"Tea Party" Voters Present Challenge for GOP

By: Stephanie Condon
Topics: Republicans

(AP Photo/George Ruhe)

The Republican party is expected to make gains in the 2010 congressional elections, but the party's plans may be hampered by the "tea party" movement that gained steam over the summer, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Protesters around the country this year demonstrated against President Obama's stimulus package and health care plans, giving Republicans a chance to unify and energize its base after four years of dismal election results. Those demonstrators, however, do not necessarily identify with the Republican party simply because they do not identify with Democrats.

The GOP is preparing to make a comeback with 2010 candidates that can appeal to broad constituencies, according to the Journal. For example, Dede Scozzafava is running in a special election next month for an open House seat representing upstate New York. Local Republican representatives chose Scozzafava for her political experience and commitment to family values, even though she supports abortion rights. Tea party activists, however, are getting behind Doug Hoffman, who calls himself the real conservative. The split among conservatives has left their Democratic opponent in the lead.

The Journal points to other examples in which the conservative activism of the summer has worked against the Republican party. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, a moderate but popular Republican, is running for the Senate, but faces a primary challenge from former Florida House speaker Marco Rubio, who is seeking tea party members' support.

Liberal Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who gained some notoriety this summer for striking back against extreme protesters, said Wednesday that he thinks Republicans made a mistake by encouraging the "tea party" movement.

"I think the conservatives made a big mistake morally as well as tactically," he said on HLN's Joy Behar Show. "I think they thought they were benefiting from all these crazies going out and venting. I think they realized that got in the way of the rational arguments they wanted to try to make ... So, I think you'll still see some of the negativity [remain], but it won't be as supported by the Republican apparatus."

The disaffected sentiment of conservatives who joined in the protests this summer has been embraced by personalities like Glenn Beck, who has gained a strong following from both his Fox News TV show and nationally-syndicated radio program. Last month, Beck told CBS News' Katie Couric that he believes the country would have been worse off with Republican Sen. John McCain as president than it is with Mr. Obama.

During the interview, Beck told Couric his viewers "don't care about the parties, they care about their life... They say, 'the Republicans have betrayed me, the Democrats have betrayed me... I don't see an exit strategy here.'"

Stephanie Condon
Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com.
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by johndevinejr October 17, 2009 3:49 PM EDT

The tea baggers garnered attention for the same reason that a naked drunk staggering around in traffic gets attention. They are absurd, and don't seem to have any rational objections. They have based their objections on nonsense.

The republican party platform as they have stated is: Death Panels, Euthanasia, something about Nazis, Socialism, Marxism, Communism, and oh yeah Teleprompter. These slogan are shouted repeatedly without bothering to use sentences.
These people have NO IDEAS, and all you need to do is look around us to see what 8 years of republicans have done to this country and the world.
We cannot afford to allow incompetent, dishonest individuals like Bush, Palin, Boehnor, Grassley......(there are far too many to name all of them) to decide what should be done.

The single most important thing we must do is go to the poles and vote for Democrats. Keep republican out of positions of power before they destroy this country.

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by IL-Independent October 19, 2009 6:53 AM EDT: 8 Years of Republicans. My God, First the Republicans had total control for 6! If you go back to 2006 the Democrats took control of congress.

The second thing you need to realize, and I know this is a hard thing for you to do, is that you will NEVER EVER be able to keep the republicans out of office. PERIOD.

by pensacola8-2009 October 17, 2009 11:47 AM EDT

Tea Party politics is popular, but follows the brilliance of a striking match...it creates a bright light for a very short time and fades fast.

I will ask partisans of the Republican Party to find a worthwhile criteria to build upon and abandon the older ones. Abortion, lower taxes, and rejecting civil unions won't get too many voters interested in signing up.

The best thing the GOP could do is a publicity stunt of kicking Evangelicals in their teeth. That would attract attention and strip away many centrists off the Democratic wagon.

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by stn_sage October 17, 2009 1:29 PM EDT: The 'Tea Party' group...alleged to be mostly GOP conservatives...is the next likely victim of the GOP to be 'thrown under the bus' in popular parlance!

