “Party” label. It is who best represents our views and values that gets our support. Right now the pendulum has swung towards the Republicans. How long that lasts is up to them and to those who will watch and report on how they behave.
Finally, we have determined that representaion of We The People begins here in our neighborhoods. We have involved ourselves in the Party structures to assure selection of candidates who truly represent us. This is no easy task. Entrenched interests fight us at every turn. We are not single election activists. Most of us understand that we have failed in our duty to assure that government is responsible to us, and therefore are committed for the rest of our lives, to taking on those responsibilities that we so easily shirked.
Regarding the nasty comment above @ 11:04; I wanted to ask you, is mommy’s basement carpeted?
MH was “down” with the Tea Party in the summer of ’09, earlier than any of the others. He decided not to run. What is best for him and his family is his and his wife’s decision, not yours.
Any and all Tea Party groups are staffed with adults who understand the lay of the land, politically. Apparently, momma’s boy foul mouthed bloggers do not.
Robert, sounds to me like you’re a Republican, and have been for years.
Brian, sounds to me like you’ve named a few people who you, and many others – self included, believe aren’t advocating for the core Republican principles and probably shouldn’t be carrying the Republican banner in their office. It also seems like the people replacing those you’ve named are all Republicans or will be Republicans, and further their replacements will be adhering to the Republican principles that you and I believe in.
TeaPartyDem – I believe you’re being dishonest. The principles pushed by the Democratic party do not, and can not, line up with the principles that are being pushed by the Tea Party groups. You’re either looking to support Democratic candidates who are dishonest and don’t intend to support the Democratic party principles (which is lying to the people in our nation who do think that the Democratic party principles are a good thing) or you are being dishonest in claiming that you’re a Democrat while holding Republican beliefs. I’d be more than happy to think about your response and find my belief to be wrong and I’ll even change my belief of this matter if you can convince me of even just a handful of Democratic party principles that you, and the Tea Party groups in general, are fully, honestly and openly getting behind; I just don’t see it.
And again, I’m really excited to see the dedication and work being doing by the
RepublicansTea Party groups and I firmly believe that the Republican candidates getting nominated and elected with their support is a great step in the right direction, I just can’t understand why so many people are seemingly afraid to use the word “Republican”. My issue is solely one of semantics I suppose.The proper term is Constitutional Conservative.
I am an independent, and will vote for the
best candidate–and if there is none, just
skip the contest–a weak R is just another D.
Mr. Hogan, it is disengenious of you to label me dishonest. Currently I would rate a mere handful of the current Dem congressional inhabitants salvageable. From BHO on down, including Frank Pallone and Rush Holt, the entire crop must be disposed of.
The Tea Party Movement and it’s principles of smaller government, sound spending policies and an absence of social enginering are the tenets I hold valuable. I don’t see that happening without a full Tea Party effort towards both parties. I have been a proponent within the Tea Party circles of urging any Tea Party Democrat to enter into Dem primaries to start turning the tide from that side. No BS here sir, just straightforward icmplementation of Tea Party principles.