Res earc her Published by CQ Press, a Division of SAGE CQ www.cqresearcher.com Tea Party Movement Will angry conservatives reshape the Republican Party? he Tea Party movement seemed to come out of nowhere. Suddenly, citizens angry over the multi- billion-dollar economic stimulus and the Obama ad - T ministration’s health-care plan were leading rallies, confronting lawmakers and holding forth on radio and TV. Closely tied to the Republican Party — though also critical of the GOP — the movement proved essential to the surprise victory of Republi - can Sen. Scott Brown in Massachusetts. Tea partiers say Brown’s Tea kettle held high, a Tea Party activist dressed like a election proves the movement runs strong outside of “red states.” Revolutionary War soldier rallies tax protesters in Atlanta on April 15, 2009. It was among several But some political experts voice skepticism, arguing that the Tea protests held in cities around the nation. Party’s fiscal hawkishness won’t appeal to most Democrats and many independents. Meanwhile, some dissension has appeared among tea partiers, with many preferring to sidestep social issues, I such as immigration, and others emphasizing them. Still, the move - N THIS REPORT ment exerts strong appeal for citizens fearful of growing govern - S THE ISSUES ....................243 I ment debt and distrustful of the administration. BACKGROUND ................249 D CHRONOLOGY ................251 E CURRENT SITUATION ........256 CQ Researcher • March 19, 2010 • www.cqresearcher.com AT ISSUE ........................257 Volume 20, Number 11 • Pages 241-264 OUTLOOK ......................259 RECIPIENT OF SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE N AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION SILVER GAVEL AWARD BIBLIOGRAPHY ................262 THE NEXT STEP ..............263 TEA PARTY MOVEMENT CQ Re search er March 19, 2010 THE ISSUES SIDEBARS AND GRAPHICS Volume 20, Number 11 • Does the Tea Party rep - Tea Partiers Running in MANAGING EDITOR: Thomas J. Colin 243 resent only a narrow seg - 244 25 States [email protected] Most are Republicans running ment of the population? ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR: Kathy Koch • Will the movement for House seats. [email protected] reshape the GOP? Most Tea Partiers Have ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Kenneth Jost • Does the movement 245 ‘Unfavorable’ View of attract conspiracy theorists? STAFF WRITERS: Thomas J. Billitteri, Obama Marcia Clemmitt, Peter Katel Many also think Obama has BACKGROUND raised taxes. CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Rachel Cox, Sarah Glazer, Alan Greenblatt, Reed Karaim The Original Populists Tenets of the Tea Party Barbara Mantel, Patrick Marshall, 249 President Andrew Jackson 248 Excessive government spending Tom Price, Jennifer Weeks feared financial elites’ power. and taxation are motivations. DESIGN /P RODUCTION EDITOR: Olu B. Davis ASSISTANT EDITOR: Darrell Dela Rosa Right Turn 251 Chronology 250 Populists’ handling of race Key events since 1892. EDITORIAL INTERNS: Dagny Leonard, Julia Russell placed them on the politi - Tea Partiers Take Aim at cal right. 252 FACT-CHECKING: Eugene J. Gabler, Health Reform Michelle Harris Movement plans more town The ‘Silent Majority’ hall meetings. 250 President Nixon courted the “great silent majority.” Sarah Palin Shines at 254 Tea Party Convention Enduring Appeal Some see her as a potential 253 Populist themes remained party leader. popular following Nixon’s A Division of SAGE New Coffee Party Drawing resignation. 256 PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER: Supporters John A. Jenkins Effort to confront tea partiers gathers strength. CURRENT SITUATION Copyright © 2010 CQ Press, a Division of SAGE. At Issue SAGE reserves all copyright and other rights herein, The Election Test 257 Does the Tea Party move - unless pre vi ous ly spec i fied in writing. No part of this 256 Tea Party candidates seek ment represent another publication may be reproduced electronically or 58 seats. Great Awakening? otherwise, without prior written permission. Un - au tho rized re pro duc tion or trans mis sion of SAGE copy - Political Realities right ed material is a violation of federal law car ry ing 258 Massachusetts Sen. Scott FOR FURTHER RESEARCH civil fines of up to $100,000. Brown is a Tea Party hero CQ Press is a registered trademark of Congressional but also a pragmatist. For More Information 261 Organizations to contact. Quarterly Inc. Third-Party Option CQ Researcher (ISSN 1056-2036) is printed on acid- 259 Bibliography free paper. Pub lished weekly, except; (Jan. wk. 1) Tea partiers aren’t likely to 262 Selected sources used. start a new party. (May wk. 4) (July wks. 1, 2) (Aug. wks. 2, 3) (Nov. wk. 4) and (Dec. wks. 4, 5), by CQ Press, a division The Next Step 263 of SAGE Publications. Annual full-service subscriptions Additional articles . start at $803. For pricing, call 1-800-834-9020, ext. 1906. OUTLOOK To purchase a CQ Researcher report in print or elec - Citing CQ Researcher tronic format (PDF), visit www. cqpress.com or call Short Life? 263 Sample bibliography formats. 