My prediction: the GOP will 'cut, slash, and burn' this group the first chance they can make some 'political hay' out of it! Watch!

They needed them short-term, but long-term...going into 2012 elections...they pose as a definite liability...so, they'll cleverly find a way to disassociate themselves from them!


by robham777 October 17, 2009 2:37 PM EDT: I think that individuals need to hold to their own values and vote for the candidate who best represents them, regardless of whether or not your candidate wins. Voting along party lines only perpetuates the status quo.


by payback108 October 17, 2009 9:58 AM EDT: Well I will wait and see both sides uck; Reply to this comment

by rightbehind October 17, 2009 7:42 AM EDT

When the crowd estimates are done for every location that these events occur they can't even manage 1% of the estimated population within a 10 mile radius of the event. That includes the national DC rally almost 1 year in the making. They estimated about 60 thousand showed. There are over 8 million people in The DC Metro area.

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by Ontarget2 October 22, 2009 10:05 AM EDT: You need to change ur id to "LeftBehind" or BlindMan or AcornEmployee - There might not have been over a MILLION folks there - but it was close and you're the one to parrot the DNCC talking points even when they're so obviously wrong! NOW that's scary.

I used to think FOX commentary was a bunch of baloney, but when the MSN so obviously ignores real news because it may prove them wrong. ALL Americans should be concerned, even you ! They'll dump you when they get their power and money. Look at what Chavez did to his original supporters. Obama has followed his playbook.

by rightbehind October 17, 2009 7:36 AM EDT

The "real tea party" began more than 4 years ago. Republicans are being thrown out of office as fast as the election process will allow. There are another 19 republican senate seats on the ballot in 2010. We need to send them all packing including the yellow dog democrats.

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by rightbehind October 17, 2009 7:46 AM EDT: Correction 18 more republican senate seats on the ballot that need to be outsourced to real democrats.


by stn_sage October 17, 2009 3:19 PM EDT: rightbehind:

NICE! I like your use of language! In light of the millions of jobs, some of these incumbents have ALLOWED to be outsourced...it is appropriate that term be used to express their own future loss of employment...hopefully!

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by longtree-2009 October 17, 2009 7:31 AM EDT: does it matter who sits in the white house, congressional seats. china owns us. chinese products are on all our store shelves. chinese coming here buying our real estate. general motors just sold the hummer vehicle to china. chinese coming here illegally too. very difficult to buy anything today that isn't stamped, 'made in china'. bought frozen food the other day, label said washington and california, but stamped on the back was 'china'. forget about democrats, republicans, and learn mandarin because china is taking us over slowly but surely.; Reply to this comment

by formrusmcsgt October 17, 2009 6:43 AM EDT

The split among conservatives has left their Democratic opponent in the lead.
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It must be very tough being a moderate Repub these days. They're hard-pressed to support a progressive candidate and have to hold their nose to vote for extremists.

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by johndevinejr October 17, 2009 4:02 PM EDT: I haven't met a moderate republican in 10 years. Every one I meet doggedly repeats whatever the party line no matter how bizzare or obviously untrue it is.


by IL-Independent October 19, 2009 7:03 AM EDT: by johndevinejr October 17, 2009 4:02 PM EDT
I haven't met a moderate republican in 10 years. Every one I meet doggedly repeats whatever the party line no matter how bizzare or obviously untrue it is.
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Sounds like most the democrats, so what is the problem. I mean here is one lie that democrats love to say. That only 20% of this country are Republicans. Now lets look at the Presidential Election, more than 20% of this country voted for McCain. Do you know where they are getting this 20%? It was Bush's approval rating. But, you want to know something, what was House Speaker Pelosi's Rating at the end? I know it was lower than Bush's, but your side some how leaves that part of the story out? So do not sit there and act like your side does not do the same thing


by tiktin October 17, 2009 12:55 AM EDT: A funny thing happened on the way to the revolution. It got away from the organizers.; Reply to this comment


by kansas1946 October 16, 2009 10:31 PM EDT: "Tea Party" Voters Present Challenge for GOP
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What's the problem, Republicans? That is your rabid-right that does your dirty work for you. You made them, you live with the.; Reply to this comment