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A note to you disenchanted tea party activists

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  July 29th, 2011 at 09:08 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

I’m getting a lot of emails from tea party members rather upset with members of Congress today.

The funniest story I’ve heard today from several people on the hill is that the House GOP held a budget “listening” session to learn how to message better for tea parties and independents. The House GOP leaders really thought that they had the policy right and just needed to work on the message — troubling in that this is exactly what the Democrats told themselves as they went down in flames in 2010.

In any event, one of the pollster types in the room pointed out that the tea partiers and independents actually understand the message and understand the policy — they aren’t rubes. It’s just they hate the policy.

Anyway, for those of you who are disenchanted, just consider that because of your continued, aggressive stand in defense of freedom, Lindsey Graham and Orrin Hatch are holding the line even when Jeff Flake and Mike Pence are going wobbly.

Consider that a small victory in this large fight for fiscal sanity.

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  • __t_i_m_o_t_h_y__

    And a resolve to kick some butt.

    There is a saying that ‘sports don’t build character, they reveal it” and we just saw the wheat separated from the chaff in this little kerfuffle.

    No retreat, reload.

  • http://www.keadleforcongress.com vickistg

    but I agree they just don’t get it. I heard Bob Beckle on Fox this afternoon. He’s telling the rest of the guys on the panel that they “don’t understand DC, I live in DC. This is how it works” and I’m yelling at the TV! “Yeah, we KNOW how it works and we DON’T LIKE IT!” Sheesh!

  • http://www4.webng.com/rickbull/lostlucky/ rickbull

    will learn it in 11/2012.

  • ghostship

    I approve of GOP leaders having a listening session but they fail to understand that it is THEM who should be listening to US.

  • PaladinLostHour

    Schumer, Reid, Durbin, using *exactly* the talking points and strategy (zombie shell bill) that Eric has been yelling into the wind about for a week now.

    I wonder if the good folks over at the Weekly Standard, the Weekly Standard Annex (formerly known as National Review Online), and the Laura Ingrahams, Bill O’Reillys (aka Ted Baxter), and other assorted useful idiots who’ve pimped this ride will take responsibility for what they’ve enabled.

    They’re sweating the damage done to Boehner? They need to ask themselves how many Tea Party activists just folded their arms and said ‘screw it. I’ll just look after myself’; and oh, by the way, how we’re going to replace the energy of those folks.

    Lacking that enthusiasm, we may well see the House flip back, and Obama smear his way to a second term.

  • runner12

    we have a winner! You are spot on. If a good conservative runs against my Rep. in the primaries, that said person will receive my vote.

    I hope that I can attend the first town hall meeting after this vote of my Rep. who caved and voted for this (and the other “compromise”). It will make the ObamaCare town halls look like a book club meeting. They are going to chew him up one side and down the other. With good reason.

    On a side note, does anyone feel like we are in the twilight zone with Flake and Pence wobbly and Hatch and Graham holding the line? Good grief, it is enough to make one’s head spin.

  • http://www.neoavatara.com/blog neoavatara

    No offense, but I am sick of small victories. And getting Lindsey Graham re-elected is by no means a victory.

    I am just not sure where we go from here. Haven’t felt this depressed since election night 2008.

  • lineholder

    that he was standing by what his constituency wants first and foremost. And that’s basically true. Where SC is concerned, he is doing exactly what they elected him to do. All of the reps from SC are. Even Graham. (which is probably nothing more than posturing on his part) but it does go to show how differently they look at politics in that state.

  • runner12

    officially, I strongly identify with it and consider myself a part of the movement.

    Right now, I am not disenfranchised. I am re-energized and re-focused, and mad. We all knew that we had to get rid of the Democrats and the RINO’s in the last election. We were successful and started what will be a process to reform Washington.

    If anything, this situation illustrates that we have many in the GOP party who are pro-life statists and/or lack the fortitude and integrity to follow through on their pledge to reform Washington. These people must go.

    But we need to be careful that we do not throw everyone under the bus. What I mean by that is that we need to look at each person’s individual record before deciding to replace them. Take for instance, Mike Pence. He has a noted history of going against the leadership and statists in the past, even when it cost him. Even though he is flat-out wrong on this vote today, one vote does not undo all of his past anti-Washington stances.

