Tea Party Idealism vs GOP Pragmatism

At some point there needs to be a stronger connection between the idealism that is best represented by many Tea Party groups and protests and the type of pragmatic political solutions I see some are again advocating for today. We should all agree on that. But when and how any such connections are made is extremely important.

The GOP is worried and based upon their performance over the past ten years, it should be. My concern is that, if the idealism of the Tea Party movement is blunted too quickly and with a heavy hand, we will only end up with the same old GOP of which many have had more than enough. Also, some Tea Party folks will just flat out walk away due to years of distrust and resentment currently felt toward the GOP.

No one can simply wave a magic wand, pronounce the TP movement over and suggest people need to move on to something else. It makes no sense for people to be pushing so hard, so fast right now. We haven't even gotten beyond the primaries. And we have many months ahead to re-trench, re-tool and organize for the fall.

It's disappointing to see Erick back away from what amounted to a ham-fisted, poorly thought out manner of making a point, however valid, by suggesting anyone who took exception to his post yesterday has an issue somehow. My issue was with what amounted to a counter-productive attempt at argument bound to create more problems than it solved because it was put forth in a crude and unhelpful manner.

And judging by the reaction from yesterday, a lot of people got the point I was making, but a vocal minority not only did not get it, but were highly offended and thought I was attacking them.

Let me see if I can break this down again without causing more wailing and gnashing of teeth.

This is what Erick wrote yesterday.

The tea party movement, one year later, is descending into a self-parody of infighting, money making, claims of national leadership, protests, unions, federations, amalgamations, etc. The groups have been so busy organizing themselves to distinguish themselves from each other that the core message is gone and media and left have been able to seize on the discord and paint a picture of the tea party movement as something other than it is and what we all know it to be — concerned Americans.

Not only is it false and little more than a regurgitation of everything the mainstream media would have one believe about the Tea Party movement, it's condescending to Tea Party organizers, as it suggests they are a bunch of rubes who have been mostly wasting their time for a year. If there has been any descending going on, it is some of the usual political vultures descending who have been running things from behind the scenes for years. There's nothing wrong with pointing that out. But conflating that issue with the movement as a whole is a terrible mistake.

That Erick apparently can't understand that that is precisely what he suggested in his pronouncing the end of the Tea Party movement is his error and no one else's. Yes, we need more people involved with efforts such as American Majority as we move toward November and on to 2012. No, we don't have to throw the baby out with the bathwater. And Erick's post yesterday read as a recommendation that people do that very thing. Around the country, Tea Party groups are already doing many of the things Erick now suggests they do.

Responsible bloggers should be acknowledging those efforts where they are being done while encouraging more of it, not attempting to write an epitaph for the vehicle that has led to the opportunity for constructive growth on the Right as we go forward.

Today Erick links out to a Politico item that takes a shot at the Tea Party Express. Meanwhile, TPE is putting on a large party with Sarah Palin in Boston today. More on that via Alexis Garcia at PJTV.

While we may need more pragmatic political organizing going on around the Tea Party movement, I see no reason to run down the type of idealistic demonstrations of faith in America TPE's efforts help to demonstrate. Unfortunately, anyone running the effort down, especially today, is only inviting people to question their own motivations. And if they aren't sensitive to that, than they are not the sophisticated operators it will require to get everyone on the same page in the fall. And no one should want anything but that, as the stakes for America in November are far too high.

Comments

[Lisa Graas]

Here's the problem for me. Folks like Erick Erickson and Ron Paul interjecting themselves as if they are the nation's resident experts on "TeaPartyism" is a big turn-off to me. So far, Palin has done the best job, I think, of making herself available as a speaker at these events, being very involved, but not interjecting herself as "the leader" or an omnipotent expert, but Erickson's constant psychological and political evaluations are just annoying and I am sick to death of the constant barrage of Paulite commenters on my Kentucky blog telling me Ron Paul is the "Father of the Tea Parties" (*urp*) and that he is the movement's rightful leader (*urp*) and his son Rand is the "legacy candidate" (*urp*) of the Tea Parties (the Tea Parties here were leaning Johnson all the way until he withdrew for lack of name recognition). Palin has handled things well, I think, and Erickson could learn from her on this. She's more standoffish but steps up to the plate and speaks at events. That is a good thing. Your own commentary has been one of an observer of the movement, and I like that, too.

