General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWill the "Tea Parties" break up after 2012?
In my opinion, the "Tea Parties" are showing how childish and flat-out stupid they are being, and I think after 2012, they will go the way of the "Know Nothing" party.
oldhippydude
(2,514 posts)i am betting that the Republicans at some point will purge them, as Buckley purged the Birchers.. there will be a split in the party.. the wall street wing, and the theocratic wing.. the theocrats will at some point will start thier own party.. although it cant stand on its own, without support from the plutocrats..
eventually it will fade into the militia roots from whence it came
Kurmudgeon
(1,751 posts)unionworks
(3,574 posts)pampango
(24,692 posts)The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1850s, characterized by political xenophobia, anti-Catholic sentiment, and occasional bouts of violence against the groups the nativists targeted. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to republican values and controlled by the Pope in Rome. Mainly active from 1854 to 1856, it strove to curb immigration and naturalization, though its efforts met with little success.
In spring 1854, the Know Nothings carried Boston, Salem, and other New England cities. They swept the state of Massachusetts in the fall 1854 elections, their biggest victory. ... The results of the 1854 elections were so favorable to the Know Nothings that they formed officially as a political party called the American Party,
The party declined rapidly in the North after 1855. ... by the 1860 election, they were no longer a serious national political movement. Most of their remaining members supported the Constitutional Union Party in 1860.
The platform of the American Party called for, among other things:
Severe limits on immigration, especially from Catholic countries.
Restricting political office to native-born Americans of English and/or Scottish lineage and Protestant persuasion.
Mandating a wait of 21 years before an immigrant could gain citizenship.
Restricting public school teacher positions to Protestants.
Mandating daily Bible readings in public schools.
Restricting the sale of liquor.
Restricting the use of languages other than English.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Know_Nothing
The Know Nothings impacted one election (the 1854 non-presidential election) year. The tea party impacted one election (the 2010 non-presidential election) year. The tea party will probably decline as rapidly as the Know Nothings did.
By the way, I think teabaggers would have little trouble simply adopting the Know Nothing platform (except for that "restricting the sale of liquor" thing.
sofa king
(10,857 posts)It will stay far, far away from that word, but I foresee uniforms, ranks, insignia and other signs of paramilitary organization, along with increasing violence and more blatant intimidation tactics.
The corporate entities which created and backed this movement have invested too much into it to simply leave and let it deflate. Even if they do, someone else will see what's there and swoop in to take it over.
What has hindered the group so far is its inability to intimidate. So they'll be looking to change that.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)They're time in the Sun is rapidly coming to an end. If not in the next election, then a few years after.
And the Kock brothers will also die out in spite of their wealth.
edited to add the last sentence
opihimoimoi
(52,426 posts)love your by line
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)lunatica
(53,410 posts)I don't. The financial situation in the world plus the growing effects of climate change will force them to see reality too, no matter how much they kick their heels and throw tantrums. They'll go the way of the Dodo Bird if they don't wise up.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Lots of stupid people in this country. Lots of folks out for themselves too. Really hope you are right though.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)Did you really think that once they stole the elections once in such a spectacularly successful way that they would go back to being honest in the next elections?
The reason they lost seats in the midterm elections was because Democrats turned out in huge number to vote. Even then they stole enough to make it look like it was some sort of real contest.
tanyev
(42,553 posts)dembotoz
(16,802 posts)if they win, they could become the new republican party
and we can all complain about it as we are trucked off to camps......
Major Hogwash
(17,656 posts)All they did was piss everybody off.
NNN0LHI
(67,190 posts)UTUSN
(70,686 posts)jorno67
(1,986 posts)much like the Klan...they will fade out of the everyday headlines, but will always be there...waiting to hate.