Where were the Republican "Tea Partiers" During the Bush Years?

[erowe1]

I'm not exactly sure. It was in 2008 but I don't know if it was before or after Nov. 4th 2008. Shouldn't matter thought because they were protesting against the Bush bailout. Also, I found this poll that showed most opposed the Bush bailout, only 30% supported it http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,428921,00.html

It does and should matter. I have a hunch that you're misremembering and that it was not in 2008, or even when Bush was still in office at all. But even if it was, I bet it was after the election. There was plenty for fiscal conservatives to oppose Bush on throughout his entire tenure, much of which was worse than TARP, and all the while Bush supporters by the tens of thousands were filling streets in pro-war demonstrations organized and marketed by the same groups and individuals who are organizing and marketing the tea parties. The fact that the floodgates of protesting on behalf of smaller government didn't open until after Nov. 4, 2008 is no coincidence.

 

[tremendoustie]

The same place all the anti-war protesters went after Obama got elected. The netherworld of partisan hackery hypocrisy.

 

[max]

they were busy tying yellow ribbons that symbolized a multi-trillion dollar waste of tax money, 6000 dead US troops, 10's of 1000's more maimed, and as many as 1 million dead Iraqis

 

[lynnf]

here's where

they were basking in the false security gained by trading their liberty through acceptance of the hypocritical "Patriot Act"

-----------------------------------------------

lynn

 

[JeNNiF00F00]

From my understanding we turned to the Ron Paul movement, and thats where the original tea parties occured. When Bush WAS in office. Where were you?

 

[erowe1]

From my understanding we turned to the Ron Paul movement, and thats where the original tea parties occured. When Bush WAS in office. Where were you?

See the above discussion.

Also, about that oft-repeated line about the original tea parties being part of the Ron Paul movement--yes, we had a campaign fund raiser on Dec. 16th, 2007 that we called a tea party. But that was totally different than these rallies, other than the coincidence that it shared the same name. The two things really have little or nothing to do with each other.

 

[Sandra]

The Dick Armey funded Tea Party? Why, he was still shilling for Big Pharma until JUST LAST MONTH! Hmmmm, why did Armey step down only a month ago?

Armey was and is working FOR Obama's health care plan according to this article. They were wanting to know why is posing as working against the Obama Plan when he was working with a big law firm lobbying for it. The Tea Party Express is PRO OBAMA HEALTH REFORM.

http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes....sional-leader-departs-lobbying-firm/#comments

August 14, 2009, 8:20 pm
Former Congressional Leader Departs Lobbying Firm
By David D. Kirkpatrick

WASHINGTON — Dick Armey, the former House Republican leader, has quit his job with the lobbying firm DLA Piper amid complaints from the firm’s drug company clients about his work opposing President Obama’s health care overhaul.

His departure is the latest example of the confusing entanglements arising from the health care debate.

To review the odd facts of this case: the drug companies who helped defeat the Clinton administration’s health care effort 15 years ago have turned on Mr. Armey, who then was one of their most important Congressional allies. Now, having cut a deal with the administration to limit their share of the costs, the drug companies are on the other side. Foreseeing new profits from the expansion of health coverage, they are spending as much as $150 million on advertisements to support it.

To their embarrassment, however, Mr. Armey has continued to oppose the idea as the chairman of the independent conservative group FreedomWorks. The group has helped turn out rowdy demonstrators at at town hall-style meetings with lawmakers around the country. And some liberal Web sites have begun connecting Mr. Armey’s fight against the health care legislation to his other work for DLA Piper’s drug company clients.

One of DLA Piper’s biggest clients is Medicines Company, which paid DLA Piper $240,000 in lobbying fees in the second quarter. Another drug maker, Sanofi Pasteur, paid the firm $30,000 during the same period, according to its latest disclosure forms.

FreedomWorks did not respond to requests for comment.

Frank Burch, chairman of DLA Piper, said in a press release that firm appreciated Mr. Armey “taking the initiative to clear up confusion concerning FreedomWorks.”

“Despite some unfounded media suggestions attempting to link DLA Piper to FreedomWorks’s opposition to health care reform, the firm has not, on its own behalf, or on the behalf of any client, directly or indirectly opposed any of the pending health care reform bills,” Mr. Burch said. “On the contrary, DLA Piper represents clients who support enactment of effective health care reform this year.”

