The Conversation With a Florida Tea Partier That Should Scare Every Republican
Last week, Mollie raised an interesting point about what a Mitt Romney nomination means for the Republican Party. In the comments, I shared my concern concerning the lean-Republican independents who make up much of the Tea Party, and who prior to 2009 were mostly inactive in politics beyond regularly voting.
The Tea Party is a collection of people who felt compelled to transition from citizens to activists in favor of limited government and fiscal restraint. Many sacrifice time away from family, work, and life in a desperate attempt to save the nation they love, from their perspective. My concern is that the Tea Party will recoil from supporting a Republican Party that is headed by John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, and Mitt Romney.
I spoke with one such Tea Partier, Rebecca from Florida, over the weekend. She's a retired detective turned young stay-at-home mom, who labels herself a "generic Tea Partier." What she had to say was fascinating and illuminating, and it should concern just about every smart Republican. She was gracious enough to let me publicize her thoughts here at Ricochet.
Here's what she had to share:
"I became politically engaged after the 2008 election," Rebecca told me. "I used to only vote in Presidential elections and local elections that were of interest to me. In January of 2008 I saw Barack Obama give a speech and I was really wowed. He is quite a gifted speaker." She admits that she "liked what he was saying, but some things were just a little off."
She started listening to Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck again, wanting to hear what this Obama fellow was really about. But beyond that, she didn't engage in activism - she just showed up to vote for McCain, despite what she considered his "progressivism."
"Obama got elected. Then Obamacare was rammed through. I was appalled. I couldn't believe the shady way such important legislation was passed," Rebecca said. "I have some like-minded mommy friends and I got together with them. I joined our local 9/12 Project, and As A Mom and the TEA Party of Tampa Bay."
Via email and Twitter, Rebecca started sharing information, organizing, paying more attention to what was happening. She took early retirement in 2010 to stay home with her son (Benjamin - a great name, am I right?), and gave birth to another young son (Jameson) last May.
"You see, I now have *much* more to think about in regards to the future of our country," Rebecca said, and happily so. She redoubled her efforts, achieving a level of engagement in politics she'd never had before, and as you all know, Florida's Senate race was ground zero for this movement.
"Casting my vote for Marco Rubio in the primary and then again in the general gave me this amazing feeling of accomplishment," Rebecca said. "I felt like we had done it. First, when he beat Crist for the Republican nod. When he won the seat, I felt like I had finally been able to cast a vote for someone I *believed* in, instead of just choosing the least worst one."
"2010 was a real turning point for me. I watched the midterm election results as we won the House with some good, solid conservatives and I felt so proud and accomplished. I felt like we - the TEA Party, my mommy friends, ME - we had made a difference," Rebecca said. "We were helping to put our country back on the right path, and return to the ideals of our founders."
"Then came 2011," Rebecca says, and her mood clouds. "It felt like every time I turned around, John Boehner and Mitch McConnell were selling us out, hanging our Tea Party freshmen out to dry, and doing it for no apparent reason."
She's unsure why this is. "Are they idiots, or just the worst chess/poker players ever? Every time they have an opportunity to limit government, reduce taxes, etc. they blow it."
And all the while, President Obama is able to "look like he's trying, he's really trying, but the 'Republican Controlled Congress' keeps getting in the way. The debt ceiling increases. The lack of a budget. The 30-odd House passed bills that Harry Reid won't allow a vote on." Indeed, Rebecca is so infuriated with the Congress' inability to carry their message or push back, she thinks a third party might be needed.
"I almost feel as though there needs to be a new party, a truly conservative party, that really represents us. Sometimes I feel like the GOP is more interested in protecting their jobs than in promoting conservative ideals. At least, that's what Boehner and McConnell make me think," Rebecca said. "Why can't we have a party full of Rubios - candidates who believe in American exceptionalism and limited government, and do so unapologetically? Why do we have to have so many squishes?"
The Republican presidential stakes kicked in, and Rebecca engaged. Her hopes rise with Rick Perry's entrance, but then "he gets hammered for stupid things, and drops." She thought about Herman Cain, "but his lack of campaign management was disconcerting." She never really thought Bachmann would make it to Florida, and says "Erick Erickson has educated me too much to cast a vote for Rick Santorum." She considers Ron Paul's views right on a number of accounts, but thinks his foreign policy is "crazy."
"So here I am, supporting Newt Gingrich," Rebecca says. "I'm not in love with Newt, but I trust him more to stay true to conservative ideals. The guy pushed Clinton right, for goodness sake. I only trust Mitt to stay true to himself."