    Contrast that with my Rep. ( see upthread). He has talked a great game and made fiscal conservatism his soap box. If you listened to his speeches and newsletters, one would have thought he was a sure “no.” But you would be wrong.

    I am certain my Rep. is a nice, even a good man. But until he illustrates thst he can say “no” to the leadership and not carry their water all of the time, I cannot in good conscience vote for him in a primary.

  • runner12

    I have always wanted to visit Charleston. I have heard it is a beautiful city. Too bad I can’t make it to the RS gathering.

  • lineholder

    Think it through. If conservatives and Tea Party activists had not pushed the issue in the elections last fall, would we even be having the conversation now about CCB or BBA? NO, we wouldn’t. The establishment Repubs would simply have followed their behavioral pattern of the status quo “business as usual” that they have become accustomed to, and the true issues our nation is facing wouldn’t have been addressed.

    Plus, how many people who never paid attention to politics before are now learning about how our government works and how to take on a more proactive role? Plenty, far more than we might have imagined three years ago. Because of conservatives and the Tea Party.

    But beyond that, if we don’t keep trying to push the issue, old-guard Repubs will go back to the status quo, which is part of what got us where we are now and would only make things worse in the years ahead.

    So we’ve accomplished more than it might seem today, when this particular vote is going on, but there’s still a long way to go!!! We need all the voices and champions we can get!

  • RetiredFF

    “your lips to God’s ears”. Well said my fellow Patriot

  • SoFiMil

    It was funny *and* (surprisingly) true.

  • amigag

    It seems like a lot has been accomplished in the three years as you’ve pointed out. Quite amazing when one considers how the Tea Party movement started.

    No leader, no government program/grant/funding. No Corporate offices, no membership dues and all other things you would think for such a large group.

    I agree we just need to keep working, adding more Conservatives.

    From talking with people, I find they are much more Conservative than they think:-)

  • http://www.theprecinctproject.wordpress.com ColdWarrior

    If you haven’t already seen this video of Andrew Breitbart’s speech at the RightOnline conference in Minneapolis in June, in the first couple of minutes he crystallizes what’s wrong with the “leaders” of the Republican Party: “If you can’t sell freedom and liberty, you suck.” “It is the life blood of humanity, freedom and liberty, and Republicans make it so boring.”

    http://rightonline.com/beta/completed-sessions

    What Breitbart apparently does not know is why there are not more Republicans who are conservative who get elected. It’s simply because there are not enough conservatives INSIDE the Republican Party, in the local precinct committeeman slots, to outnumber the Republicans In Name Only who ARE inside the Republican Party. If we conservatives in the grass roots conservative groups (the tea parties, 9.12 groups, etc.) filled up all of the empty precinct committeeman slots all across the nation, our Party would go from an ideologically-split, half-strength party to a full-strength, solidly conservative party. Then those in-the-majority conservative PCs could elect better, more conservative Party officers at the local, county, state and RNC levels. And they’d be in the best position to get out the vote for the conservative candidates in the traditionally-very-low-turnout primary elections.

    See the links below for more information about this strategy.

    Thank you.

    ColdWarrior

  • lizfstone

    Dear Leader(less)’ poll numbers have tanked.

    And Boehner has done the leg work for us (Tea Party) in the next election. Now we know the enemy amongst us.

  • RetiredFF

    get the chance to see or visit Charleston, SC, it is the most beautiful and most patriotic, historic city in our great country. I will be a few days late in being there and will miss the gathering. But all us in my family with heart and soul will be with you all. Thank you, Senator Demint. Rep Scott, and mostly Gov Haley for your true beliefs in conservative values. God Bless each and every one of you and God Bless America.

  • http://www.examiner.com/x-1597-Charlotte-Law--Politics-Examiner Mike gamecock DeVine

    Its a close call on what to do, especially given Obama’s poisoning of the water with his near promise to de-stabilize the markets with threats not to pay bondholders and/or soc sec recipients despite the fact that the money is in the treasury. I also think that in some ways its good that West and Scott voted differently on this, as they have on other issues, as it shows that conservatives and tea partiers, of all hues, vote their independent minds.

    If we had had better leadership for the past weeks and months to lay the groundwork for the final showdown, then maybe one could justify getting all bent out of shape about “betrayal” votes. But with a President like Obama, I don’t think its correct to demonize votes for the Boehner bills.

