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{{About|the movement|the protest events themselves|Tea Party protests|the U.S. Congressional caucus|Tea Party Caucus}} {{About|the movement|the protest events themselves|Tea Party protests|the U.S. Congressional c
] and the ] on September 12, 2009.]]


OBSTRUCTIONIST!
The '''Tea Party movement''' (TPM) is an American ]<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123137382 |first=Liz |last=Halloran |title=What's Behind The New Populism? |publisher=NPR |date=February 5, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/us/politics/16teaparty.html |title=Tea Party Lights Fuse for Rebellion on Right |work=New York Times |date=February 16, 2010 |first=David |last=Barstow}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.newsweek.com/2010/04/05/party-time.html |title=Party Time |work=Newsweek |date=April 06, 2010 |first=Howard |last=Fineman}}</ref> political movement that is generally recognized as ] and ],<ref name=NewRepRi>{{cite news |first=Dick |last=Morris |authorlink=Dick Morris |date=October 19, 2010 |url=http://thehill.com/opinion/columnists/dick-morris/124885-the-new-republican-right |title=The New Republican Right |newspaper=]}}</ref><ref>See following for information on Tea Party Movement Conservatism:
* ''The Washington Post'', October 5, 2010
* ''The Guardian'', October 25, 2010
</ref> and has sponsored ] and supported political candidates since 2009.<ref name="deseret">{{Cite news |first=David |last=Servatius|url=http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705289328,00.html |title=Anti-tax-and-spend group throws "tea party" at Capitol |accessdate=June 16, 2009 |date=March 6, 2009 |work=]}}</ref><ref name="economist">{{Cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13235069 |title=Anger Management |date=March 5, 2009 |work=The Economist |accessdate=April 25, 2010}}</ref><ref name="sfexaminer">{{Cite news |url=http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/Tea-parties-are-flash-crowds-Obama-should-fear-41547632.html |title=Tea parties are flash crowds Obama should fear |date=March 19, 2009 |newspaper=] |first=Mark |last=Tapscott |accessdate=June 16, 2009}}{{dead link|date=August 2011}}</ref> It endorses reduced government spending,<ref name="Gallup"> ''The Hill'', July 5, 2010</ref><ref name="thefiscaltimes.com"/> ] in varying degrees,<ref name="thefiscaltimes.com">{{dead link|date=August 2011}} ''Fiscal Times'', September 12, 2010</ref> reduction of the ] and ],<ref name="Gallup" /> and adherence to an ] interpretation of the ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/weekinreview/14liptak.html |title=Tea-ing Up the Constitution |newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 13, 2010 |last=Liptak |first=Mark |location=Washington, D.C. |accessdate=October 31, 2010 |quote=It is, of course, hard to say anything definitive about the Tea Party movement, a loose confederation of groups with no central leadership. But if there is a central theme to its understanding of the Constitution, it is that the nation’s founders knew what they were doing and that their work must be protected.}}</ref>

The name "Tea Party" is a reference to the ], a protest by colonists who objected to a British tax on tea in 1773 and demonstrated by dumping British tea taken from docked ships into the harbor.<ref>{{cite book |first=Jill |last=Lepore |title=The Whites of Their Eyes: The Tea Party's Revolution and the Battle over American History |year=2010 |pages=77–79 |publisher= Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0691150277}}</ref> Some commentators have referred to the ''Tea'' in "Tea Party" as the ] "Taxed Enough Already".<ref>{{cite web|last=Schroeder |first=Anne |url=http://www.politico.com/blogs/anneschroeder/0409/TEA__Taxed_Enough_Already.html |title= T.E.A. = Taxed Enough Already |publisher=Politico.com |date=2009-04-08 |accessdate=2011-08-01}}</ref><ref>{{dead link|date=August 2011}}</ref>

The Tea Party movement has ] in the ] and the ] of the United States.<ref> ''Roll Call'', Jan. 14, 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-29.</ref> The Tea Party movement has no central leadership, but is composed of a loose affiliation of national and local groups that determine their own platforms and agendas. The Tea Party movement has been cited as an example of ] political activity, although it has also been cited as an example of ].<ref>{{Cite book | last1 = Rasmussen | first1 = Scott W. | last2 = Schoen | first2 = Doug | title = Mad As Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System | date = | publisher = Harper | location = | isbn = 978-0-06-199523-1 | pages = 132–136 }}</ref>

