The Tea Party Movement: Leftist Attacks Fail to Stop Its Growing Infl Uence
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The Tea Party Movement: Leftist Attacks Fail to Stop its Growing Infl uence By Elizabeth Klimp Summary: In February 2009, a new force emerged in American politics. Alarmed at the rapid expansion of the federal government and frustrated by the Obama administration’s fi scal policies, Americans took to the streets in protests they called “Tea Parties.” This was a reference to the Boston Tea Party of 1773, which was the American colonists’ protest against excessive taxes imposed on them by an unrepresentative government. Since the Tea Party protests fi rst attracted widespread public attention, liberal advo- cacy groups and media commentators have tried to deny that it is a genuine grassroots movement. They charge that it is under the control of big money corporate donors and say it is motivated by race hatred rather than dedicated to limited government. Tea Party opponents are trying to discredit the move- ment and have disparaged Americans who are troubled by skyrocketing public spending. But their attacks are failing. Costumed Tea Party activists in an undated photograph. (photo: Huffi ngton Post) n Feb. 19, 2009, CNBC correspon- Santelli denounced continual rounds of fed- broadcast, a ChicagoTeaParty.com website dent Rick Santelli was boiling mad. eral bailout aid and, as traders on the exchange began coordinating “tea party” rallies. Within OStanding on the fl oor of the Chicago fl oor began applauding him, he wondered weeks, there were more protests against out- Board of Trade, Santelli was asked about a aloud, “How many of you people want to of-control federal spending, the growing na- proposed $75 billion government bailout pro- pay for your neighbor’s mortgage who has tional debt, and the Obama administration’s gram for home mortgages. Santelli charged an extra bathroom and can’t pay their bills?” spendthrift policies. On “Tax Day,” April 15, that “the government was supporting bad Addressing the CNBC studio news anchors, behavior” and he proposed that the Obama Santelli announced “We’re thinking about a September 2010 administration create an online “referendum Chicago tea party in July. All of you capital- to see if we really want to subsidize the los- ists that want to show up to Lake Michigan, CONTENTS ers’ mortgages or would we like to at least I’m going to start organizing it.” buy cars and buy houses in foreclosure and The Tea Party Movement give them to people who have a chance to Santelli’s outburst struck a nerve. Videos of Page 1 actually prosper down the road and reward Santelli’s “rant” were posted on YouTube Briefl y Noted people that could carry the water instead of almost immediately and quickly spread across Page 6 drink the water.” the Internet. Within 12 hours of the CNBC OrganizationTrends thousands gathered in Chicago and across the ment, but the uprising is a truly national with Items in the platform include: United States to protest Obama policies and supporters in all 50 states. The majority are * Require that bills submitted to Congress warn against tax increases and infringements white and Anglo-Saxon. However, about identify the specifi c provision of the Consti- on property rights and civil liberties. Sparked one quarter are Hispanic, Asian or African- tution that gives Congress the power to do by Rick Santelli’s impromptu op-ed on cable American. A poll conducted in April by the what the bill proposes; TV—dubbed the “Rant Heard ’Round the New York Times and CBS News found that * Pass a balanced budget amendment to the World”—thousands of citizens demanded a compared to the electorate overall, self-iden- Constitution that requires a 2/3 majority for return to fi scal sanity. The modern Tea Party tifi ed Tea Party activists are more likely to be any tax hike; movement was born. male, slightly older, married, better-educated * Enact a fl at tax system, abolish the Internal and have a higher than average household Revenue Code and replace it with one that Tea Party Basics income. They also are more likely to attend does not exceed the length of the original What’s called the Tea Party movement be- religious services weekly. Constitution (4,543 words); gan as isolated groups of local citizens who * Create a taskforce to audit all federal agen- wanted to fi nd ways to protest the growth of Like other grassroots movements, the over- cies and programs to assess their constitution- government and public spending. But during whelming majority of Tea Party activists ality and identify waste and duplication; the past year and a half these small groups are volunteers who are organizing activities * Enact a statutory cap that limits the an- have become a nationwide grassroots move- around issues and candidates in their local nual growth of federal spending to the sum ment. Surveys show that those who identify communities. A typical Tea Party organiza- of infl ation plus the percentage of popula- with the movement