Where is the tea party?

Where is the tea party grass roots push by Redstate? It seems that Erick and this site is transitioning much more to political commentary and punditry, calling the horse races rather than advocating for grass roots conservatism.

There is absolutely nothing wrong w/ Erick’s current and future success in a media career and I wish him tremendous continued success! But the CNN gig is already showing conflicts with a media pundit gig on a left leaning network vs. a grass roots conservative advocate on RS. Admitting bias, praising Blitz and CNN for winning a debate? really?

When I read Erick saying CNN and the Blitz winning a debate, I know there has been a departure from grass roots conservatism. The Erick of old would have questioned anyone who would claim that a left leaning network and a liberal moderator won a GOP debate. That even being suggested should prove that something is very wrong here.

Why aren’t there reports on Romney’s surrogates such as Jason Chaffetz stalking Gingrich campaigns? The Romney campaign sent a paid staffer to FL dedicated to have surrogates stalk gingrich campaigns everywhere in FL.

We should all be threatened and alarmed by the DC establishment wielding its power to control the party, rather than focusing on beating Obama.

I’m just not seeing it. Evidently not many others do either.

The tea party and America is being dealt a huge stealth coordinated blow by the establishment. It could be all over this next week. Although I am cautiously optimistic at Gingrich’s chances because the media has not reported his largest campaign staff in SC and also largest staff in FL of all candidates. Gingrich at least has a ground game and organization there, whether you hear about it from the MSM is another subject.

This is not specifically about gingrich, but just as he is the frontrunner in best representing the tea party anti romney anti establishment candidate. The story would have been the same had Santorum or Perry were the leader.

The current tea party gains in congress from 2010 are teetering on the edge of being wiped out by the GOP nomination. A romney win will put extreme pressure on the few tea party congress critters to conform to old school party establishment norms. Without continuous reinforcements to the first wave of tea partiers in congress, they will weaken and cave. I don’t really blame them.

called herself, Ronald Reagan and Romney. Problem is, Reagan isn’t dirty nor a moderate though he supported some bills that the party had to endure.

I was curious about the resignation since Newt hasn’t challenged the facts. Time to take a stand.

Newt supported the bailout. Newt supported the mandate right up until Obama put it in his health care plan. Newt helped Freddie/Fannie word their proposals so that they would sound acceptable to Republican legislators and was an unregistered lobbies for them. What part of this spells Tea Party to you?

He may not be the establishment’s first choice, but he’s no Tea Partier. If he is that term has absolutely no meaning.

The conservative base should focus on core principles and values of the movement: limited government, free markets, and fiscal responsibility led by established, inexperienced fiscal conservative governors without trying to be ‘all issues to all people.’ There is already an obvious split between evangelical and economic libertarian wings of the party, so leave it to other vehicles — such as evangelicals — to push social issues and nurture talent in minor-league farm teams, so to speak, at the grassroots level.

Because the ruling elites didn’t force the movement to back weak candidates and nothing will ever change if Tea Partiers themselves don’t even take responsibility for poor recruits who were forced to drop after making elementary campaign missteps, (Bachmann and Perry, Cain, et. al.).

Exactly this is about the Establishment, not even Obama. It may be we lose in November but winning with Romney? What does that achieve. Newt will, of course, sell us out, too.

The Titanic did sink.

The low blow establishment has been sending surrogates to stalk Gingrich and smear him during his own events.

McCain has called for it to stop.

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“I think, frankly, every candidate should have the right to hold their rallies and their campaign events without being encumbered by people who are representing other campaigns. … I would discourage people from disrupting anyone else’s campaign events.”

Three Romney surrogates – Reps. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, Mary Bono-Mack, R-Calif., and Connie Mack, R-Fla. – attended Gingrich events this week to offer a rebuttal of the former House speaker’s message to the media. At each of the events, the surrogates were joined by Romney campaign staffers. Bay Buchanan, a conservative activist with American Cause, and Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La., will be the latest Romney surrogates to attend Gingrich events today.
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http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/01/john-mccain-discourages-mitt-romney-surrogates-from-crashing-newt-gingrich-events/

Gingrich, while by no means a tea partier, is the best we have in a weak Tea field. If they help him pull this off, I think they can count on having some influence in a Gingrich administration. Romney will never give them the time of day; especially after the support he has received from the establishment. If he wins, it will assuredly be without Tea support and he will not forget. The true believers in the Congress will be ignored or intimidated and removed, and all will be right with the moderate Romney wing of the world. Conservatism will be set back a generation.

no conservative should vote for Romney if he is ordained by the establishment with the nomination. The establishment as it is currently constituted is the enemy of conservatism. It will continue to force moderate republicans and radical democrats on us forever. We conservatives do not have the power to stop it from selecting radically leftist democrats, but we do have the power to stop it from selecting moderate republicans. Destroying that status quo is far more imporatant than defeating Obama. If we conservatives would stop playing along the entire system would come crashing down – Don’t vote for Romney!

