Ron Paul: Tea parties won't rebuild GOP

Politco ^ | 1/7/10 | Andy Barr

[yongin]

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) said Wednesday night that despite the groundswell of grass-roots conservative energy, the tea party movement is not likely to revive the Republican Party.

“I don't think you can talk about the tea party as a party,” Paul said during an interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. “It’s made up of a lot of different people. And I don't even see them as being Republicans.”

“I think they're unhappy. They're unhappy with the establishment party. And that's made up of the Republicans and the Democrats,” Paul said. “If the Republicans don't catch on to that, they can't build their party.”

Paul is a favorite among the tea party crowd, but the former Republican presidential candidate suggested that the GOP should be wary of aligning themselves too closely to protesters who can be unpredictable in their actions and messaging.

[ExTexasRedhead]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZkvkLmkYVg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiyqvuTxaEs

http://iowntheworld.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/capitol-view-lo-res.jpg

[cricket]

Repub Party does not need to be rebuilt; it just needs a new spine. Tea Party can help with a sound transplant.

[icwhatudo]

“Paul is a favorite among the tea party crowd”

Bull$hit. He’s as nutcase.

[mnehring]

the former Republican presidential candidate suggested that the GOP should be wary of aligning themselves too closely to protesters who can be unpredictable in their actions and messaging.

So, Paul is telling the GOP to ignore the Tea Party.. Figures, he seems to like third parties best like his pals he endorsed Cynthia McKinney, Ralph Nader, and Chuck Baldwin.

[JaneNC]

Ron Paul is no Republican.
He went on LKL and said Cheney should not criticize Obama.
Ron Paul agrees with Obama’s foreign policy.

The Tea Parties do consist of mostly conservatives who are Republicans. Ron Paul is a loony libertarian isolationist crazy.

[a fool in paradise]

Paul is a favorite among the tea party crowd, but the former Republican presidential candidate

Clearly he is NOT a favorite. There are more tea partiers than Ron Paul voters.

[Tolsti2]

I consider the Tea Party movement as a wing of the Republican party. It really needs to be.

[Zathras]

If RP really wants to help, why doesn’t he work to clean up Texas Politics.

There’s plenty of RATs in Austin to throw out of office.

[FrankR]

I'm thinking that the original "tea party" was to object to government takeover of financial institutions, manufacturing, and healthcare. Next thing we know, it's evolving into a new political party, and now it supposed to be gunning for the GOP.

I think the movement is being compromised by the left, and if we let that happen and cowtow to them, what we will end up with is ........ GOP II.

Don't let the GOP or the dems take the Tea Party away from the people...it's ours, not theirs.

There has been enough "hostile takeovers" in America, and until we get back to the basics, nothing will change.

[DJ MacWoW]

Yeah I scratched my head at that one too!

[OldDeckHand]

Be suspicious of anyone who appears on the Rick Maddow show. Ron Paul, like Meghan McCain, is loved by the people on the left - so long as he's running down hawkish foreign policy, or the Patriot Act. I'm guessing Maddow didn't ask Paul about socialist Obamacare, or the Death Tax which will be back at 55% next year.

Ron Paul has a seat at the media's table, so long as he plays the house fool and bashes Republicans every chance he gets - and he knows it.

[the long march]

Ron Paul-——enough said

[lonestar]

Ron Paul is all about Ron Paul and like a broken clock is only correct twice a day.

[the long march]

I am sure Rachel appreciates you renaming her.....;)

[Seaplaner]

Tea Party envy, eh?

.

[Berlin_Freeper]

I think Ron Paul would make a good haberdasher.

[Rodebrecht]

Of course the tea parties won’t rebuild the GOP because the party big wigs seem intent on ignoring and trivializing them and calling them racists.

[La Enchiladita]

He is though. The Paul-bots are very present at the Tea parties and in fact the movement started with his 2008 campaign.

[mnehring]

He could use one himself.