[Scott]

What have we gotten from the Republican party lately, like the last 10 years? Pork, deficits, and Obama. McCain tried to sell us out on 1st Amendment right to freedom of speech, and immigration. Graham is still trying to sell us out on immigration, cap and trade, and now taxes on gasoline. Cornyn gave us Crist. They gave us Scozzafava. Here is a question for conservatives: Do we want Boehner and McConnell returning to leadership in Congress? What would they do differently that would not put Obama.2 back in the White House?

But the Republicans would love to have Boehner and McConnell as Congressional leadership, as they would prefer Romney to anyone else. Republican leadership is as elitist and condescending as the Democrats and the MSM.

The Republican Party stood strong against Obamacare because they had no choice. I give them credit for that. Once they accept socialized medicine, we are all socialists. But I think they would be happy to get as close as possible to Obamacare. During the 2008 election, Romney was held up as the one candidate that understood how to solve the healthcare problem in this country because he did it in Mass. That's our establishment for you.

The argument for the rebuilding the GOP instead of a new party is time and money. Money is a non-issue. I read that it will take $1 billion to build a new party. Break down what that really means: to raise $1 billion to build a third party:

1,000,000 Tea Partiers - $1,000 each
10,000,000 Tea Partiers - $100 each
20,000,000 Tea Partiers - $50 each

If 20,000,000 Tea Partiers gave $1,000 each, the Tea Party would have $20 billion. $1.000 is only $20 a week. Very doable.

Is $1,000 too much? Then $500. That would be $10,billion dollars. That is the economic strength of the movement.

If those 20,000,000 people started walking neighborhoods, handing out fliers, GOTV, it would be the biggest political movement in history. That is the numerical strength of the movement.

The numbers are very possible.

Time - it's not on our side, but neither is the Republican Party leadership. Yes, they want to be in charge, but do they want limited government? Only DeMint, Inhofe, maybe Coburn, a few other. (Was Coburn's attack on Fox News an attempt to weaken their support among Tea Partiers?) My Senators, Cornyn and Hutchison? I no longer trust them.

There is one huge difference for politics now that ever before: the Internet. We are no longer dependent on the MSM, party mailing, party organization, party fund raising, or any other party feature. We control it. And it's time the Republican Party realize just how expendable they are. I don't think they understand it yet.

I know you don't like Glenn Beck, and eh, so what. But Beck told the absolute truth when he said, "It's not enough to say we suck less than the other side." And it no longer is. The "professional" Republicans are our problem, because they suck just a little less than the Democrats.

As always, thanks for the use of your bandwidth and storage space.

[Sue Jaycox]

I agree with your assessment of Erickson being "ham fisted" in his approach to this issue. I told him something similar yesterday on facebook, and although his article today better defines his point, it is in fact a needless argument in that tea partiers are already involved in local activism. The tea party movement is the power source, which delivers the energy to discouraged Americans, and it is on them we grow and reach out, looking for areas to become active locally.

I don't like anyone butting their opinions into the direction of the Tea Party, which sprung up as a spontaneous response to the anger and frustration felt by the people over the dangerous and reckless legislation coming out of Washington. I agree with Lisa about Dick Armey and Erick Erickson, but I don't like Palin any better. She has voiced her opinion about about it being time for the "tea party and the GOP to find common ground" and she made a very bad move in supporting with word and money, Rand Paul's campaign in Kentucky. I resent her seeking to influence any aspect of the tea party movement, or politics in Kentucky.

[Jeff]

looks like Erickson is just posting link bait for Huffpo and WaPo ...

I'm sure his tough fight for city council and years of campaign and political experience will eventually show in his postings but at this point he's just another David Frum without the actual polical resume ... then again he would need to become a Canadian citizen first ...

[Sue Jaycox]

I forgot to mention that I also take exception with the action of the Tea Party Express. I know that there were some issues between the coordinators of the Tea Party Patriots that caused a split and spun off the Express. Which isn't my problem with them. What I take issue with is that Freedom Works has been allowed a place at the table, and Dick 'Schmarmy' Armey has bee trying to influence votes around the nation through his PAC...including here in KY.

