Is the Tea Party done?

[b1e9a8r5s]

The right lost the gay marriage debate. The abortion debate is still very much in the middle. Being pro life isn't outside of the mainstream. It's only when you start talking about rape that you come across as a loon. Regardless, fiscal issues should be the focus of the party going forward.

[natelpete]

I was really hoping for Bachmannto lose but it looks like she barely pulled it out. They're done, it's just a matter of time before that c*** gets outed.

[natepro]

The right lost the gay marriage debate. The abortion debate is still very much in the middle. Being pro life isn't outside of the mainstream. It's only when you start talking about rape that you come across as a loon. Regardless, fiscal issues should be the focus of the party going forward.

It's just a matter of time on abortion.

As much as we might talk about the country being right-leaning (and compared to other countries, we really are), the undeniable direction of moral progress is to the left.

[stephkyle7]

Dick Armey's group was a primary funder of the main Tea Party group. You remember him, right? It was in no way bipartisan, as every single candidate it fielded ran as a Republican.

Let me add to those who are pushing for the Republican party to jettison its social issues voters. Good luck! Your party made a conscious choice to dance with the evangelical devil, and you're not getting out of it that easily. Go ahead and try running a pro-choice candidate in your primaries, or a pro-gay-marriage candidate, or a. . .. gasp. . . gay person*. You'll see exactly what I mean pretty darn fast.

*By this I mean openly gay, not like Lindsay Graham, Mark Foley or Larry Craig.

this might interest you


http://www.google.com/url?q=http://w...nyAj_TWXsV3mrA

[b1e9a8r5s]

It's just a matter of time on abortion.

As much as we might talk about the country being right-leaning (and compared to other countries, we really are), the undeniable direction of moral progress is to the left.

I disagree. There hasn't been a lot of movement on the abortion question. Actually, slightly more people identify as pro-life now.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/1576/abortion.aspx

[natelpete]

I disagree. There hasn't been a lot of movement on the abortion question. Actually, slightly more people identify as pro-life now.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/1576/abortion.aspx

As babyboomers continue to die off and science continues to disprove religion, I highly expect "pro choice" to become the norm.

[b1e9a8r5s]

As babyboomers continue to die off and science continues to disprove religion, I highly expect "pro choice" to become the norm.

I don't think this will ever be a decided issue.

[Webslinger]

Considering that Romney got nearly 50% of the popular vote suggests to me that half of america strongly supports the tea party movement in some shape or form. This was hardly the landslide this article is suggesting. The Tea party is strong.

The Tea Party has a weird history.

It started out as a fiscally conservative protest movement that focused on taxing and spending, but then all sorts of hardcore social conservatives branded themselves as Tea Partiers.

So, I don't know. The basic ideas of fiscal conservatism are alive and well. Whatever the group of people supporting those ideas chooses to label themselves doesn't really matter.

If you're a fiscal conservative wouldn't that make you a democrate by default? Republicans spend money like there's no tomorrow whenever they get in office.

[natepro]

I fail to see how a vote for Romney is a vote for the Tea Party.

[natepro]

I disagree. There hasn't been a lot of movement on the abortion question. Actually, slightly more people identify as pro-life now.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/1576/abortion.aspx

I'm not saying it'll be next year or anything, but eventually. The zeitgeist moves ever on and on.

[dbroncos78087]

If one thinks that Romney is tea party, that demonstrates a sore lack of understanding of both the tea party and Mitt Romney.

[The Schmooze]

The Tea Party supports 100% Republicans, although 100% of Republicans do not support the Tea Party, or reflect its ideology completely.

[Sota4Ever]

As babyboomers continue to die off and science continues to disprove religion, I highly expect "pro choice" to become the norm.

Pro choice and pro life will probably always be split. No matter how long down the road. It isn't as easy as saying we should legalize drugs and marriages.

Pro choice and Pro life will never kill a candidate. Being to much pro life will though.

[ManRamForPrez24]

the should really just drop the whole anti-abortion stance and move on. unless someone's part of the religious right, they're not going to think there's anything wrong with abortion. and the religious right is shrinking...that's the cold hard truth. they need to accept it and move on.

I kind of figured that abortion was a 50-50 issue in this country. I was going to talk about how I don't think they need to become pro-choice, rather just ease up on contraception, the notion that pre-marital sex is a sin/makes you a **** and so on. Basically, just stop antagonizing women.

But 51% of Missouri voters said that abortion should be legal all or most of the time. 56% of Ohio voters the same thing compared to 39% that say it should be illegal. In Virginia it was 63% to 33%. NH it's 71% to 27%.

There is a gap.

I can't see them moving away from the consensus pro-life stance overnight...but they have to start easing back. Contraception isn't evil, in fact, it prevents more abortions than anything else. Women aren't sluts for having pre-marital sex (ahem, Rush), it takes two to tango...and it's also not a sin. Planned parenthood isn't an abortion factory, and starting to act like it isn't will help too.

I think they can keep their pro-life core to an extent, but the more frivolous things they have to let go. It's just gonna get worse.

At the very least, stop talking about rape.


Religion will continue to slowly lose it's appeal, but at least for the next few decades I agree with Sota; I don't think abortion is a make or break issue...at least so long as the GOP ease up a bit.

[natelpete]

Pro choice and pro life will probably always be split. No matter how long down the road. It isn't as easy as saying we should legalize drugs and marriages.

Pro choice and Pro life will never kill a candidate. Being to much pro life will though.

I disagree, the social landscape seems to evolve almost every election. Imagine how bad a pro gay marriage candidate would do 50 years ago. Now, that's normal for a progressive.