    I also would remind that the main strategic mistake by leadership was in not having the big showdown in April over a govt shutdown, when foreign bondholders were not available for Obama to threaten. Some of us tried to get the GOP leadership to have the fight then.

    And I would remind that come September 30, we could shut down the government over the next budget fight…

    It was always a mistake to have the debt ceiling matter be the showdown ground.

  • Bill S

    is to show some guts and vote on principle. That is what the Tea Party types are looking for. They were sent there to cut spending and keep taxes low (“Taxed Enough Already”). Their speechmaking and media soundbites are just hollow words compared to the actual votes on legislation. Mama used to say “actions speak louder than words”. She was right.

  • rightwingmom52

    were going to be at RSG03. Heartlander and scope, too. I’m sure I’m leaving out a couple of others I’d like to meet.

    If you’re ever near Birmingham, give me a shout. I keep a gallon of tea in the fridge all the time (and I don’t call it sweet tea or iced tea – that goes without saying).

  • bs61

    For the 2012 elections, I’ve included the question on who they would vote for Speaker. They must have the courage NOT to elect establishment R’s!!

    I agree with you, we’re focused, and we are not going away until I’m dead!

  • bs61

    I cannot watch Beckel ever. He’s such a jerk!

  • bs61

    I’m stuck in AZ for a job and now have McCain as my Senator! But I did tweet Pence and Flake to stick to the BBA – that is the only solution.

  • bs61

    I saw half the interview, but she seemed very tough on Steve King from IA.

    I will still never vote for the Dem’s – a person on a msg board once said that Rep’s will have you creepin to socialism, while Dem’s have us leaping to socialism… but still, I will work very hard until we primary all the RINO’s out!!

  • bs61

    Thanks!

  • Adjoran

    and would have voted YES if it were needed.

    DeMint is smarter than you think. He doesn’t like the Boehner plan, 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3, but he knows it is much better than anything else which can possibly pass at this point. They were taking their cues from him.

  • bs61

    creaping!

  • Adjoran

    “Anyway, for those of you who are disenchanted, just consider that because of your continued, aggressive stand in defense of freedom, Lindsey Graham and Orrin Hatch are holding the line even when Jeff Flake and Mike Pence are going wobbly.”

    BWAHAHAHAHAHA! How sweet for Graham and Hatch, who have been savaged, even eviscerated at this site for various apostasies, but now have been redeemed! How sad for Flake and Pence, the conservative warriors who “are going wobbly.”

    But I guess calling people turncoats – oops, I mean “walked away from those who elected them” or “their principles” or something, wasn’t it instead? – and wobbly and basically saying they’ve sold out isn’t EXACTLY calling them RINOs, is it?

    Okay, I’ve had my fun, complete with ROFL, so I should come clean.

    What’s the difference between the “wobbly” former friends and allies Flake and Pence (and West), and the former RINO finks Graham and Hatch? Why, it is that Flake and Pence both had votes that mattered, and Graham and Hatch could score “base points” for free since they only voted to “table” the bill.

    Truth is that most of it is irrelevant as long as Democrats control the Senate and the White House. We can’t force anything through because Democrats will gladly sacrifice our national interests for partisan gain. It doesn’t matter how right or necessary our plans are, they will block them.

    So the bottom line is that all that matters is 2012. We need to take the Senate and the White House. Then we can enact the reforms we needed to enact in 2003, but failed to due to weakness of will.

    Some don’t want to wait for that. Neither do I, it is a risky course we navigate, and will be far more expensive than correcting the problem now. But we can’t do it if Democrats block it, and they will and are.

  • __t_i_m_o_t_h_y__

    To get Tea-Party leaders in place in 2012.

    RedState called it early when we won 60 seats and the first ‘cave’ was aquiescing to the current ‘leadership’ team.

    That failure has borne fruit in the failure to defund obamacare, the CR fight, the light bulb ban and now this. I know Rand Paul is in the Senate, but imagine the dynamic if he where the speaker of the house.

    How to do this? I don’t know. I depend on the political pros for the practical ideas.

  • __t_i_m_o_t_h_y__

    Don’t despair.

    Learn from this battle and bring what we have learned to the next one.

    We have a clarity we did not have a month ago on the character of the people we put in office and can bring better, vocal, ruthless tactics to bear on the squishes (I am talking to YOU Rep Dan Webster Florida 8) .