259 866-427-7737. Single reports start at $15. Bulk pur - Some observers see a chase discounts and electronic-rights licensing are also short life for Tea Party. available. Pe ri od i cals post age paid at Wash ing ton, D.C., and ad di tion al mailing of fic es. POST MAST ER: Send ad dress chang es to CQ Re search er , 2300 N St., N.W., Suite 800, Wash ing ton, DC 20037. Cover: AP Photo/John Bazemore 242 CQ Researcher Tea Party Movement BY PETER KATEL liberal Democratic lion, Ed - THE ISSUES ward M. Kennedy. 2 “The Tea Party movement t’s lock and load time, a had a lot to do with that elec - pumped up Dana Loesch tion,” says John Hawkins, pub - I told several thousand at - lisher of the online Right Wing tendees at the Conservative News. “[Brown] had millions Political Action Conference and millions of dollars flood - (CPAC) in Washington last ing in from the Internet, which month. “We’re in the middle showed people getting ener - of a war. We’re fighting for gized and excited.” And some the hearts, minds and souls on the left acknowledge that of the American people.” the Tea Party campaign for Forget politeness, the St. Brown could have stirred sup - Louis-based radio host and Tea r port among Republican and e Party activist told the equally c GOP-leaning independents. n e energized crowd. “It’s all p “At a time of heavy reces - S t about amplifying your voice.” r sion and joblessness, giving e b Conservatives, she said, should o banks a bailout rankles peo - R / declare often and loudly, “ ‘I s ple across the spectrum,” says e g don’t like Barack Obama.’ ” a Joseph Lowndes, a University m I And as for the president’s of Oregon political scientist. y t supporters, said the 31-year- t “A lot of Brown supporters e old homeschooling mother, G might have been in that camp.” “Make them uncomfortable. Republican Scott Brown celebrates in Boston on Jan. 19, But a vote for Brown 2010, after winning a special election to fill the seat of . Attack, attack, attack. the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Tea Party activity doesn’t equate to Tea Party Never defend.” typically occurs in Republican territory — “red states” membership, he adds, because Many tea partiers may favor — in the South, West and Midwest. But Tea Party the movement’s sharply de - a softer approach, but Loesch’s activists also cite Brown’s upset election in fined conservative political per - take-no-prisoners intensity Massachusetts, considered among the bluest of spective doesn’t travel well blue states, as indicative of their broad appeal. reflects the dynamic and tri - across the left-right divide. “A umphant spirit emanating lot of people who are inde - from the country’s newest political trend, A major wing of the movement, Tea pendents and disenchanted with Obama which arose in early 2009 in reaction Party Patriots, has helped set up a aren’t going to be tea partiers,” he says. to economic stimulus legislation, cor - fundraising arm, Liberty Central, in the The decentralized and loosely de - porate bailouts and the Democrats’ Washington suburb of Burke, Va. Its fined Tea Party movement takes its health insurance reform effort. president and CEO is Virginia Thomas, name from the Boston Tea Party — Indeed, as CPAC’s enthusiastic em - wife of Supreme Court Justice the 1773 protest against British taxa - brace of Loesch and other tea partiers Clarence Thomas. She appeared on tion. Tea Party Patriots is a national makes clear, the Tea Party movement the same CPAC platform with Loesch grassroots organization that claims to is on the cutting edge of a conserva - and two other movement members. support more than 1,000 community- tive surge that aims to undercut, or Obama’s “hope and change agenda based Tea Party groups around the even defeat, the Obama administration certainly became a leftist agenda pret - country. The Patriots-organized Tax Day and what foes call its big-government, ty fast,” she said. “We saw what they protests last year drew 1.2 million peo - socialist agenda. Tea partiers are also try - were doing, and it was just a big ol’ ple, says Tea Party activist Jenny Beth ing to push the national Republican Party power grab.” 1 Martin of Woodstock, Ga., a founder to the right, with Tea Party-affiliated The movement proved itself a po - of the group. She and her husband candidates this year running in GOP litical force to be reckoned with in the lost their home and filed for bank - primaries for at least 58 congressional special Senate election in January of ruptcy in August 2008 after their busi - and state offices, including three gover - Republican Scott Brown for the Mass - ness failed. They owed $510,000 to the norships.