Another Tea Party Takeover
This from Talking Points Memo:
In August, O’Neal, an attorney and anti-tax activist who had had little involvement with the Tea Party movement, registered the “Tea Party” as a new political party with the Florida Division of Elections. O’Neal has told the press he intended to recruit conservative candidates under the Tea Party banner — an idea that hasn’t sat well with many Tea Party activists, who view any organized political party with distrust.
Now, according to one activist, O’Neal and his business partner “are trying to ‘hijack’ our movement and turn it into the thing we are protesting for their own personal gain.”
More accusations of either profiteers or GOP establishment types trying to co-opt the Tea Party name for their own personal gain. It seems when a movement gets plenty of media coverage, everyone wants their cut. Which brings me to this conclusion.
The Tea Party movement has been severely damaged by the recent amateur attempts at co-opting the name and philosophy. We’ve seen it with Sarah Palin and Judson Phillips and their involvement in Tea Party Nation and that dreadful convention in Nashville, and now we’ve seen the more direct politicized outcome with Fred O’Neal attempting to actually turn the movement and its ideologues into a Third Party force, of course with himself as founder and leader.
Right. Add the National Review to the accruing baggage. The Tea Party phenomenon is reactionary with no real ideas anyway. It has no political legs because it says nothing more than “No”.
And once legacy Republican hacks like Dick Cheney, Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh attach themselves to the movement, it will be just as discredited as they are.
Legitimate guilt by association…
It’s an interesting phenomenon that unlike other political groups, the Limbaugh/Beck/Palin fans define a marketing segment that is as reliably lucrative for a certain type of political product as the teenage market is for music. Seeing the hundreds of millions that Limbaugh makes for a show that likely costs next to nothing to produce, it’s small wonder others would want a piece.
Oh nonsense, you are mincing around whinging like Democrat.
What is there about free enterprise and liberty don’t you understand?
(No need to answer, I know what your dodge will be.)
Sounds to me that you just do not want to lose you “elitist conservative” position to me. The Tea Party movement is not “damaged” by Palin getting the movement more visibility. Far from it.
That you spit back MSM agitprop on this speaks volumes about what camp you pitch your tent in.
This is really beyond elitist like you. I would say it is sad, but it is actually pretty comical. Live it or live with it, there Billy.
No one in the Tea Party movement requires your advice. Bank on it.