 

[rprprs]

...If we do not participate in the liberty/tea party movement then we have no business complaining about the highjacking that is definitely going on...

I will concur with this. Just as, to a large extent, the left's rants of "racism" and characterization as "astroturf", etc. will backfire on them, so to is our own dismissive bashing of "Tea Partiers" counterproductive. None of us entered this world screaming "Give me Liberty or give me death." and many of us had a "conversion" after years of misguided allegiance to a more "traditional" political perspective.

To become a viable political alternative in this country, this movement simply must grow. These people are ripe for the picking and we need to assimilate them, not toss them aside.

 

[Sandra]

I will concur with this. Just as, to a large extent, the left's rants of "racism" and characterization as "astroturf", etc. will backfire on them, so to is our own dismissive bashing of "Tea Partiers" counterproductive. None of us entered this world screaming "Give me Liberty or give me death." and many of us had a "conversion" after years of misguided allegiance to a more "traditional" political perspective.

To become a viable political alternative in this country, this movement simply must grow. These people are ripe for the picking and we need to assimilate them, not toss them aside.

Assimilation is to the benefit of a majority, not the minority. Same with diversion. Bad idea.

The Tea Party funded by Freedom Works (Dick Armey) has a PROFESSIONAL staff of PR persons including sociologists that plan these things geared toward those grasping for any winning edge.

 

[rprprs]

Assimilation is to the benefit of a majority, not the minority. Same with diversion. Bad idea.

The Tea Party funded by Freedom Works (Dick Armey) has a PROFESSIONAL staff of PR persons including sociologists that plan these things geared toward those grasping for any winning edge.

Somehow, I knew that word "assimilate" was going to be problematic., but I don't want to argue semantics. Nonetheless, I stand by my original post. Neocon organizers aside, most of the Tea Partiers have no more allegiance to Dick Armey than they do to Ron Paul and I believe many of them were simply "lost souls" with some vague sense that government is overreaching its bounds. If we can't bring them into the fold, then who? My point is only that the nation is so polarized that we have to pick our poison from the ranks of the Tea Partiers or those at an Obama rally. We need to recruit, and I can't believe we'd fare less well there than at the local office of Acorn.

 

[lynnf]

Austin Tea Party 12-16-2007

See the above discussion.

Also, about that oft-repeated line about the original tea parties being part of the Ron Paul movement--yes, we had a campaign fund raiser on Dec. 16th, 2007 that we called a tea party. But that was totally different than these rallies, other than the coincidence that it shared the same name. The two things really have little or nothing to do with each other.

speaka fer yerself

Austin Tea Party 12-16-2007 video

complete with fake Indians, fake tea boxes dumped in the water,
and people with tri-cornered hats!

YouTube - Austin Tea Party / Ron Paul rally 12-16-2007

YouTube - Ron Paul Austin Tea Party 12/16/07 -Part 5


-----------------------------

lynnf

 

[angelatc]

Sheesh. We voted his party out for a reason, and that reason wasn't because Obama is just oh so awesome. If they want us to hunt him down and string him up, that's not going to happen. Maybe it should, but that's a job for people in the judicial system. The judicial system that Obama now oversees.

 

[angelatc]

they were busy tying yellow ribbons that symbolized a multi-trillion dollar waste of tax money, 6000 dead US troops, 10's of 1000's more maimed, and as many as 1 million dead Iraqis

I just read that we have lost more people in Iraq and Afghanistan under the Obama administration than we did under any single year of Bush's command.

Both sides are the same - this crap is the real diversion.

 

[LittleLightShining]

I just read that we have lost more people in Iraq and Afghanistan under the Obama administration than we did under any single year of Bush's command.

Both sides are the same - this crap is the real diversion.

Link?

 

[anaconda]

They were looking for Ron Paul?

 

[erowe1]

speaka fer yerself

Austin Tea Party 12-16-2007 video

complete with fake Indians, fake tea boxes dumped in the water,
and people with tri-cornered hats!

YouTube - Austin Tea Party / Ron Paul rally 12-16-2007


-----------------------------

lynnf

Yep. That's the same tea party I was talking about. I don't think there's any connection at all between this event that was connected to the Ron Paul presidential campaign and the anti-Obama tea parties. The superficial similarities are a coincidence. But in every meaningful way they are totally different, run by totally different groups of people, in totally different ways, for totally different purposes. And I don't see any way that it could be the case that the one was born out of the other.