Source
r/politics•
everymn

Informal poll, if you are/were a Ron Paul Supporter do you now find any reason to identify with the Tea Party?

I'm curious because I was as big a RP supporter as you're ever likely to find, and I'd never be caught dead at one of those events. Ever since it started it seemed to me that the whole thing was concocted by Republicans at some Rovian round table after two disastrous election cycles when they realized that their long standing rules of engagement weren't cutting it anymore and they decided to brainstorm up a new way to get people lined up for them.

In my imagination, some little geek piped up and said, "How about that Ron Paul stuff? People seemed to really like that Liberty, Freedom, limited government crap. And now that we're not in power, this is a good time to limit government" They all hooted their approval, and phoned up Rupert and said, "Make it so" (on second thought he was probably there taking notes).

I went to a few Paul rallies and was struck that there were dems, disaffected republicans, libertarians etc there. This current incarnation seems to me to be a nothing more than a caramelized and partisan attempt to monkey wrench the Obama administration while at the same time providing a new rallying point for depressed conservatives.

Am I wrong?

Posted Feb 19, 2010, 8:22 PM UTC

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AnnArchist•

The people who are the most passionate about politics tend to be the dumbest. Including the teabaggers.... and the people who thought Obama had an impressive record before being elected as President.

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tsoldrin•

I voted for Paul in the primary and have liked the guy and his common sense policies for a number of years.

Your imagination I'm afraid is wafting up from a fever swamp. A Rovian plot? Oh my! Likely the neocons disdain the Tea Partiers even more than the Left does. They are an unruly mob made up in large part of the same people the neocons used to manage so eloquently.

I identify with the core of what they seem to be about - smaller government and low taxes. The rest is a grab bag. There's a reason for that though... small government enthusiasts draw in from a wide range of ideologies. They're basically a stitched together coalition of everyone who simply wants to be left alone by the government - for many differing reasons - as you can imagine, there are plenty that fit that bill who come from the far fringes. Also, you'll find social conservatives infecting every right leaning movement. They're like a cancer that once was encouraged because of their numbers and incredible reliability but now has spread too far to be easily excised.

So yeah, you're probably wrong. The Tea Partiers might give Obama some headaches, but they actually pose a much greater danger to the Roves of the world. It was sort of inevitable really... Big Government Republicans? The idea is silly... they entered the battle on the enemies home field AND had their own troops turn against them from behind. Deservedly so.

Eventually we'll see something similar pop up on the other side, when they realize that their leadership takes them for granted and really doesn't give a shit about the issues they hold near and dear to their hearts.

1
Fazookus•

Many, many, many of the Teabaggers are there because their talk radio gurus told them to be there, and that to me really makes it seem that they really are just being lead around by the nose, as the OP says. They weren't there in any numbers before Obama got elected and they'll be lead noisily off in some other direction when someone the radioheads like is President.

Your comments re: cancerous social conservatives is right on, though... although that too is being pitched by the talkers.

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Fazookus•

This current incarnation seems to me to be a nothing more than a caramelized and partisan attempt to monkey wrench the Obama administration while at the same time providing a new rallying point for depressed conservatives. Am I wrong?

Seems right to me.

1