Well, well, well. Isn't this interesting. Politico: Tea Partiers turn on each other

[cali]

By KENNETH P. VOGEL | 11/19/09 11:41 PM EST


After emerging out of nowhere over the summer as a seemingly potent and growing political force, the tea party movement has become so rife with internal feuding over philosophy, strategy and money that some supporters fear it will disintegrate before realizing its full potential.

The grass-roots activists powering the movement have become increasingly divided on core questions such as whether to focus their efforts on shaping policy debates or elections, work on a local, regional, state or national level or closely align itself with the Republican Party, POLITICO found in interviews with tea party organizers in Washington and across the country.

Disagreements over those issues have spawned personal and institutional rivalries, at least one highly contentious lawsuit and — perhaps most significantly — resulted in the splintering of local, regional and national groups into a patchwork of hundreds of smaller groups that occasionally seem to be working at cross-purposes.

“These groups don’t play as well together as they should,” said Kevin Jackson, a St. Louis-based conservative author and activist who has spoken at dozens of tea party-type rallies and is traveling across the South with a convoy sponsored by the national Tea Party Patriots group.

<snip>
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29744.html

[rockymountaindem]

1. Teabagger Thermidor n/t

[TwilightGardener]

2. Apparently just hating Obama isn't enough of a glue to hold them together.

[SpiralHawk]

3. "My tea bag is bigger, and more 'patridiotic' than your tea bag." - Tea Baggers

[MilesColtrane]

4. They're redundant.

We already have the Klan and the Nazi party.

[Mari333]

5. 'grass roots activists' my ASS

[Kalyke]

6. Grass-roots activists?

Since when?

They're nothing but Astro-turf stooges who have problems accepting that women and people of color live on their planet and can contribute positively to society.

[Spazito]

7. Ya gotta love this...

"POLITICO found in interviews with tea party organizers in Washington and across the country."

It seems Politico aka Talon News with a speck of polish wants to sell the disgusting notion that Dick Armey's Freedom Works, the Insurance Companies et al ARE "grassroots". Figures.

Politico's agenda couldn't be more obvious, imo.

[drmeow]

8. “These groups don’t play as well together as they should,”

Kinda hard for groups based on hate to play well together!

[Viking12]

9. I love how they make 'fail' a postive. It's a no-lose situtation

“Some of these groups may burn out, but this is part of this entrepreneurial process and the competition is good,” said Adam Brandon, vice president of communications for FreedomWorks, a nonprofit chaired by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey of Texas.

Just like in the NY23 Congressional race, Hoffman's loss is a win. :wtf: And people say Orwell is dead.

[Warpy]

10. Selfish opportunists trying to manipulate the country's dimwits

are now duking it out for the top of the dungheap.

Gee whiz, who could have foreseen that?

[kerrywins]

11. The Neocons Were never Welcomed....They Hijacked The Party

It was initially started by people who believed in peace and freedom, not warhawk bootlickers.

[sharp_stick]

12. Oh I think they were welcomed

The repukes leadership, before the neocons, thought they could use them as a springboard to collect the votes of what they thought were a small but loud minority. Add these assholes up with the racist GOP infesting the south and the RW fundies. Both groups that, like the neocons, the GOP "elite" thought could be used and you have a fancy new majority in the party made up of racist assholes , RW fundies and neocon warmongers... Instant modern GOP.

[kerrywins]

13. Libertarians started the movement

republican warhawk bootlickers jumped on board to ruin the movement....

[trumad]

14. Good

Libertarians are just as big of douchebags.

[sharp_stick]

15. Ruined but not quite dead

I'd like to find a way to bury it once and for all. Then we have to pile on enough stones that the zombies can't climb out of the hole.