Were the Teabagging parties bad for the GOP?

**cmmdee** · April 17th, 2009, 12:44 PM

Tea Party Fallout: Independents Turned Off, Some GOPers Worried

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It's been two days now since angry conservatives hosted a series of tea parties across the country, and the fallout has some Republicans nervous.

While the anti-tax sentiment of the protests may have been sincere, the images pulled from the events have often been offensive, embarrassing, or politically problematic.
It is a development that has tripped up the GOP before. The rallies outside McCain-Palin events included some of the same bile that was seen at the tea parties: charges of fascism, terrorism and other malicious criticisms leveled at Barack Obama. And it did the Republican ticket little good in its efforts to bring moderate voters to the cause.

Tea Party:

McCain-Palin Rallies:

Not everyone sees the connection. But some Republicans and Independents do view the fallout between the tea parties and the McCain-Palin rallies in a similar way: bad for the GOP.
"It is not clear-cut that the tea-party phenomena helps the GOP, unless they have a specific measure or policy (like Prop. 13 in 1978, and income tax cuts after that) to coalesce around," said Steven Hayward, a scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. "Right now it reminds me a bit of the free-floating 'angry moderates' of 1992 who fueled the Ross Perot candidacy, and that is the hazard for Republicans I think. I think the crazies at the rallies are a problem, but probably out of proportion (they always get the media attention) to the real breadth of sentiment underneath, which I think is largely authentic."
Self-professed middle-of-the-road political types were even more biting in their critiques.

"My own sense that is I don't see anything going on that is good for Republicans," said Doug Bailey, a longtime Republican consultant who helped co-found the centrist reform movement Unity08. "I just don't get it. It may be, and I don't doubt this, that there is a large segment of the American public that can and is riled up about taxes and can be riled up about one thing or another. But a large segment, in terms of numbers, doesn't amount to a couple hundred people demonstrating in Washington or wherever. That's a non-event ... Nobody likes taxes. So, of course, I'm sympathetic myself. I might throw a tea bag myself. But the fact is, that it is particularly ineffective for the Republican Party when it is Rush Limbaugh and the likes stirring it up. That just doesn't speak to the middle."
Of course, because the series of nationwide tea parties were geared towards a specific day (Tax Day), the political ramifications of the events seem naturally limited. "Those tea parties will be long forgotten by, oh, say tomorrow," said Stu Rothenberg, of the Rothenberg Political Report. "Do you really think that next November, when people go to the polls, the April 15 tea parties will be on their minds?"
That said, plans are in place for a next wave of protests in July. More significantly, as the GOP continues to stake their future on a wave of populist anger at the government and economy (witness: Texas Gov. Rick Perry talking about secession), the likelihood only increases that the most vocal and offensive elements of that anger will come to personify the party.
"Cons[ervatives are] finding out why I generally don't like protests on my side," Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsos said in a post-tea party tweet. "[T]hey bring out the wackos."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/0..._n_188235.html

SHOW US YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE BARACK HUSSEIN!!!!!!!!!

**chattykathy** · April 17th, 2009, 01:11 PM

Don't think he's ever going to show the birth certificate.

**Grimmlok** · April 17th, 2009, 01:13 PM

omfg he already did! A LONG TIME AGO.

Jesus!

Here!

**twitchy2.0** · April 17th, 2009, 01:14 PM

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama...ertificate.asp

**Grimmlok** · April 17th, 2009, 01:17 PM

i knew twitchy would show up with that

Chatty, that whole birth certificate crap was just more right-wing nonsense.

Don't swallow propaganda. Investigate on your own.

**cmmdee** · April 17th, 2009, 01:18 PM

Originally Posted by Grimmlok

omfg he already did! A LONG TIME AGO.

Jesus!

Here!

LIES!!!!!!!!!!! HE IS NOT AN AMERICAN CITIZEN! He is the Hitler-Bicycle-Bisexual-Terrorist Pal-Socialist-Keyser Soze who was born on another planet to overtake this one and create Doomsday for ALL OF THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**chattykathy** · April 17th, 2009, 01:32 PM

I don't care enough about the birth certificate to investigate it. It should have been done before the elections, but now that he is in office, it seems unneccessary.

**Grimmlok** · April 17th, 2009, 01:42 PM

You cared enough to mention it, and keep the lie alive.

**chattykathy** · April 17th, 2009, 02:44 PM

I was commenting on it being brought up again, not that I particularly cared about his birth certificate.

*DIVA! · April 17th, 2009, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by chattykathy

I don't care enough about the birth certificate to investigate it. It should have been done before the elections, but now that he is in office, it seems unneccessary.

Give me a break. This was quadruple checked before the election. He is a damn citizen. It was unnecessary for right wing nuts to bring it up to begin with!!

**BBDSP** · April 17th, 2009, 03:07 PM

Um. The state of Hawaii verified it.

As far as whether the teabagging was good or bad for the GOP, I guess the proof will be in the...

PUDDING!

**cmmdee** · April 17th, 2009, 03:15 PM

^^ You guys KILL me today!

Originally Posted by *DIVA!

He is a damn citizen.

No he's NOT, Diva! He is NOT a citizen or an American or anything patriotic related to this great nation!

I'm telling you guys. He's a robot created by some aliens in order to overtake the wooooorrrrrld!

*DIVA! · April 17th, 2009, 03:32 PM

Originally Posted by cmmdee

^^ You guys KILL me today!

No he's NOT, Diva! He is NOT a citizen or an American or anything patriotic related to this great nation!

I'm telling you guys. He's a robot created by some aliens in order to overtake the wooooorrrrrld!

Ok...

**bychance** · April 17th, 2009, 08:33 PM

Originally Posted by BBDSP

Um. The state of Hawaii verified it.

As far as whether the teabagging was good or bad for the GOP, I guess the proof will be in the...

PUDDING!

No. The Hawaii peoples are HIDING it. I wonder WHY Hussein??!?!?!?!?!? Is he REALLY American?

Originally Posted by cmmdee

Tea Party Fallout: Independents Turned Off, Some GOPers Worried

Huffpost - Tea Party Fallout: Independents Turned Off, Some GOPers Worried

SHOW US YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE BARACK HUSSEIN!!!!!!!!!

**kingcap72** · April 17th, 2009, 10:59 PM

Anytime your protest becomes a reference to a sex act it was a bad thing.

Originally Posted by chattykathy

I don't care enough about the birth certificate to investigate it. It should have been done before the elections, but now that he is in office, it seems unneccessary.

It was done BEFORE the election.