So, Rebecca, about Mitt: why not Romney this time?
"I don't trust him, and I don't think he can win. He is utterly unaware of how offensive his disconnect with the average American is. He drops $10K bets like it's nothing. He thinks $342,000 isn't very much to make in a year," Rebecca said. "I don't begrudge him his wealth - he worked for it and earned it and that is admirable. But I hate his lack of awareness of how super-wealthy he is. His flip-flops are legendary."
"Oh, and he invented Obamacare."
"I see a Romney nomination causing Tea Partiers like me to tune out. We are already disheartened by the congressional leadership. Romney will be the final nail in the coffin. He is completely uninspiring, and is everything we have been working so hard to defeat within the GOP," Rebecca said. "Don't even get me started on that Bain Capital picture. Ugh. There is no way he can win. And I don't want to have to defend him while he tries."
"What is the point in becoming educated on candidates and politics, arguing with my friends, taking the time away from my family - to end up with the guy McCain can't even look in the eye. Why bother?" Rebecca says. "Obviously the "establishment" has already decided it's Romney's turn, and to hell with what we want. I feel like I'm being patted on the head and told "Now go vote for Romney like a good little girl. We know what's best."... I don't even do that to my 3-year-old. It's insulting. It doesn't make me want to campaign for him."
"It honestly makes me want to skip the election, but Obama scares me too much to do that. I do think a Romney presidency will hurt the GOP brand though, and make it hard for a real conservative to have a shot," Rebecca said. "I feel like this is so similar to our 2010 Senate race. Romney is the Crist candidate, loved by many and backed by the establishment. But we have no Rubio. Crist would have been an easy win. He was a liked governor. Without Rubio, he would have easily won the seat. Just because we don't have a Rubio in this race doesn't mean we need to settle for a Crist."
Rebecca feels pressure, among more longstanding Republicans, to get on board the idea of Romney. But she says she's more likely to disengage. This is part of my overall concern: where cycles of political strife often include longtime activists bemoaning flawed nominees (as we saw in 2008 with McCain, and 1996 with Dole) and threatening to walk away, these are paid professionals who have been actively engaged in politics for decades. The Tea Party has a much shorter timeframe of engagement, which may indicate they are more likely to return to their previously disenfranchised state.
"It's like [Republicans] think because I don't eat, sleep and breathe politics, I can't make an informed decision - it must be emotional. My guy lost so I don't want your guy to win. When really I just don't think your guy is the best guy for the job," Rebecca said. "I can easily see a decreased Tea Party voter turn out if Romney is the nominee. I know political pundits may find this hard to believe, but not everyone's life revolves around elections. Are they important? Yes. Should people vote? Absolutely. But LIFE happens."
Rebecca tabulates her schedule for tomorrow, Florida's election day - a typical Tuesday for her household. She flies solo nearly all day, and she's never voted early. Husband's breakfast/lunch packed. Get her two boys up. Breakfast/lunch packed for them. Thirty minutes to Kindermusik, all morning there. Home early afternoon, already late for their naps. Errands, an abbreviated playtime. Dinner, baths, bed. Just voting, she says, is nearly impossible with two youngsters during the day lest naptimes and eating schedules be disrupted, and there's no way she can even attempt to get it done with both kids after about 5 because of the after-work crowds. But she'll still do it.
"I will be voting this Tuesday. I will make it fit into my schedule. I feel like my vote matters right now," Rebecca said. "But can you see how I might not make it a priority if I feel like either my vote doesn't matter, or if I don't feel like the candidate I'm voting for will be much different then what we have? Can you see how life may take precedence over casting an uninspired vote? I can't be alone in this thought process, and if enough people feel this way (and I think they will) it will be catastrophic for Romney and really very bad down-ticket as well."
Will the Tea Party remain engaged in a party led by Romney, Boehner, and McConnell? Rebecca thinks we are about to find out.
"I feel like the people who live politics just don't understand those of us who don't. I am a self-identified political junkie. I am enthralled this cycle with how things change so quickly, and I am trying to stay very informed. But I have to be honest, my time is limited. My family, my boys are my everything. Being informed takes time away from them," she says, whether it's engaging online, organizing activist responses, pushing back their naps to attend a rally.
"If I don't feel like I'm making a difference, where is my incentive to take that time from them?" Rebecca asks.
