The Tea Party Is Falling Fast in Its Battle with the GOP Establishment

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http://www.thenation.com/blog/179822/tea-party-falling-fast-its-battle-gop-establishment


A vendor sells flags at a Tea Party Express rally in Boston. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)

The Tea Party—the collective name for a wide range of right-wing activist groups, well-funded Washington-based organizations and local radicals—is not doing well in 2014, and that portends ill for would-be 2016 presidential candidates in the Republican Party who intend to rely on Tea Party support against more establishment-backed candidates. Still, in the GOP’s base, the Tea Party is the most passionate, fired-up (Benghazi! IRS! Obamacare!) part of the party, giving it an outsized influence—especially in Republican primary contests.

But it’s precisely in those contests where, in 2014, the Tea Party is losing big.

Figuring out how strong is the amorphous entity called “the Tea Party” is not easy. One can’t join it officially, for the most part, and paradoxically (for pollsters) some people who support the Tea Party ideologically and in their voting patterns may not consider themselves members or supporters when asked by a pollster. According to a recent Gallup poll, 41 percent of Republicans consider themselves “supporters” of the Tea Party—but that’s down sharply from 61 percent in 2010. (Nationally, among all voters, support for the Tea Party stands at 22 percent, down from a high of 32 percent in 2010.) And, according to Gallup, Tea Party types are far more focused on the traditionally low turnout primary elections in 2014 and on the general election later this year, with 52 percent of Tea Partiers saying that they are “enthusiastic” about 2014, compared to just 35 percent of “all other Republicans.” So, in theory at least, the Tea Party is poised to have a big influence on this year’s GOP vote.

So far, however, anti-establishment Tea Party candidates haven’t won a single major statewide race in GOP primaries, including their big loss in North Carolina to a more traditionally minded, establishment-backed right-winger last week.

***is there a difference between the tea party and the republican establishment?

[Le Taz Hot]

1. Yeah, that's because they are no longer

employing the "useful" part of "useful idiots." The "idiot" part thought that they had real influence on the Republican PARTY. Otoh, RWNJ's aren't exactly known for their blinding intelligence.

[yeoman6987]

2. Well that was until last night

They are back again and reenergized. They won big in Nebraska and another state. Scary times folks.

[Le Taz Hot]

3. Oh, they'll be viable for awhile, and maybe for a long while,

in pockets of the country, but I think their influence on national and international policy is over. Actually, to be accurate, they were never influential on ANY policy, they were being used as the Bad Cops as cover for the Republicans to ensure stupid people organized and voted against their own best interests. The problem is, they began to believe the propaganda, reached too high and tried to control the Republican Party and that is something the 1% will not tolerate. I think what will ultimately happen is that they will break off from the Republicans, start their own national party and split the Republican Party in two. I'll try real hard to shed a tear but I'm not promising anything.

[yeoman6987]

4. You are right

The GOPE and 1% will never allow the Tea Party to get too much power. However, last night is a bit worrisome especially for the poor DU'ers that live in Nebraska. They are about to get a worse than Ted Cruise Senator if that is possible.....it actual is with Sass (Sp?).

[Silent3]

5. They've already converted the so-called "establishment" into insane radicals...

...who foam at the mouth just a little bit less. To the extent that the Tea Party is "losing" now, it's only that they've been getting crazier as time goes on, and now that they've cranked themselves up to 11, the "establishment" has only been willing to follow them up to around 8 or so.

[AlinPA]

6. "...is there a difference between the tea party and the republican establishment? No. They are one

and the same.