Texas follows Florida...maybe

robeiae · Feb 9, 2010

From the now-locked tea party thread:

me said:
The Repub primaries for at-risk Dem seats are attracting lots of new candidates, to be sure. And so far, the ones that fit the combo of tea-party/conservative/DC-outsider are doing the best, I think. Point in fact, Marco Rubio is all but a lock for the Repub nomination for the open Senate seat in Florida, even though Crist was way out in front some time ago (not unlike Coakley in Mass). And he's getting support from all three of those groups, much to Crists' dismay. And part of me thinks that's a shame, but another part of me thinks it's great.

Medina is picking up steam in Texas, almost up to Hutchison. I'm sure Perry's looking over his shoulder and wondering WTF?!?

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2010/governor/tx/texas_governor_republican_primary-1082.html

Oddly, I'm not conflicted here.

But regardless of what one thinks of the tea-parties and their adherents, this is clearly--in my view--a real movement and one worth watching, whether to applaud or condemn.

whistlelock · Feb 9, 2010

robeiae said:
But regardless of what one thinks of the tea-parties and their adherents, this is clearly--in my view--a real movement and one worth watching, whether to applaud or condemn.

Yes, I agree.

And, I am not surprised at all by momentum for a Tea Party candidate here in Texas at all. We've got Libertarians holding office (Ron Paul is from here too). The Libertarians even get enough money to run radio ads. During the day!

So, yeah, small government party with a snazzy media name and some national personalities behind it- no surprise about Texas.

POPASMOKE · Feb 9, 2010

robeiae said:
...But regardless of what one thinks of the tea-parties and their adherents, this is clearly--in my view--a real movement

I think you're right Rob. Would hope the fringe element is repudiated. Otherwise it just becomes another forum for political extremism with a lack of credibility. Hope that doesn't happen.

Slushie · Feb 9, 2010

Yeah. It's definitely a political movement. The question is, how will the Republican party respond? Will the TPM be absorbed into a tweaked Republican platform? Should be interesting to watch.

I make the distinction, though, that I don't see this as a Libertarian movement. I think there is too much general emphasis on social conservatism to actually be a completely small government movement.

blacbird · Feb 9, 2010

Slushie said:
I don't see this as a Libertarian movement. I think there is too much general emphasis on social conservatism to actually be a completely small government movement.

Not a small part of the reason TPers are POd at the Republican Establishment is that they've figured out that the Republican Party leadership over the past twenty or more years has been troweling out the social conservative rhetoric without actually pushing much of it in the way of policies. So they find new fuzzy warm comfort in this "movement". They majorly do want to outlaw abortion, gay rights in any form, Creationism taught as science in public schools, mandatory (fundamentalist Protestant) prayer in public schools, censorship of whatever they see as pornography, etc.

caw

Don · Feb 9, 2010

Slushie nailed this one. Saved me some typing.

Don · Feb 9, 2010

I'm not convinced yet that the majority of TPers are from the Sarah Palin wing, as bb proposes. That fringe certainly wasn't part of the original movement, so we'll see how much of the mob it manages to herd.

Over where the movement started, the Palin contingent is good for nothing more than a laugh.

robeiae · Feb 9, 2010

Slushie said:
Yeah. It's definitely a political movement. The question is, how will the Republican party respond? Will the TPM be absorbed into a tweaked Republican platform? Should be interesting to watch.

I make the distinction, though, that I don't see this as a Libertarian movement. I think there is too much general emphasis on social conservatism to actually be a completely small government movement.

blacbird said:
Not a small part of the reason TPers are POd at the Republican Establishment is that they've figured out that the Republican Party leadership over the past twenty or more years has been troweling out the social conservative rhetoric without actually pushing much of it in the way of policies. So they find new fuzzy warm comfort in this "movement". They majorly do want to outlaw abortion, gay rights in any form, Creationism taught as science in public schools, mandatory (fundamentalist Protestant) prayer in public schools, censorship of whatever they see as pornography, etc.

caw

In this case--Texas--Medina is affiliated directly with the Ron Paul crowd, which seems much less interested in social conservatism than some other groups. But I don't really know that much about her.