How Republicans answer her, and the concerns of those like her, may decide their future as a party in 2012 and beyond.
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Comments:
Aug '11
Re: The Conversation With a Florida Tea Partier That Should Scare Every Republican
That's a pretty big IF to gamble on.
As I see it, if Romney is the nominee, the lack of conservative enthusiasm will translate to a lower turnout, and Congress will probably head back to the Democrats' control. There will likely be no gains for the GOP.
May '10
Re: The Conversation With a Florida Tea Partier That Should Scare Every Republican
I don't get this Republican Establishment stuff. To riff off a current AT&T mobile ad:
I would have preferred Daniels, Barbour, Christie (not because he's conservative, but because he has guts), Rubio, or Ryan to any of the current choices. And Romney is close to the last on the list of current choices. But if primary voters pick him, I'll support him.
A third party would give Democrats the keys to the White House -- without having to even pretend to be moderate -- for the next twenty years.
Aug '11
Re: The Conversation With a Florida Tea Partier That Should Scare Every Republican
I did a double-take when I read this because she echoes my sentiments exactly. I've not considered myself a Tea Partier in the past and still don't because I've believed (apparently incorrectly) that people like me still existed within the party and could make a difference without labeling myself. Last year I was confident that the GOP would retake the White House and both houses. This year I have no such belief. Rebecca is right on the money that the GOP leaders have had repeated opportunities to make a difference...as they had when they owned both houses. Yet, time after time, the deals (or lack thereof) that they make are shameful. As Rebecca stated, we are just supposed to shut-up and vote for the establishments choice and I'm not going to do it this year. I want someone who will uphold fiscal conservative ideals and push back against large government...and LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE! At this point...I have no dog in this race. What scares me is that I still won't by November.
Edited on January 30, 2012 at 8:43pmAug '11
Re: The Conversation With a Florida Tea Partier That Should Scare Every Republican
Diego Sun Devil:
Romney may not be conservative enough, but that's who we have, . . .
Why so fatalist? We don't have him yet. We can still reject him -- and we should. There's plenty of time.
Edited on January 30, 2012 at 8:39pmMay '11
Re: The Conversation With a Florida Tea Partier That Should Scare Every Republican
Diego Sun Devil:
Romney may not be conservative enough, but that's who we have, so get behind him and vote for the most conservative people you can find for Congress.
Diego, would you like to be told to "get behind" Ron Paul? Or to "get behind" Santorum? Or to "get behind" Newt?
This is exactly what many of us are sick of hearing. We don't want a candidate we are told to "get behind" we want candidates we are eager to support. And look what happens when we do...1994 and 2010. (Not to mention Reagan.)
May '11
Re: The Conversation With a Florida Tea Partier That Should Scare Every Republican
I'm very sympathetic with the Tea Party and I would prefer their agenda over that of the "Establishment Republicans". However, whether we like it or not, our choice in the 2012 election is likely to be Mitt Romney vs. Obama. Let's not let perfect be the enemy of good or else we'll be looking at another four years of Obama.
Dec '11
Re: The Conversation With a Florida Tea Partier That Should Scare Every Republican
Wouldnt that first require there to be a good?
Aug '11
Re: The Conversation With a Florida Tea Partier That Should Scare Every Republican
It doesn't have to be. Looks like Romney might win Florida. (He should, because he's spent millions there trashing Newt with multiple lies, and a lie goes halfway around the Gulf of Mexico while the truth is still putting on its pants.) But that's just Florida. There are 46 states left. Let's make sure Romney wins none of them.
I know some very conservative people who are prepared to vote for Obama if Romney becomes the nominee. They figure that's the only way that the GOP establishment will learn.
Personally, I think Mitt peaked last week, and it's all downhill from here. Nationally, Newt is still polling ahead of Mitt.
Edited on January 30, 2012 at 8:53pmRe: The Conversation With a Florida Tea Partier That Should Scare Every Republican
The key to understanding this dynamic is that there are low barriers to entry and low barriers to exit. Rebecca is, if anything, MORE Republican than the typical Tea Partier - she was always a registered GOPer, voted for McCain in 2008, etc. She's not an indie lean-Republican but essentially a Republican who became more active in impacting her party.
So what happens to those who voted as she did in 2010, and engaged as she did, who were always less Republican and more fiscally conservative/limited government minded? Are they more likely than she is to become disengaged?
Aug '11
Re: The Conversation With a Florida Tea Partier That Should Scare Every Republican
DrewInWisconsin
Diego Sun Devil:
Romney may not be conservative enough, but that's who we have, . . .
