And So Ends The Tea Party Era
Full disclosure, I was in touch with the Palin camp about this. I think it's a bad idea. Hopefully Palin's at least not being paid, consistent with earlier statements she's made to that effect. I very much like both Palin and Bachman, but where's the prominent Democrat?
SARAH PALIN TO HEADLINE first-ever Tea Party convention.
It'll go on, become partisan, and may even do tremendous good in 2010. But this is the beginning of the end of it as a ground up movement. Let the co-optation begin. Happens everytime there's money to be made.
And so it goes. Just another day in American politics, though unavoidable, I suppose. I think it'll be less fun to watch, now.
Supposedly she is being paid 100K for this appearance.
And I think you’re right about the beginning of the end as a ground-up movement. So it goes.
Think so? The Patriots of America are not looking for a leader, they are looking for those who stand in the gap and will not compromise on the Constitution. Mike Huckabee fits this mold as does Marco Rubio. Sarah Palin is from the grassrooots of the Alaskan tundra and you don’t get any closer to the land then that. Have Faith. Where your fear needs to be is in the Shadow powr of DC doing something to rock our world enough to upset our teapot.
I’m sorry ??? how many solid blue democratic voters have ever shown up at a tea party gathering ?
Partisan ??? Of course the Tea Party movement is partisan, its the NOT THE DEMOCRATS party made up of Independents and Conservatives …
Not have a HIGH LEVEL DEMOCRAT in no way dimishes the Tea Party movement …
So whom would you suggest they extend an invitation to ??? Lieberman ??? Not a Democrat anymore …
Zell Miller maybe … but there is not a snowballs chance in hell of a politician with a (D) after his/her name showing up to talk … although maybe if they have some “walk’n around money” to spend they might have some luck with a Nebraska Senator …
Since the dmes have been overthrown by the marxists there is no longer any conservative dems in office. any conservative would have switched parties by now.
” but there is not a snowballs chance in hell of a politician with a (D) after his/her name showing up to talk”
Exactly; Democrat seen at a ‘tea-bagger’ convention?
Democrat Party’s media would find that unacceptable.
I’m not sure how the tea partiers aren’t “looking for a leader.”
Someone has to be elected and cast the votes. Presumably, the tea partiers want to actually have someone elected that represents them and casts votes which represent them. This pretty much translates into a “search for a leader.”
While “all politics are local,” ultimately less than 700 actual people actually construct national politics, i.e., our “leaders.”
And, while there is a great deal positive to be said for a “grassroots” movement, there is very much less to be said for dozens, hundreds, or thousands of individual, un-cordinated “grassroots movements.” It is an elementary maxim to defeat your enemy in detail. The more national the “movement” (which requires national organization, national messaging, national funding, and national leaders) the more difficult it will be to defeat it in detail.
Yeah, that democracy thing is a real bitch, Huey.
I don’t think the Tea Partiers are looking for a leader, I don’t think they need a leader, and I don’t think Palin wants to be their leader, because she’s read Rules for Radicals and understands that if there’s a “leader”, then Alinski tactics can be successfully employed against the movement.
All she’s doing is giving a speech, Dan. You’re making WAY too big a deal out of this. Palin and Bachmann have both successfully lead grassroots movements. It’s how Palin got elected Councilman, Mayor, and Governor, and how Michele got elected to the MN legislature and Congress. You know Palin’s story, and Bachmann’s is remarkably similar. If they can pass some of that knowledge on, it’s a good thing. And who could possibly energize them more than Palin and Bachmann?
“All she’s doing is giving a speech, Dan. You’re making WAY too big a deal out of this. Palin and Bachmann have both successfully lead grassroots movements.”
These two leaders are definitely far more successful than whatever ‘billion-mercury bulb’ Glenn Reynolds at PJ media could ever dream of accomplishing.
I seem to recall Politician Reagan was quite successful as leader of a grassroots movement too.
“Yeah, that democracy thing is a real bitch, Huey.”
Thank God America is a Republic!
My goodness, Democracy means having a Nation flooded with a billion mercury bulbs because the Federal Government heard Democracy demanding stupid stuff so the Federal Government heard Democracy and banned Edison.
America was a Republic.
It is now a plutocracy… and in short order, it will become a kleptocracy.
Dan,
Can you name me a prominant Democrat who the Tea Party movement would want to hear?
I’ll grant you that Palin taking a big speaking fee and the cost of the convention are mistakes. “Bad Optics,” is the current phrase, I believe, but let’s cut them a little slack at the moment. ‘Kay?