DavidZahir · Feb 9, 2010

robeiae said:
But regardless of what one thinks of the tea-parties and their adherents, this is clearly--in my view--a real movement and one worth watching, whether to applaud or condemn.

Actually, I agree.

blacbird · Feb 9, 2010

Don said:
I'm not convinced yet that the majority of TPers are from the Sarah Palin wing, as bb proposes.

You'll note, please, that I never used the word "majority", or implied such. I think you misread my slangy use of "majorly", intended to mean their "major interest" (for which laziness in writing I hereby apologize). But there's no question about a pretty good number of people who are most strongly motivated by "social conservatism" now finding in the TP stuff an attractive nest.

caw

Don · Feb 9, 2010

blacbird said:
You'll note, please, that I never used the word "majority", or implied such. I think you misread my slangy use of "majorly", intended to mean their "major interest" (for which laziness in writing I hereby apologize). But there's no question about a pretty good number of people who are most strongly motivated by "social conservatism" now finding in the TP stuff an attractive nest.

caw

I read "the TPers" then several references to "they", including "they majorly..."

I don't see any other way than to read that, than that the TPers as a group (they) are majorly, etc.

And my whole point was that I don't think you can assume that the majority of the tp crowd are social conservatives, when the movement started as a small-government push. For one thing, social conservatism restricts liberties and grows the state, so that's defeating the primary purpose.

Like I said, we'll see how big a contingent the "official" TP group really manages to start herding as their theocratic attitudes become more apparent.

whistlelock · Feb 9, 2010

Is anyone else mentally inserting Toilet Paper everytime someone short hands the Tea Party Movement with TP?

POPASMOKE · Feb 9, 2010

whistlelock said:
Is anyone else mentally inserting Toilet Paper everytime someone short hands the Tea Party Movement with TP?

You are evil! "Wipe" that grin off your face.

robeiae · Feb 9, 2010

Great. Now the bad puns will just roll out...

blacbird · Feb 9, 2010

Don said:
I read "the TPers" then several references to "they", including "they majorly..."

I don't see any other way than to read that, than that the TPers as a group (they) are majorly, etc.

Read it again.

Don said:
And my whole point was that I don't think you can assume that the majority of the tp crowd are social conservatives,

As I said, I don't. To reiterate, I simply made a sloppy slang phrase intended to express the idea that the major interest the "social conservatives" have is in pushing their social agenda. Which I think is undeniably true.

caw

caw

Death Wizard · Feb 9, 2010

whistlelock said:
Is anyone else mentally inserting Toilet Paper everytime someone short hands the Tea Party Movement with TP?

As Beavis used to say, "I am the Great Cornholio! I need TP for my bunghole!"

robeiae · Feb 11, 2010

Texas follows Florida...maybe

Or maybe not:

Asked by Glenn Beck if she was a "truther," Medina responds:

"I don't have all of the evidence there, Glenn. I'm not in a place -- I have not been out publicly questioning that. I think some very good questions have been raised in that regard. There's some very good arguments and I think the American people have not seen all of the evidence there, so I have not taken a position on that."

She tried to defend this later, but I'm not buying it.

Imagine that. Glenn Beck--of all people--ferreting out a loony.

SPMiller · Feb 12, 2010

robeiae said:
Imagine that. Glenn Beck--of all people--ferreting out a loony.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Death Wizard · Feb 12, 2010

I observed this at a Tea Party event today that I was forced to attend for work purposes. A news photographer takes a photo of a man who is yelling at the top of his lungs. The photographer asks the man his name. The man says David. The photographer asks the man his last name. The man says, "I can't give you that, because Obama knows how to spell."

I guess that's a backhanded compliment of sorts.

Texas follows Florida...maybe

robeiae

Touch and go

whistlelock

Whiskey Rebel

POPASMOKE

Keep your turns up

Slushie

Custom User Title

blacbird

Don

All Living is Local

Don

All Living is Local

robeiae

Touch and go

DavidZahir

Malkavian Primogen

blacbird

Don

All Living is Local

whistlelock

Whiskey Rebel

POPASMOKE

Keep your turns up

robeiae

Touch and go

blacbird

Death Wizard

Tumhe na koci puujetha

robeiae

Touch and go

SPMiller

Prodigiously Hanged

Death Wizard

Tumhe na koci puujetha