are a heterogeneous mix tion has a small organizing nucleus, or board tion growth; of people committed to common objectives. of trustees, that oversees a larger number of * Repeal and replace “Obamacare” with According to a CBS News poll conducted in volunteers. The board handles the group’s free-market health insurance reforms unre- April 2010, approximately 18% of Americans communications, fund-raising and logistics, stricted by state controls; identify themselves as Tea Party supporters. usually without any direction from a larger * Reduce regulatory barriers to increased Approximately one half were never involved state, regional or national organization. In- energy exploration and reject cap and trade in politics before 2009. Almost all cite a dividual groups develop their own platform, legislation; “boiling point” moment when their frustra- objectives, and plans of action, generally * Impose a moratorium on earmarks until tion, anxiety and anger at the government’s without input or assistance from larger state the budget is balanced and then require a 2/3 policies pushed them into action. or national coordinating bodies. The typical majority to pass any earmark; group is independent, but shares with other * Permanently repeal all tax hikes currently Americans living in the South and West are Tea Party groups a common platform of scheduled to begin in 2011. more likely to endorse the Tea Party move- reverence for the Founding Fathers and the U.S. Constitution and support for fi s- While Tea Party members espouse free mar- cal responsibility, limited government, and Editor: Matthew Vadum ket economic views, they do not all identify personal liberty. with the Republican Party. According to an Publisher: Terrence Scanlon April CBS News Poll, 54% of Tea Party There are state and national Tea Party Organization Trends members describe themselves as Republi- organizations, but typically they facilitate cans while 41% identify as Independents, is published by Capital Research communication among Tea Party groups Center, a non-partisan education and and 5% as Democrats. Tea Party members and serve as networking agents rather than research organization, classifi ed by consider their movement a forum for any try to stage or direct local grassroots activi- the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity. reform-minded individual without regard to ties. These larger organizations also try to party affi liation. The majority of Tea Party Address: attract national attention to the movement. 1513 16th Street, N.W. activists have no desire to form a national They organize its larger rallies or series of Washington, DC 20036-1480 third party. rallies, train activists on practical aspects of Phone: (202) 483-6900 organizing, and propose themes or platforms As accountant and Tea Party supporter Jason Long-Distance: (800) 459-3950 that can galvanize Tea Party support. Hoyt told Human Events: “The Tea Party E-mail Address: movement is not about a party … it’s about For instance, Ryan Hecker, leader of the [email protected] fi nding candidates who are constitutionally Houston-based Tea Party Patriots, issued an minded and fi scally responsible … and help- Web Site: online “Contract from America” on April 12, http://www.capitalresearch.org 2010 that urges Americans to come up with ing them win.” policy ideas that can guide the movement Organization Trends welcomes let- Tea Party Leadership ters to the editor. and be used to evaluate political candidates. Hecker described the project to the New The Tea Party movement has no central lead- Reprints are available for $2.50 pre- ership or headquarters organization. Activists paid to Capital Research Center. York Times as “an open-sourced platform” for the movement. sometimes cite a 2006 book, The Starfi sh 2 September 2010 OrganizationTrends and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power *Tea Party Express [www.teapartyexpress. Republican primary for U.S. Senate and of Leaderless Organizations, to explain the org]. Last spring it sponsored a national bus will challenge the Democratic incumbent, strengths of their movement. Still a number tour punctuated by rallies across America. Harry Reid. She is endorsed by the Tea of organizations have taken on leadership Sarah Palin spoke at the March 27 kickoff Party Express. roles and prominent individuals endorse or rally in Searchlight, Nevada, hometown of espouse Tea Party principles. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, as well * Dick Armey. The former Republican as at a Boston rally on April 14. The Tea House Majority Leader (1995-2003), now Organizations Party Express message: “You, the politicians co-chairman of FreedomWorks, says this on in Washington, have failed We the People the group’s website: “This is now the biggest * Tea Party Patriots [www.teapartypatriots. with your bailouts, out-of-control spending, swing movement on the fi eld of American org]. Based in Houston, Tea Party Patriots government takeovers of sectors of the politics.