Up Next: The Dems' Own Tea Party?
James Poulos, Ed. ·
Nov 1, 2010 at 8:46am
Anti-incumbency! It's the lede of the year. But we can't understand what's happening to sitting Democrats unless we underscore what's going on within the GOP. This year, a vote against the Democrats is a vote to change the Republican party, too.
And next time? Coming out of Election '10, how much patience -- how much faith -- will Democratic voters retain for their own establishment?
What grassroots movement from the left's bullpen of 'freaks' and 'rubes' is yet to come?
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Aug '10
Re: Up Next: The Dems' Own Tea Party?
I thought they already tried it with the so-called "Coffee Party".
May '10
Re: Up Next: The Dems' Own Tea Party?
I thought it was the Jon Stewart rally to destroy sobriety (h/t Iowahawk).
How much power do the nutroots have? Tune in and find out, same bat-time, same bat-channel. While mingling with them to hone mad fencing skillz, I really have no idea how much power they wield in real life.
If they wield any, we may have to redfine "rump".
Jul '10
Re: Up Next: The Dems' Own Tea Party?
I think the democrats are already governed by their ideological vanguard. Their version of a tea party would actually pull them center and better represent the mainstream of their party and its average voters. To form a corp of an ideological shock troops to pull the party to the left would be disastrous and counter productive.
I'm not saying they won't do it but it would be a disaster.
Oct '10
Re: Up Next: The Dems' Own Tea Party?
James Poulos, Ed.:
What grassroots movement from the left's bullpen of 'freaks' and 'rubes' is yet to come? ·
Didn't we already see what a leftist "grassroots" movement looks like? If you recall, according to their definitions that's what moveon.org and its kin were supposed to be.
Re: Up Next: The Dems' Own Tea Party?
chadn737
James Poulos, Ed.:
What grassroots movement from the left's bullpen of 'freaks' and 'rubes' is yet to come? ·
Didn't we already see what a leftist "grassroots" movement looks like? If you recall, according to their definitions that's what moveon.org and its kin were supposed to be. · Nov 1 at 9:36am
We saw what a leftroots movement looks like. But will the next one look like that?
Oct '10
Re: Up Next: The Dems' Own Tea Party?
chadn737
James Poulos, Ed.:
What grassroots movement from the left's bullpen of 'freaks' and 'rubes' is yet to come? ·
Didn't we already see what a leftist "grassroots" movement looks like? If you recall, according to their definitions that's what moveon.org and its kin were supposed to be. · Nov 1 at 9:36am
Add ACORN to that list, even though it is not technically a grassroots movement. That is actually a moot point. Leftist "grassroots" movements are controlled by the Left's upper echelons. Any leftist grassroots movements that refuses to uphold the entire leftist agenda will be distanced & demonized and/or outright silenced before they managed to hold a single rally. Why do you think NOW is silent on the plight of women in Muslim contries who are enslaved, mutilated, and murdered?
Edited on Nov 1, 2010 at 10:08amJul '10
Re: Up Next: The Dems' Own Tea Party?
We're seeing it now.
Edited on Nov 1, 2010 at 10:11amAug '10
Re: Up Next: The Dems' Own Tea Party?
If I had to bet I would say that the Dems will double-down on their left-wing lunacy. They are too terrified of losing their lefty special interest groups to moderate. When your party is made up of Acorn, union acitvists and college students what else are you going to do?
Jul '10
Re: Up Next: The Dems' Own Tea Party?
The independent voter is the battleground of politics from now on. Obama and his band of radicals have turned off the white middle class in this country. If the Republican party has righted itself and the Geo. Bush/Juan McCain/Michael Steele element can be curbed, there are grounds for optimism.
Jul '10
Re: Up Next: The Dems' Own Tea Party?
You mean like Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge?
I think the terms "grassroots movement" and "left" are mutually exclusive. The left is has too much centrifugal force in it's outlook to be grassroots in the sense of being widely disseminated and "bottom-up". Especially when you consider what their platform would have to be: more socialism to the point of nationalism, even bigger government, all workers as public employees, real single-payer right now. Those all require a big kahuna at the top to show the plebes the way to go. "Tea party" ain't their style.
Jul '10
Re: Up Next: The Dems' Own Tea Party?
Brewing up a Pot of roogious tea....unbagged. I mix that with a little "green" tea...mmm mmm good!
Oct '10
Re: Up Next: The Dems' Own Tea Party?
James Poulos, Ed.
chadn737
James Poulos, Ed.:
What grassroots movement from the left's bullpen of 'freaks' and 'rubes' is yet to come? ·
Didn't we already see what a leftist "grassroots" movement looks like? If you recall, according to their definitions that's what moveon.org and its kin were supposed to be. · Nov 1 at 9:36am
We saw what a leftroots movement looks like. But will the next one look like that? · Nov 1 at 9:48am
Don't they all look the same?
Jul '10
Re: Up Next: The Dems' Own Tea Party?
This perhaps where the Dem's identity politics work against them.
Gays aren't going to march with Hispanics.
Hispanics (despite all the "people of color" pandering) aren't going to march with blacks.
The Tea Party has a cohesive message. The Left speaks in many different tongues. The Democrats are being left exposed as what they really are - a loose coalition of special interests.
May '10
Re: Up Next: The Dems' Own Tea Party?
Hi James. I know it's bad to go off topic, but I saw a banner ad that George (the bar) was having an election party tomorrow night, and I know you have to be on a list to get in... Do you know anything about this? I'd love to be on the list if you have any conservative party connections!
Thanks
May '10
Re: Up Next: The Dems' Own Tea Party?
In 2004-2008, many pf the more libertarian political commentators such as Glenn Reynolds (and GOP-oriented bloggers) criticized the GOP for trying to exercise too much tops-down message control, thus letting the New Media revolution be grabbed by the Dems.
It appears to me now that that accusation is basically wrong. The problem is not that the GOP is run by control freaks, it is that the Dems require no control whatever, so the central left/party can ignore the "Net/nut-Roots". Why? They all think in lock-step. No message control needed when every person has the exact same views.
The libertarian-GOP Right is all about freedom and the party tolerates true big tent ideas (the fact that the majority is strongly pro-life is not central control, it is a reflection of reality), so the message is inherently dispersed and fragmented.
If they forget TEA Parties, Coffee Parties, and substitute "Sex-Drugs-and-Rock-and-Roll-instead-of-growing-up Party" maybe a crowd will show up.
Jul '10
Re: Up Next: The Dems' Own Tea Party?
I agree with Kenneth. Nothing unites them except bigger government. They are a party of competing special interests.
The left doesn't have a "big tent," they have a "big mall."
May '10
Re: Up Next: The Dems' Own Tea Party?
Duane is right! (so is Howard Johnson). I doubt they'll act on the "let a thousand scruffy basement-dwellers bloom" theory, though.
Jun '10
Re: Up Next: The Dems' Own Tea Party?
The Democrats and the Republicans are pretty much the same in the extreme, their theological differences aside. Both have their priests, their acolytes, their true believers, their fundamentalists; upon whom no amount of evidence contrary to their thinking will ever allow room for an original thought.
But the majority aren't necessarily that devout. I'd say a great number are lapsed. Given a reasonable alternative I think a good many Democrats would change their affiliation rather quickly. Who knows, with the apparent continuing progress of the TEA party we might see something similar for the Democrats after this election.
Thinking of anyone who voted Democrat as a rube or a nutjob is a mistake of huge proportions. I think many would switch if given a valid choice to vote for.
I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't see the birth of a viable third party this year,