As Newt is apparently doing, perhaps wisely. There is an NBC/WSJ poll that just came out showing that Gingrich leads Romney 52-39 for the nomination in a two man race. Gingrich continues to be tied or ahead nationally. We need to resist strongly the establishment attempts to call the race over if Romney wins FL.

I think Newt is making the calculation that he still has a shot if it goes all the way to the convention, and he can pick up Santorum and Paul’s delegates on the second ballot. It is a legitimate possibility.

Cain endorses Newt.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/72113.html

Newt is no less ‘establishment’ than Romney – and no more conservative.

The big difference, is that Newt has pissed off more people & has an ass-ton more personal baggage…

The closest thing to ‘baggage’ Romney has is being very, very rich – a trait he shares with every single candidate in the race, from both parties.

AJ do not get discouraged!! Florida is not conservative and believe me with the demographics of this state it is no surprise Romney is ahead. Conservatives need to stop splitting the vote. We do it every time and that allows a RINO like Mitt through the door. It happens all the time!! We let it because we get conservative candidates that are too proud to step aside. They claim they care about conservatives but it it BS! They are in it for power. Why would anyone who claims that he is conservative stay in a race he cannot win? Well lets see…a swan song in a month or two, maybe an offer to be Secretary of Defense and so on. It is not about us it is about them. That is why Mitt is where he is. Florida is a joke…outside of Florida Romney will be in trouble if one conservative stays in the race. I mean what will he win….Mass? New York? Jersey? I mean we all know they will go for Mitt over Obama in November!! NOT!!

I wish the two conservatives left would wake up and see something bigger then themselves! I doubt it will happen! If they do Mitt can easily be defeated but if both stay in too long it will open the door to the RINO from Mass. You are right the war is with the Establishment but it stays that way because we return to same battlefield. Maybe it is time we move the field away from the GOP and see who survives? The GOP cannot survive without conservatives…we can easily survive without the GOP Establishment!!

I feel like this post was very indicative of Red State’s general feel – amongst the editors, contributors, and members. Red State is a highly partisan conservative advocacy site. The Tea Party is more of a spontaneous political movement with some parallel tracts.

A good example would be pro-life issues, I’d wager that self identified Tea Partiers are generally less pro-life than members of this board. (According to Gallup 26% are pro life I’d guess this board is 99%.) http://www.gallup.com/poll/127181/tea-partiers-fairly-mainstream-demographics.aspx

IMO – the main focus of Tea Party was:
1. Economic sanity (balanced budget, limited national debt)
2. Rule of Law and fairness
3. Original principles

Now that doesn’t mean there isn’t overlap, or even that almost every RSer self describes as Tea Partier, just that the populist movement “Tea Party” is broaded than this board, and I’d guess much harder to please.

I haven’t been able to come to any great conclusions, just think this insight is missing, where most of us on the board are posting from our own perspective and that the populist movement is broader.

(I would say that NG vs MR has evolved into a Republican establishment versus Republican outsider election for most of the highly partisan republicans. Of course battles between brothers are always more fierce, and arguments over smaller differences are usually considered more critical than direct opposition.)

you can sign up on line to make phone calls from home here:

http://newtsnetwork.com

Thank you.

ColdWarrior

Fineman on MSNBC talks with Chris Matthews and Michael Steele…..

http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/Gingrich-Fineman-soul-Republican/2012/01/31/id/426130

Newt or Mitt?? These 2 are big Lib-Tard Neo-Cons.

Why the hell would the Tea Party support them?

The tea party got shafted, the only tea party candidate right now is Ron Paul, which is why you see such a decline in the tea party events.

Mitt and Newt both supported obama care!

If this site keeps supporting Mitt and Newt the GOP will no longer be a respectable party!

Redstate has turned into an ANTI-CONSERVATIVE website by supporting these two nominees.

Redstate should have been demanding real conservatives to run for president.

It is a sad day for the GOP when the only conservative on stage is 76 years old. Where are all the young GOP tea party conservatives and where is the push and support for them?