[Mr. Sauce]

Eric goes all 2.0 on us, we the vocal "minority" that just does not "get it".

He fortifies his courageous stand with a call for paradigm shifting, and a list of bullet points. He links Politico, even invokes Hoyer!

Sorry, Eric, I still don't get it.

Maybe he should make a nice PowerPoint for us. But keep it brief, Eric. We rubes have short attention spans.

[Lisa Graas]

As a fellow Kentuckian, just sayin', I totally agree with Sue regarding Palin's endorsement of Rand Paul. I don't think Sue will mind my pointing out that she organized a Tea Party rally in Frankfort, our capital city, and also townhalls in Lexington, in Kentucky's sixth district, whose current Congressman is Democrat Ben Chandler. In other words, Sue knows a thing or two about the Tea Party movement in Kentucky.

[Sissy Willis]

I'm fed up with outsider know-it-alls who know nothing, even things that are easy to know would they but google a bit. 3,000 tea party activists? Too bad Politico forgot to ask the Boston PD, who say 13-16 thousand. I was there and can affirm the place was full of happy-- and a handful of anti-tea-party irritable -- fellow citizens. And numbers are just for starters. Reminds me of how wrong a lot of these experts were about Scott Brown's no-show at today's Boston Tea Party's being a big deal. I and many others wore our Scott Brown tee shirts and had the time of our lives shmoozing with a multitude of people from all walks, all ages, different ethnic backgrounds, ages, who share a love and admiration for this City Upon a Hill and want to save it from the ravages of the international progressivist statist impulse. No, really. :)

[unseen]

Lisa,

that's fine but the Tea party movement in Ky is not the same as in NC nor in NJ nor in Mass.

the problem with the Tea parties is also its strength. It is diverse. It is spread out it is leaderless. yet at some point to bring that power to bear platforms must be set or you will have the dems running candidates as "tea party" candidates to take away votes form the GOP and GOP doing the same. If the Tea parties do not want to be used they must form some basic platform and have some national defenders. that is why the GOpers like to attack anyone that tyhey see trying to take a leadership position in the movement. If someone becomes a voice for the movement that means the GOP/DNC elites can not use the tea party for their own ends.

If what Sue says happens then no one on the national stage would pay any attention to the Tea parties. The elites will simply divide and conquer.

this is not to say it can not remain independent but when national politicans make an effort to defend and expand the movement they should be embraced so the movement can grow.

Palin today got 15k people to attend a Tea party event in deep Blue Boston. that's 15k people that can give emails, volunteer to knock on doors, GOTV efforts, give funds to campaigns etc. If not for Palin alot of those people would not have been there.

I look at the Palin/Tea Party movement as a symbotic relationship with each helping the other. If she came to KY she would get that many if not more to show up.

Rand Paul is not my first choice but then neither is Grayson nor McCain or JD.

However I support Palin for the simple reason she is the best messenger to get out the message. her endorsements are for politcal/personal reasons just like everyone elses. Yet she constantly express the Tea party message and helps the movement grow.

Just like Erik has his candidates. as a Tea party member I put little stock in anyone's endorsement including the Tea party's. Like most freemen I like to read about the candidates and make my own choice.

I would love to be able to vote for anyone but Burr or a dem in NC yet that will be the choice I'm stuck with so I will most likely vote for Burr. Just be happy you all in KY got a choice in your primary.

[Lisa Graas]

Unseen, like you said, it's different in Kentucky than it is in NC. Sue and I both know way more about it than you do.

Incidentally, now confirmed, Bunning has lost it.
http://genuinegopmom.blogspot.com/2010/04/bunning-what-heck-are-you-talking-about.html

[Dolphie]

I tend to agree with Lisa Grass and unseen and echo their posts. They are stating much of what I have said - thus I will not be redundant.

Palin I see more as a postive and less as an impedance. I am puzzled by the endorsement of Rand and McCain - and I concur that if she does not comprehend the local politics then stand back.

