So what is the Tea Party?

[LuciferSam]

Its about race with some, but many Republicans would have been very pleased to have Colin Powell for President.

That was before he supported Obama in 2008. According to a conversation I overheard at the time, Powell is now a "liberal socialist".

 

[GoodWitch58]

I caught some of that, too, while I was in the car today. I wish I'd have gotten to hear more of it. The part that I heard, Baker was saying he agreed with much of Obama's platform. The usual modus operandi of the GOP is to disown, disavow, disembowel and generally butcher the reputation and destroy any of their own who dare to get out of lock step. But, this is Ronald Reagan's former chief of staff and right hand man...a major architect of the Republican party as it exists today. He halted the Florida recount and saved the 2000 election for the dunce Bush. What will the teabaggers do to Baker now, one of the Grand Poobahs of their party, now that he had the temerity to say something positive about Obama? Should be fun to watch, like so many of their twisted antics.

It was a real pleasure to listen to Jim Baker, a republican with immense credibility, be courteous and professional and pragmatic. What amazes me is that the present leadership of the Republican party, Mitch McConnell in particular, seems to remain either completely silent or is encouraging so much of this out of bounds rhetoric often seen with the Tea Party group.
If, they are as Andy A. posts on here, simply interested in a different way: small government, fiscal responsibility...etc., then why does not some leader in that group, decry the inappropriate behavior in others under the Tea Party label?
Under normal codes of behavior, if a group has an agenda, and some in the group are taking away from that agenda with inappropriate behavior, then the group leader usually reins the out of control members back in line.
Now, the Republican Party is the best I know at keeping their members "on message", so if anyone in the Republican Party really wanted the Tea Party group to stop the death threats and the Nazi signs, and the derogatory language, it would be done.

 

[Matt J]

Hey there, a group of us here on 30A are interested in joining the tea party. We would like some more info.

Mary Brown is your best bet, she sits on the Board of the largest taxing authority south of the bay.