Will the "Tea Parties" break up after 2012?

[Archae]

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]

1. actually

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]

2. They won't go away until Obama leaves after his 2nd term.

[unionworks]

3. bingo n/t

[pampango]

4. They are the "Know Nothings" of the 21st century, so they will probably break up just as fast.

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]

5. I think they'll be the nucleus of a solid American Fascist party.

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]

6. The Old Farts have to die sometime

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]

7. yup....they be gone soon....opala.....rubbish

love your by line

[Hoyt]

8. Go check out some of the so-called "Young Republicans."

[lunatica]

10. Why? Do you think they're taking over?

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]

16. Let's Hope. I didn't think bush had chance in 2004 either.

Lots of stupid people in this country. Lots of folks out for themselves too. Really hope you are right though.

[lunatica]

17. He didn't, unless you call stealing the elections 'having a chance'

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]

9. There will probably always be some dregs that won't go down the drain.

[dembotoz]

11. depends on how they do

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]

12. I agree. They have outlived their usefulness.

All they did was piss everybody off.

[NNN0LHI]

13. I think most of them have already went back to wearing their Minutemen costumes

[UTUSN]

14. R#4 & K for, the 'Baggers will go away when the Black man is out of the White House n/t

[jorno67]

15. I suspect they will always be there

much like the Klan...they will fade out of the everyday headlines, but will always be there...waiting to hate.