1-15-10 Tea Party Movement- a report- how DC bluebloods may destroy the tea party movement

1-15-10 Tea Party Movement- a report

15. January 2010 by admin.

The Apostasy: “Drop Dead, Tea Partiers!”

Ruffini’s contribution to this debate centered on why movement activists should — must — be reduced to minion status after victory.  Ruffini weighed in with A Belated Response to Micah Sifry.

Ruffini:

Indeed, it’s easy to dismiss Sifry’s ideal of autonomous, almost leaderless political movements as essentially incompatible with the work of government.

Ruffini:

The job of a campaign is not to transform the ethos of governance.

Ruffini:

Now, what happens when the campaign goes away? What happens when the enthusiasm inevitably ebbs and the hard work of governing begins? The immediate benefits of a bottom-up strategy become less clear. You revert to traditional instincts, where powerful obstacles stand in the way of getting things done — even amongst your base, and the wielding of massive political machinery cannot be left to amateurs.

“Cannot be left to amateurs?”  This is pretty conventional Political Insider thinking, as it happens. What makes Ruffini’s apostasy shocking is his departure from a short but notable career of cheerleading for a bottom up, open-source ethos in politics.  We now see that to Ruffini “bottom up” is a great, one could say Machiavellian, campaign tactic,  “… not simply a noble, unconventional, damn-the-consequences move. It’s pretty darn profitable, generating more signups, more activity, and more money to feed the top-down

Brown: Tea Party Movement? What Tea Party Movement? | TPMDC

1 day ago by Christina Bellantoni
Scott Brown tells reporters following the MA-Sen race he’s “unfamiliar” with the Tea Party movement, even though the Tea Party Express is raising money for ads on his behalf.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/ - More results from TPM Election Central - References

Tea Party Movement Arrives With Beck’s CPAC Appearance « The …

1 day ago by David Weigel
If anything, it marks the Tea Party’s move to the center of the conservative movement. Last year, the first round of Tea Parties were held at the same time as CPAC — the D.C. Tea Party was held a few miles down the road. …
http://washingtonindependent.com/ - More results from The Washington Independent -

Editorial: Tea Party movement cannot be ignored

6 hours ago by Editorial Board
Moreover, the Tea Party movement has shown broad appeal beyond the fringe of right-wing extremism. While only 28 percent and 35 percent of Americans have a positive view of the Republican and Democratic Parties, …
http://www.stanforddaily.com/cgi-bin/

‘The Tea Party Movement Is About To Be Hijacked’: Activists Slam …

4 days ago by Zachary Roth
In the latest sign of rancor in Tea Party circles, a convention aiming to bring together conservative activists from across the country is being attacked by some Tea Partiers as inauthentic, too expensive, and too tied to the GOP.
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/ - More results from TPMMuckraker - References

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