With the ascension of the Tea Party, I personally can't help but feel that the Republican party is slowly dividing into the more radical Tea partiers versus traditional Republicans. While at the moment conservatives seem to be mutually against Obama, come election time, I think some inner-party struggles for power may arise. This article from newsweek introduces the rift to an extent: http://www.newsweek.com/id/236309. Although I'm no history buff, I do know there have been several times in the past when political parties have split and effectively divided their voting demographic. The most relevant I can think of would be the Progressive Party which split off from the Republican Party. The result was that both candidates were routed by the Democratic Presidential Incumbent Woodrow Wilson. So how do you view the Tea Party Movement?
Come on, man. No offense intended, but there are THREE tea party threads at the top of this page. Not only did we not need another thread, but did you really have to ask "how do you view the Tea Party Movement?" Read the forum.
You're right and I apologize for the over-saturation of the tea party threads. I was just hoping to promote a more objective discussion of the political implications of the movement rather than a subjective poo-flinging, back-and-forth debate that usually populate the board.
We're fresh off all kinds of teabagging yesterday for tax day. I can deal with some extra teabagger threads for a few days. Play on players.
The moment we get a Republican president, even if the policies of OBusha are continued, the Tea Party will fade into 'bolivian.
It's where all the anger is, so it's probably the fundraising and ideological base for the next eight years, if that means anything at all. One of our big issues will get resolved or contained and a new one will immediately crop up, in a way that makes the incumbents look unprepared or incompetent in the eyes of independents. TPers will either be the beneficiaries or party kingmakers in that context because they built momentum and war chest, and bet on failure.
There have been numerous instances of splinter groups dividing the vote of one major party or the other, with frequently dire political consequences. George Wallace a time or two in the South, and more recently Ross Perot's attempt and Nadir's Green Party. They tend to have little long term impact as a political party/movement, but sometimes a big impact on a particular election. An obvious example was Nadir's idiocy in 2000, which handed the nation a catastrophe in the person of George W. Bush, who would never had had the opportunity to be given a victory unearned by the Republican dominated Supreme Court without Nadir's brute stupidity. Perot helped elect Bill Clinton, and so it goes. The GOP is very, very busy co-opting the "Tea Party" movement for its own purposes, with various Republicans running to pretend to be avid Tea Party supporters in an effort to win Republican primaries, with the hope of their support in a general election. At some point, I expect this farcical "movement" to "select" its own candidates for President and VP, as well as some candidates down ballot. In fact, I'm hoping this happens. It will split the conservative/far-right/religious fundamentalist/bigoted vote, which will help my party, the Democrats. Don't let the response put you off. I saw you thread as a thoughtful attempt to discuss this without the shouting, whining, and gang-banging some of the other threads have experienced. Welcome to D&D and don't be a stranger.
A division of the GOP. Everything they fight for they don't realize the current president is giving to them.