    In conservative media, we know who the fighters are (Mark Levin, Rush, Hannity) and the wobblers are (Hello NRO) and the enemies are (WSJ, Weekly Standard)

    I am hyped for the next battle.

  • __t_i_m_o_t_h_y__

    I need to get this going in Florida.

    I need to take care of some business this weekend, but call me out on it Monday. I have FreedomConnector and I am very interested in getting this done in Florida and nationwide.

  • __t_i_m_o_t_h_y__

    .

  • __t_i_m_o_t_h_y__

    Justin Amash (Mich.)
    Michele Bachmann (Minn.)
    Chip Cravaack (Minn.)

    Jason Chaffetz (Utah)
    Scott Desjarlais (Tenn.)
    Tom Graves (Ga.)
    Tim Huelskamp (Kans.)
    Steve King (Iowa)
    Tim Johnson (Ill.)
    Tom McClintock (Calif.)
    Mick Mulvaney (S.C.)
    Ron Paul (Texas)
    Connie Mack (Fla.)
    Jim Jordan (Ohio)
    Tim Scott (S.C.)
    Paul Broun (Ga.)
    Tom Latham (Iowa)
    Jeff Duncan (S.C.)
    Trey Gowdy (S.C.)
    Steve Southerland (Fla.)
    Joe Walsh (Ill.)
    Joe Wilson (S.C.)

    AND HERE IS THE SQUISH FROM FLORIDA 8

    —->Dan Webster (Fla 8)<—–

  • Wayne

    that the tea party represents a form of revolution in this country (not just the obvious implied by its title), and an example of how the U.S. culture is compared to any other. For the most part (other than the union thugs interference), we have civil rallies that are populated by loyal patriots willing to share their knowledge and opinions of the Constitution and why it is important to get back to our roots so that we can have economic prosperity again.

    In the pursuit of happiness we have allowed ourselves to forget that self determination and individual freedom were the driving force behind the creation of this country. The most successful social experiment in human history. As we creep ever closer to the European social model, we will find mediocrity to be it’s only reward.

    2010 cannot come soon enough!

  • http://freedomswingspolitics.com FreedomsWings

    Everytime I start to feel like the hope is dimming, I hear from the rest of my fellows and cheers me. I sit here watching the House voting on naming Post Offices and I shake my head. These people think we don’t understand and yet they are the ones so totally lost. I got a real wake up call from Col. Allen West. I have learned to trust but verify with those that I have put my faith into. One thing that has never failed is the resolve of the Tea Party. They thought they would destroy us with ObamaCare and we came back strong in Nov. 2010. They thought they could cram this debt ceiling down our throat and called us “fringe”, but look where we are now. The world hangs in the balance and everyone blames us. That, my friends, is all I need to know to keep my stride, to push forward with principles and to restore this country!

  • runner12

    You have my sincerest sympathy on that one. Compared to McCain, my Senators look like Jim DeMint 2.0.

  • http://www.theprecinctproject.wordpress.com ColdWarrior

    look at the Florida resources I’ve linked to.

    Thank you.

    ColdWarrior

  • mikeymike143

    if you consider yourself part of the tea party movement, than you are offically one of us. glad to have you in the family!! and i would bet that this whole budget fiasco is going to attract a lot more conservatives to our movement.

  • ag8tor

    This fiasco of the last few weeks has convinced me that I am now totally an independent. Neither side of the fight has our best interest in mind. So come 2012 I will be voting for the conservative whatever. NO votes for Democrats and few for Republicans. They both disgust me in ways I can not describe. I hope the American public has a better memory than they have previously shown. I hope that they remember that “O” was hiding on the golf course or in the WH during this period and displayed what he truly is, a huge mistake! When we needed leadership he was AWOL. He let the scum of congress (Reid) do his fighting like the coward he is. How anyone could still support this buffoon boggles the mind!

  • popster

    for the Tea Party conservatives that are holding the line on the mandate they were given. Being from MA., I feel the pain that these members are going through. 2:1 odds are bad enough, but to have to buck your own party is very disheartening.

