As I was saying, the Tea Party knows what it opposes in the abstract. But any time somebody introduces specifics there's going to be rapid division. Frankly, events like the failed protest of the auto industry bailout reveal the Tea Party for what it is - a movement about them taking from us, without any concern for whether its members are receiving any of the benefits of society's largesse and even less whether they're paying for it.
Although I don't necessarily disagree, I am forced to ask the obvious follow-up question, "How would this differnetiate them from the existing political parties?"
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The existing political parties exist. Or did you mean the dominant parties? To start with, they have party platforms.
ReplyDeleteYou could draw a comparison to the Libertarian Party, which represents a wide range of factions with very different priorities that prevent it from articulating a clear or sensible agenda, and it may turn into that... with similar levels of support. Just as the Reform Party sort of did.
The lack of coherence to the Tea Party is reflected in the current battle between the religious right and the Republican Party, not to mention some opportunistic commercial interests, to lay claim to the "movement" and its members.
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