Kenric Ward in Sunshine State News, by way of the Florida TEA Party:
…Limbaugh… tweaked establishment Republicans by predicting that disgruntled tea partiers could bolt the GOP to form a third party.
“They know they’re a majority in the country. If they conclude that they have no influence with the current crop of Republicans, they’ll go third party,” Limbaugh opined.
The Florida TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party is a step ahead of the Palm Beach-based conservative. Formed as the first registered political tea party in the country, its slate of state candidates garnered some 300,000 votes last fall.
Naturally, TEA is reviled by rival tea groups and the Republican Party of Florida, which repeatedly and unsuccessfully sued to remove the party’s candidates from the 2010 ballot.
16 responses so far ↓
1 NewFederalist // Mar 21, 2011 at 7:59 am
Rush is such a tool. He is as inconsistent as Bill O’Reilly and as annoying as Glenn Beck but in the end he is Republican through and through.
2 Don Lake, FYI, not necessarily a unilateral endorcement // Mar 21, 2011 at 11:24 am
For years I have been ashamed that he is a former Missourian ………..
3 paulie // Mar 21, 2011 at 2:26 pm
@1 tru dat….
4 Here's a radical idea // Mar 21, 2011 at 2:27 pm
There already IS a party or parties for the Tea Folks. It is called the Constitution Party or the Libertarian Party. Florida is a walk in the park to create a new party– EASY. Try to start a national party in all 50 states. Far easier to simply take over the two parties mentioned above.
5 paulie // Mar 21, 2011 at 2:40 pm
Radical Idea,
Given all the warmongering and social conservatism I have seen at Tea Parties, I don’t want them taking over the LP. And the warmongering may be an obstacle with the Constitution Party as well.
Additionally, many of the Tea Partiers I have talked to were openly hostile to anything other than Republican candidates.
Limbaugh’s threat (or if you prefer tactic) is an attempt to keep Republicans in line, nothing else. In other words, he doesn’t really mean it. It’s just a way of telling Republicans “we don’t want to be taken for granted.”
Overall, Republican leaders know that this is not a serious threat, that they can keep scaring Tea Partiers with ooga-booga tales about the Democrats and keep them in line, plus some rhetorical red meat that they never follow through on.
Any Libertarians thinking the LP will benefit from this are chasing fool’s gold.
Far better to figure out how to effectively sell the Libertarian message to the 20-something audience, which scores an average of about 80 on social issues and perhaps 50 on economic issues on the Nolan quiz, does not have a firm commitment to a political party, and knows and cares more about peace and civil liberties issues than about economic issues.
Ron Paul has figured out how to talk to them, so there’s no reason the LP can’t do it.
6 paulie // Mar 21, 2011 at 2:57 pm
Like this:
7 paulie // Mar 21, 2011 at 3:19 pm
@5 I meant coercive social conservatism, of course. The voluntary kind I have no problem with.
8 paulie // Mar 21, 2011 at 3:55 pm
Winning!
9 Mashed Potato with a Twist // Mar 21, 2011 at 4:17 pm
WINNING!
10 citizen1 // Mar 21, 2011 at 6:07 pm
The problem is that if they do bolt to a third party it probably won’t be a third party but several and will give the Dems back a super majority.
11 paulie // Mar 21, 2011 at 6:12 pm
That’s only a problem if you think there is a meaningful difference between Democrats and Republicans.
12 NewFederalist // Mar 21, 2011 at 6:20 pm
“That’s only a problem if you think there is a meaningful difference between Democrats and Republicans.”
Right on, brother!
13 Porn Again Christian // Mar 22, 2011 at 12:59 am
@6 Seriously.
14 Zane, LP member // Mar 22, 2011 at 2:40 pm
6 & 13 This should be required viewing for every LP chapter.
15 citizen1 // Mar 23, 2011 at 7:41 am
With a super majority in the Senate, Rand Paul be non-factor. The fact that there is opposition slows down the destruction that they cause. So I do see it as a problem. The demise of the Republican Party is not bad. Hopefully enough constitutionalist and libertarian and even others that are antiwar of aggression and proindividual rights candidates could get elected to be an obstacle to the Dems.
16 paulie // Mar 23, 2011 at 3:20 pm
I’ll keep putting it up in more threads, hopefully eventually someone will get the message
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