Why so fatalist? We don't have him yet. We can still reject him -- and we should. There's plenty of time. · 30 minutes ago
Edited 30 minutes ago
You are spot on! People are sheep..or even worse...lemmings. I heard Steve Roberts on the radio this morning sharing that there was no way we would ever have a brokered convention. No siree...those days are long over, says Steve. Why? When did someone decide that the nominee had to be annointed months before the convention?
May '11
Re: The Conversation With a Florida Tea Partier That Should Scare Every Republican
Guruforhire
Wouldnt that first require there to be a good? · 32 minutes ago
How about the much lesser of two evils ?
Apr '11
Re: The Conversation With a Florida Tea Partier That Should Scare Every Republican
Rebecca exemplifies the naivete of some, maybe most of the tea partiers (or at least the types that gave us Sharon Angle, and want to give us Newt). She thought one election would change the world, she thinks that more voters share her mindset than actually do, she thinks nominating the catastrophically unpopular Newt Gingrich is just the ticket. She is also, as Frozen points out, woefully uninformed (doesn't seem to realize that Romney came out early for Rubio early and against Crist).
Edited on January 30, 2012 at 9:26pmAug '11
Re: The Conversation With a Florida Tea Partier That Should Scare Every Republican
Blue State Curmudgeon
Guruforhire
Wouldnt that first require there to be a good?
How about the much lesser of two evils ?
If it comes down to Obama v. Romney, why settle for the lesser evil?
Dec '11
Re: The Conversation With a Florida Tea Partier That Should Scare Every Republican
There is, by the way, already a third party that has been able, by dint of organization, to place candidates on the ballot in all 50 states, election after election.
The Libertarian Party was the Tea Party before there was a Tea Party.
Aug '11
Re: The Conversation With a Florida Tea Partier That Should Scare Every Republican
One election did change the world: Ronald Reagan, 1980.
So did another: Barack Obama, 2008.
Edited on January 30, 2012 at 9:44pmApr '11
Re: The Conversation With a Florida Tea Partier That Should Scare Every Republican
Ben Domenech:
So what happens to those who voted as she did in 2010, and engaged as she did, who were always less Republican and more fiscally conservative/limited government minded? Are they more likely than she is to become disengaged? · 31 minutes ago
The majority of tea partiers in Florida now support Romney. She's welcome to take her ball and go home, but I don't think mass defection is likely.
Dec '10
Re: The Conversation With a Florida Tea Partier That Should Scare Every Republican
Oh - you mean Romney stuck a knife in the back of the guy who denied him an endorsement in 2008?
(See how easy it is to spin?)
Dec '10
Re: The Conversation With a Florida Tea Partier That Should Scare Every Republican
DrewInWisconsin
That's a pretty big IF to gamble on.
As I see it, if Romney is the nominee, the lack of conservative enthusiasm will translate to a lower turnout, and Congress will probably head back to the Democrats' control. There will likely be no gains for the GOP. · 55 minutes ago
Moreover, Romney as President may well decide to buck the conservatives in Congress and side with a coalition of Democrats and liberal Republicans. That coalition may better fit his governing inclinations, and it also lets him claim the patina of "bipartisanship."
Dec '10
Re: The Conversation With a Florida Tea Partier That Should Scare Every Republican
That's understandable, but why are you certain that Romney CAN win, in the sense that he's able to make a case for himself, a defense against the case against him, and a case against Obama?
Feb '11
Re: The Conversation With a Florida Tea Partier That Should Scare Every Republican
Some of the comments above are unfair - sorry, I cast my first vote in 1994, I was 18 and thrilled to be able to finally vote Republican, I'd been turned on by Rush and National Review in 1990 after getting sick of my teachers trashing this country during the Gulf War.
My family on my Mother's side have been GOP since 1860! I've served on County Committee, I've helped the party at fund raisers, elect State Reps., Local Reps., Senate campaings, and assisted with almost every Presidential campaign since 1996, even sending $10 when I had almost nothing, so spare me the "naiveté" comments.
I began to loose my faith in the period 2002-2007 as I got sick to death of defending the Bush administration. I hated voting for McCain in 2008, but I did, he didn't get my support in terms of money or volunteering.
Now here we are, after the chastening of 2006 - which I thought the GOP earned, I feel like the leadership keeps saying, thanks for the votes suckers - now on to make nice nice with the Dems. I am fuming mad.
Continued