You sound like HotAir’s AP, with the doom-and-gloom. Let’s at least wait until the movement has failed to declare it a failure. Hey, you might even be surprised- they might not fail at all.
It’s absolutely incredible to me that you think it’s a “ground up” movement to begin with. It’s not. No movement ever truly is, so don’t delude yourself into thinking the Tea Party movement has been any different. Palin’s role doesn’t change anything fundamental about the movement.
In a lot of ways, an understanding of “ground up” depends on perspective. Obama’s supporters see his candidacy as very much a “ground up” reaction to the 2000′s. The reality is of course that it isn’t entirely grass roots. Same with you guys – just because you are passionate about what you’re doing doesn’t mean you should fool yourselves. You’re a movement with real perspective, but that has been organized by powerful people. Your movement isn’t “independent” – it pays heavy political dividents. It’s a popular movement, but it also serves the purpose of many in the elite. That’s what all popular movements are – don’t fool yourself into thinking yours is different.
And you’ve already co-opted things anyway. You’ve co-opted the Boston Tea Party itself and clung to it as being uniquely representative of your values, for example.
None of this is bad or surprising – just don’t decieve yourselves OR blame your failure on “elites”. You will rise or fall based on the merit of what you bring to the table.
If Palin takes a speaking fee it will be mistake and a mistake to pay her.
Her record in Alaska was good she cut spending and taxes. She her actions matched her words.
Huckabee? No way raised taxes and spending every year as governor, was allied with the teacher’s union and opposed vouchers and carried the teachers water on education issues. He was for open borders until he started running for President. He pardoned violent criminals without carefully considering their cases. When called on the carpet he lied about it and slandered critics like Ms. Malkin. He is a phony who used emotional manipulation.
We must not fall in love with personality, change our positions to conform with some “great leader” and keep our wits about us. But we should not despair just yet.
We the People are the only people in America who understand the real threat of the liberal Republicans and especially Democrats who want to completely destroy the constitution in the next four years.
WE the People believe the Republicans only take a longer way to get to the final goal of total domination and control of the American people.
We the People use common sense because we are not the elite who has attended the Ivey League Schools. We do not trust Newt Gingrich and Lindsey Graham or Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi Nor any of the permenant professional politicians in Washington. They all voted for the bail out fiasco!
We the people do not care if you are a Democrat, Republican, or Independent. We will vote people who support our Founding Fathers and the God Inspired Constitution which He help established.
We the People are fed up with half truths by both parties and we want people who love George Washington, not George Wallace or George W. Bush, but Mr. Smith to go to Washington and clean it up.
We the People will be happy to follow a Joan of Arc to lead our war against the establishment and crooks in Congress and the White House.
We the People see Sarah Palin as a modern Joan of Arc and Calamity Jane in one beautiful package. She cleaned up Alaska against the establishment and we think she will do the same thing when she becomes President of the United States of America.
like to see Lou Dobbs address the crowd also. along with Mike Huckabee…
Bwahahahah! You can’t be serious! This movement is gaining fast… it’s only the beginning.
Just because they are having a speaker YOU don’t like doesn’t ‘spell the end’ for the movement.
Tea Party does not endorse candidates in most states (mine) but will have speaker of various stripes.
The Dems won’t come because they don’t believe in small government, but they are invited. Always.
Sarah Palin is humble, smart, effective, popular and did wonderful things for Alaska.. she is uncorrupted by George Soros or Henry Kissinger. She is INDEPENDENT contitutional and we love her.
Waymon Meadows – Sarah “cleaned up” Alaska??? Are you serious? Have you done ANY research at all on that? The oil companies still control Alaska politics, it’s still sleaze as usual, Sarah “changed” nothing. Instead, she quit to go make millions, and now she’s trying to take your tea party money too. She’s just as bad if not worse than any other politician. I know we need a new leader who will work for the people, but she defeinitely ain’t it.
Elected democrats are all socialists. No socialists would ever be for personal freedom and responsibility, honor, fiscal prudence, or honesty.
I know we need a new leader who will work for the people, but she defeinitely ain’t it.
Posted by: Ol’ JP | Friday, January 08, 2010 at 02:25 PM
“WE”? You got a turd in your pocket boy?
” Instead, she quit to go make millions, …” At that rate, it’ll take her about 20 years to catch up with Bill Clinton.
One of the reasons she left was becauses the stupid Left filed all sorts of nuisance lawsuits against her, and she had to spend a lot of time and money dealing with that – so she figured she couldn’t give her all to Alaska.