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Tea Party Doesn't Need Votes to Win U.S. Elections
The New York Times ^ | September 26, 2010 | Albert R. Hunt

Posted on 09/26/2010 5:02:14 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

With the U.S. midterm elections five weeks away, the Tea Party movement is already the big winner of 2010.

This anti-government, grass-roots Republican offshoot has rattled the party establishment — making the former governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, the party’s most prominent 2012 presidential possibility — and has dominated the debate this campaign season.

The Tea Partiers believe they are on the cutting edge of a revolution: the “future of politics,” as Ms. Palin says. More likely, they are a short-term catalyst for Republicans and a long-term problem.

Nevertheless, their victories are impressive — toppling the Republican Party’s choices in Senate primary races from Alaska to Delaware, with Nevada, Colorado and Kentucky in between. Scores of candidates for the House of Representatives around the United States have embraced the Tea Party agenda.

The effect on non-Tea Party Republicans is palpable. The party’s 2008 presidential nominee, Senator John McCain of Arizona, has shifted right on issues like immigration and tax cuts after being challenged by a Tea Party-type candidate. The former maverick is going to the Tea Party’s rally in Tucson, Arizona, on Oct. 9.

Mitt Romney, a presidential hopeful and former governor of Massachusetts who is always a good weather vane, is assiduously courting the group. Immediately after the Tea Party candidates Sharron Angle in Nevada and Christine O’Donnell in Delaware won upset victories in Senate primaries, Mr. Romney embraced them with campaign contributions.

The governor of Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty, a non-movement conservative, has embraced the Tea Party’s general anti-immigration posture; he actually endorsed changing the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to bar citizenship for children born in the United States to undocumented immigrants.

Karl Rove, once an arbiter of conservative sentiment, in a moment of serious analysis on Fox News, criticized Ms. O’Donnell...

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Issues; Parties; State and Local; U.S. Senate
KEYWORDS: 14thamendment; 2010; alaska; arizona; christineodonnell; colorado; delaware; immigration; johnmccain; karlrove; kentucky; massachusetts; minnesota; mittromney; nevada; palin; romney; sarahpalin; sharronangle; teaparty; teapartyexpress; teapartyrebellion; timpawlenty; unemployment
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Always with this garbage about the Tea Party hurting the Republican Party.
1 posted on 09/26/2010 5:02:17 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Photobucket
2 posted on 09/26/2010 5:03:59 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Don't listen to what they say, watch what they do.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

****has embraced the Tea Party’s general anti-immigration posture****

Here you go again AL HUNT!!!!!

This is libelous - can someone sue this idiot??????


3 posted on 09/26/2010 5:06:34 PM PDT by sodpoodle (Despair; man's surrender. Laughter; God's redemption.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

This guys is obviously trying to present propaganda as analysis.


4 posted on 09/26/2010 5:07:40 PM PDT by Free Vulcan (No prisoners, no mercy. 2010 is here...)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Yeah, the JounoLista types just keep trying to spread the theme that us crazy Tea Party supporters are going to fracture the Republican Party. How about this gag worthy part FTFA: And one 2012 Republican presidential hopeful may well seize an opportunity and run as the anti-Tea Party candidate; that used to be called a “big tent” Republican.

Talk about not getting it. An anti-Tea Party Republican would be called a "Democrat" or "RINO", for crying out loud. The Tea Party IS the big tent. These guys just don't GET IT - a whole lot of people from all incomes, races, etc., etc. don't want an unaccountable, unlimited federal government.
5 posted on 09/26/2010 5:08:25 PM PDT by rockvillem
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

...

This movement is not tolerant of dissent within the ranks, which may cause some other Republican politicians indigestion. For example, this year, the Tea Party took over the Maine Republican Party convention and adopted a platform that called for imposing a 12-year term limit for senators, ending the congressional health care plan, opposing abortion and abolishing the Federal Reserve Board.

(Yes, the RINO’s do have indigestion.)

None of this is supported by the state’s three-term Republican senator, Olympia J. Snowe, who is up for re-election in 2012. She could be vulnerable to a challenge from the right in a small-turnout primary. If she became an independent, she would probably be safe for life.

(LOL! She is precisely what NORMAL people want to get rid of. The NYT does not accept the will of the people.)

And one 2012 Republican presidential hopeful may well seize an opportunity and run as the anti-Tea Party candidate; that used to be called a “big tent” Republican.

