One tea party group has issued a call for supporters to greet new members of Congress as they are officially sworn in Wednesday, and similar scenarios are expected to play out in states across the nation. Tea party organizers say they plan to become watchdogs inside state capitals while continuing the grass-roots push to generate political support to cut spending and roll back federal overreach.
"We are watching, and we are going to hold them accountable, and it is not too early to start making our target list for 2012," said Amy Kremer, grass-roots director for Tea Party Express, which is focused on the federal government.
"People are definitely thinking long term," said Jamie Radtke, the head of the Virginia Federation of Tea Party Patriots, who has announced plans to run next year for the seat held by freshman Sen. Jim Webb, a Democrat.
Tea party-backed candidates secured dozens of victories in the November elections, helping Republicans seize control of the House of Representatives and gain a half-dozen seats in the Senate. They also helped the GOP take the reins in at least 20 state legislatures, in many cases giving the party control of the redistricting process.
But in recent weeks, as political focus has shifted from the rhetoric of the campaign trail to the realities of governing, some prognosticators have pondered whether the tea party's political passion will tail off.
Tea partyers brush off the idea.
They say the movement's strength is growing, with their postelection power on display during the lame-duck session in the defeat of Senate Democrats' proposed $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill. GOP leaders also got nearly every member of their party to agree to a temporary ban on congressional earmarks, a symbol of wasteful Washington spending and a major rallying cause for tea party voters.
The tea party influence was clear this week as the five candidates for chairman of the Republican National Committee appealed for the movement's support in a forum at the National Press Club.
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The Tea Party is a sham. They are the same old Republicans; just shouting louder.
ReplyDelete1207, you are very wrong. But you will not see us coming, either! Keep up with that Kool Aid habit...
ReplyDelete4:02 Kool Aid? Really. Palin and Bachman are your major faces. You walk lock step with Republicans, unless of course they get out of line and actually start governing by the facts/numbers instead of slogans. Your entire platform from social issues to economic policies is far right. Just calling a spade a spade. There isn't a thing wrong with being a card carrying Republican; just stop trying to put lipstick on that pig.
ReplyDeleteTea Party members, I fully expect primary challenges to every Republican who votes to raise the debt ceiling, who votes for any bill containing earmarks or fails to vote for any of the individual bills repealing part of the health care law, even if it means voting to allow insurance companies to deny coverage to children with pre-existing conditions. You said you would do it - now back up your talk.
ReplyDelete