  • Fla Mom

    Read ColdWarrior’s tagline: “…Republican by necessity.” Sitting on the sidelines won’t improve the odds for truly conservative results. Become a Republican Precinct Committeeman/woman, and *be* the Republican Party. See any of ColdWarrior’s posts for information on how to do so. Here’s his latest, aptly titled for you: http://www.redstate.com/coldwarrior/2011/08/01/you-want-good-food-but-they-keep-serving-you-a-crap-sandwich-what-to-do/

    Fla Mom

  • Fla Mom

    “American first, conservative second, Republican precinct committeeman BY NECESSITY!”

  • gunslingr45

    until 2012 and it will be time to get rid of more pork!

    “My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.” Thomas Jefferson
    We are almost there Mr. Jefferson. Try not to spin out of your clothes please.

  • avgjo

    if by political pros, you mean those on our side, you’re much, much better off developing your own practical ideas.

    If our ‘pros’ were really pros, we’d not be in this mess.

  • bigboy46

    Too many pundits and ‘experts’ are calling this a victory for the tea party. It is my understanding that nothing could be further from the truth. Allow me to explain. This new commission to be set up supposedly to find areas to cut, really is a cover for massive tax increases outside of Obamacare. (which was not even on the table is these discussions) Example; the Bush tax cuts, if allowed to continue, will be counted as lost government revenue by the CBO. Therefore, the commission will recommend that this ‘lost’ revenue’ must be made up. Keep in mind that the commission’s recommendations must be acted upon by the Congress, as is. No amendments, no games allowed in these deliberations. Extrapolate this out to all possible areas that we are not even aware and the magnitude of this debacle is potentially enormous.
    No need to bring up cuts in national defense, which are totally deplorable and extravagant. However, defense spending is the Dems favorite whipping boy. If I was a member of Congress, either house, I would never vote to approve this monstrosity. Just look at the reaction of the White House. They believe this plan is just fine.

  • ihateliberals

    turned into bizarro land. They have been the leaders of the RINO’s for years. Iread above that one person will be voitng against his Rep inthe primaries if a good conservative runs. Bravo this is what we need todo to get rid of teh RINO’s. A friend of mine lives in Boehner’s district and he got on me for being against him. I sent him back a message that told him I don’t care wht a good job he does for his district it is the Job he is doing to our country that bothers me. After a short discussion my friend will now be looking for a conservative in 2012. Instead of giving money to the RNC I give directly to the candidates that are conservatives n the state primaries. There are no local candidates anymore. Every Senator and every Representative affects me on a national basis so I have to make sure they ft the bill for me no matter what state they run in. We hve to get rid of the RINO’s no matter what kind of a job they do on a local level. Let you local State Senators and Rep’s handle the local stuff the US Senators and Rep’s affect our daily lives no matter the state boundary. Look how weak AZ turned by re-electing McCain. No border tightening with him in there.

  • ihateliberals

    Boehner, Cantor, McConnell, McCain, Snowe and many other RINO’s still think they are in charge and know better than we do what to do for the country. They look at us constituents as huge pains in the rear to them. we are their “Inconvenient Truths”. e need to teach them another lesson come 2012. We the people are in charge.

  • ihateliberals

    Back when the first Bush took office and he started dismantling the Reagan years and then his son Bush 2.0, Michael Steele and Karl Rove took over the Republican party and told the conservatives to take a hike. we need desperately to tell the RINO’s good-bye you’re not welcome. A RINO in congress is as worthless as a Liberal to a point. At least you know where the Liberal stands.

  • ihateliberals

    in the Senate and the House. If we don’t get the RINO’s out of the House it may as well be Pelosi again as speaker. Boehner sure can’t do the job. Never thought he could from the beginning and he has now proved me right two times.

  • ihateliberals

    and call ourselves something that shows our Patriotism and dedication to the constitution. We need to make sure that this time the name is not smeared like the Tea Party was and still is. As long as we have RINO’s like Karl Rove, McCain, Cheney, McConnell, Boehner etc cutting down the Tea Party when they should be thanking their lucky stars the Tea Party was there. If the Tea Party hadn’t come through last November none of these debates or conversations about Debt Ceilings etc would have never occurred and most of the Nation would not even know the name John Boehner.

  • pompey

    …….as long as the TEA party stricks fear in the hearts of socialist I honar that name. Any conservative grass roots organizations will be labeled racist, terrorist, etc…….as for me I am pround to stand with the founders !

  • gekster

    And no matter what we call ourselves, it will still get smeared.
    I thought you would have known that.