(The NYT still doesn’t understand that you cannot be all things to ALL people. It didn’t work. We are slowly but surely getting back to PRINCIPLES. Principles should never be compromised on. This is one of the largest problems with the FAILED “big tent” idea. It is the Deomcrats that compromise on NOTHING. But the NYT times is blind as usual to their Demoncrat bias.)


6 posted on 09/26/2010 5:08:58 PM PDT by nmh (Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God).)
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To: sodpoodle

If the TEA Party was “anti-immigrant”, we would have tossed Hunt’s @$$ out a long time ago. Since we’re “a nation of immigrants”, we could have done that.


7 posted on 09/26/2010 5:09:12 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Don't listen to what they say, watch what they do.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Mitt Romney, a presidential hopeful and former governor of Massachusetts who is always a good weather vane, is assiduously courting the group. Immediately after the Tea Party candidates Sharron Angle in Nevada and Christine O’Donnell in Delaware won upset victories in Senate primaries, Mr. Romney embraced them with campaign contributions.

Finger to the wind Romney posturing for a 2012 POTUS run.

8 posted on 09/26/2010 5:09:28 PM PDT by EGPWS (Trust in God, question everyone else)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

They endanger the RINO establishment.
The NYT spends all of it’s time beating up on Republicans, but then when the voters turn around and throw the old GOP bums out, suddenly they become posterchildren for “reasonable” Republicans the NYT can work with.


9 posted on 09/26/2010 5:10:08 PM PDT by counterpunch (Life in Prison: The RINO compromise to "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death")
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“This anti-government, grass-roots Republican offshoot . . .”

Ask Bennet, Crist, Murkowski and Castle how lockstep Republican the Tea Party movement really is.


10 posted on 09/26/2010 5:10:56 PM PDT by Psalm 144
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

When Al CNN T-oadie stops drinking the Soetoro Koolaid, ya know it’s ovah for the Kenyan.


11 posted on 09/26/2010 5:13:49 PM PDT by VRWC For Truth (Throw the bums out who vote yes on the bail out)
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To: sodpoodle

It’s the NY Slimes..


12 posted on 09/26/2010 5:14:17 PM PDT by max americana (Hoax and Chains, Dopeychangey)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
I met Al Hunt in person years ago at a CPAC. He is a nice, personable guy.

But as usual, he is drinking the Liberal Kool-Aid. Heck, he is serving it up.

13 posted on 09/26/2010 5:14:55 PM PDT by Lysandru
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To: FlingWingFlyer

Born: 1-Jan-1942. Birthplace: Charlottesville, VA.

Virginia was not part of the US in 1942??????

LOL!!!


14 posted on 09/26/2010 5:16:25 PM PDT by sodpoodle (Despair; man's surrender. Laughter; God's redemption.)
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To: EGPWS
Mr. Romney embraced them with campaign contributions.
______________________________________________________________
Wow! Have Angle and O'Donnell decided what to do with that $25.00?
15 posted on 09/26/2010 5:19:01 PM PDT by no dems (DeMINT / PALIN 2012 or PALIN / DeMINT 2012.......Either is fine with me!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Mitt Romney, a presidential hopeful and former governor of Massachusetts who is always a good weather vane, is assiduously courting the group.

How can Mitt possibly think that the journalists love him? They see through him as easily and readily as the tea partiers do.

Regards,

TS

16 posted on 09/26/2010 5:21:59 PM PDT by The Shrew (www.wintersoldier.com; www.tstrs.com; The Truth Shall Set You Free!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
"Always with this garbage about the Tea Party hurting the Republican Party."

Well it was your post! lol

17 posted on 09/26/2010 5:22:42 PM PDT by Dem Guard (Obama's 57 States = The Organization of The Islamic Conference (OIC).)
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To: sodpoodle

Hunt is the one who says we’re “a nation of immigrants”, not me. That means we can toss his ass out anytime we want to.


18 posted on 09/26/2010 5:23:14 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Don't listen to what they say, watch what they do.)
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To: FlingWingFlyer

The Tea Party is NOT anti-immigrant, but is anti-illegal-immigrant.....


19 posted on 09/26/2010 5:24:14 PM PDT by Texas Fossil (Government, even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Where in the world does Hunt get the gaul to act so authoritatively about the Tea Party movement? When was the last time in modern history that a movement like this existed?
All these predictions about short term and long term. In essence his conclusion is, the effectiveness is pretty good short term, not so effective for the long term but a thorn in the side of the Republicans. With that kind of simplified biased analysis I think Hunt is nothing more than a Progressive Democrat hack!


20 posted on 09/26/2010 5:25:51 PM PDT by orinoco
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