We have a similar situation here in California. In the race against Boxer we have Tom Campbell and Chuck DeVore (and RINO Fiorina). Campbell is being supported by some of the conservatives yet the BEST candidate is Chuck DeVore as he is a true Constitutionalist. Campbell is a good guy - and has good stances, yet he is not a full constitutionalist or full conservative AND he is not a Chuck DeVore. If Palin were to come in and endorse Campbell - we would probably growl as Sue is doing relative to KY.

As far as Erickson and Armey or even the Ron Paul group trying to take credit for the Tea Party movement - THOSE people are playing into the hands of the Lame Stream Media.

This article says much in that this is a movement and it is a body of individuals who have come together for a great cause - love for our country - the USA. We all have strengths and weaknesses. To prematurely force anything is going to inhibit and create turbulence unnecessarily.

(btw - thank you Sue for linking to this site from Facebook. Good site with some good posters.)

[Warren Bonesteel]

'pragmatic political solutions' give you McCain, Graham, Stupak, Franks, Pelosi, Reid, and a permanently ensconced bureaucracy and professional political class of elitists who are completely disconnected from the rest of America...plus, you get sides of fries with all of that, you know, things like Gingrich and NY-23.

So, that part of the argument kinda flops a bit.

You need to start electing people who eat, breath, walk, talk and live The Constitution...but people like that are kinda crazy to mainstream Republicans. Republicans and most conservatives claim to admire and respect those valuee, but they won't elect them into office. Yes, they point to eh exception to the rules (Christie, Palin, etc.), but mostly, they keep electing Huckabee's, Romney's, McCain's, Stupaks and Grahams and their like. I guess that's called 'political pragmatism', eh?

[Warren Bonesteel]

Oh, yeah. 'political pragmatism' is also why you get TEA Party Expresses and TEA Party Nations and Dick Armey (Permanent political class of elites.)

Instead of Constitutional ideals and principles, you get political masters and Great Leaders who will save us all!!!

Political realism (political pragmatism by another name) is how you get all of those people who are trying to hijack and manipulate a populist movement to their own benefit.

I'm not talking about conservative purity, here. Most of those in the 'purity' movement are social conservatives who wish to impose their own values and beliefs upon others. I'm talking about strict adherence to The Constitution.

Don't just talk small government (McCain, Palin, Christie, Romney, Huckabee, et al), make small government. Don't talk fiscal responsibility, make fiscal responsibility. Don't talk freedom and liberty, make freedom and liberty.

For you Palinites, please note that before she became a national political celebrity, her family was struggling to pay the bills. Now, she's a multi-millionaire. Think about it for a bit. You'll get there. [It ain't Palin, it's the system...and it's everyone in America to blame for it.] Before Obama became a politician, he was just another community organizer with a college degree, now he's a multi-millionaire. Before Al Gore became...well, he's now a billionaire...and you get the drift.

But we keep electing the same people, or else the same kinds of people, over and over again...while expecting different results.

[astonerii]

"Not only is it false and little more than a regurgitation of everything the mainstream media would have one believe about the Tea Party movement, it's condescending to Tea Party organizers, as it suggests they are a bunch of rubes who have been mostly wasting their time for a year."

That would be because Erick Erickson can now see himself as part of the main stream. I saw this coming the day I saw him attacking the Tea Party Nation event that Sarah Palin was going to speak at. Erick Erickson's tone in that attack was on of 'How dare they try to be representative of a larger group than they are? I Erick Erickson am the arbiter of what a real Tea party leadership is!'

It became more obvious when he started the LGFesque banning of all those who did not agree with him. Culminating with the main stream media friendly ban of anything at all remotely tangential to 'birtherism'. It was finalized with his announcement that he was joining CNN. He has slowly been moving towards supporting more and more RINO's and snubbing more and more Conservatives. RINOs are granted large leeway to corrupt or non conservative view points and still get endorsements where as newly minted conservatives who are working towards becoming solid candidates for office, when faced with a potential scandal are burned at the stake and later exonerated, but with caveats that they should know better and any future false scandals will weigh heavily upon them.

George Soro's money seems to be well placed in bringing another conservative over to the dark side.