The Tea Party's most noted national figures include ] politicians such as ], ], ], and ], with Paul described by some as the "intellectual godfather" of the movement.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2007/12/ron_pauls_tea_p.html | work=The Boston Globe | first=James F. | last=Smith | title=Ron Paul's tea party for dollars | date=December 16, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/11/the-tea-party-8217-s-brain/8280/a |title=The Tea Party’s Brain - Magazine |publisher=The Atlantic |date=2010-10-05 |accessdate=2011-08-01}}</ref> Though the Tea Party movement is not, as of 2011, a national political party, polls show that most Tea Partiers consider themselves to be Republicans<ref name="Gallup Poll">{{Cite news|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/141098/Tea-Party-Supporters-Overlap-Republican-Base.aspx?version=print |title=Tea Party Supporters Overlap Republican Base |date=July 2, 2010 |publisher=Gallup Poll |accessdate=November 24, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/republican-party/tea-party-as-the-republican-pa.html |title=The Fix - Tea Party = Republican party? |agency=The Washington Post |date=July 6, 2010 |publisher=Washington Post |accessdate=November 24, 2010}}</ref> and it has tended to endorse Republican candidates.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Scott |last1=Rasmussen |first2=Doug |last2=Schoen |title=Mad As Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System |year=2010 |page=12 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=9780061995231}}</ref> Commentators including Gallup editor-in-chief Frank Newport have suggested that the movement is not a new political group, but simply a rebranding of traditional Republican candidates and policies.<ref name="Gallup Poll"/><ref>; ''Los Angeles Times''; July 25, 2010</ref><ref> Slate; August 9, 2010</ref> An October 2010 ''Washington Post'' canvass of local Tea Party organizers found 87% saying "dissatisfaction with mainstream Republican Party leaders" was "an important factor in the support the group has received so far".<ref name="agwpostface"/>

==Background and history==
{{See also|Tax revolt|List of Tea Party protests, 2009|List of Tea Party protests, 2010}}
The theme of the ], an iconic event in American history, has long been used by ] protesters.<ref name="daily news 1984">{{Cite news |title=Libertarians to plan tea party to protest tax |date=April 5, 1984 |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=] |location=Bowling Green, Kentucky |accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl/1991_796548/republicans-urge-tea-for-texas-legislators-seek-cu.html |title=Republicans urge tea for Texas/Legislators seek cuts before taxes |author=Michael Holmes |agency=Associated Press |date=July 12, 1991 |newspaper=] |accessdate=July 6, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AASB&p_theme=aasb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_hidethis=no&p_field_label-0=Author&p_field_label-1=title&p_bool_label-1=AND&p_text_label-1=Tea%20bag%20protesters%20would%20toss%20away%20state%27s%20future&s_dispstring=headline%28Tea%20bag%20protesters%20would%20toss%20away%20state%27s%20future%29%20AND%20date%28all%29&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no |title=Tea bag protesters would toss away state's future |publisher=Austin American-Statesman |date=July 24, 1991 |format=Fee required |accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref> It was part of ] protests held throughout the 1990s and earlier.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Smith refuses to defend tax proposition |agency=Associated Press |date=July 14, 1983 |publisher=Boca Raton News |accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=esYcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=51kEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7010,4383884&hl=en |title=Demonstrators hurl tea bags in bid against raising taxes |date=July 23, 1991 |agency=Associated Press |publisher=Victoria Advocate |accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MH&s_site=miami&p_multi=MH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB344E5F94DCCDC&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |title= 'Tea Party' Protests Taxation, But Don't Expect A Revolution |format=Fee required |date=October 20, 1991 |accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2008/04/20/Boston-Tea-Party-is-protest-template/UPI-96411208726823/ |title=Boston Tea Party Is Protest Template |date=April 20, 2008 |agency=UPI |publisher=UPI.com}}</ref><!--reference which was incorrect, possibly orphaned? -'The Rachel Maddow Show' for Tuesday, April 14, year 2009 or 2010 was not specified--> More recently, the anniversary of the original Boston Tea Party was commemorated by ] Congressman ] supporters who held a fund raising event for the 2008 presidential primaries advocating an end to ] and the ], disengaging from foreign entanglements in Iraq and Afghanistan, and upholding ].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/12/16/ron_paul_raises_millions_in_todays_boston_tea_party_event/ |title=Ron Paul raises millions in today's Boston Tea Party event |last=Levenson |first=Michael |date=December 16, 2007 |publisher=Boston.com |accessdate=April 9, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view.bg?articleid=1051232 |title=Paul supporters hold Tea Party re-enactment in Boston |agency=Associated Press |date=December 17, 2007 |publisher=Boston Herald |accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2007/12/ron_pauls_tea_p.html |title=Ron Paul's tea party for dollars |date= December 16, 2007 |last=Levenson |first=Michael |publisher=Boston Globe |accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref> Fox News commentator ] says that the TPM emerged largely as a result of Paul's 2008 primary campaign,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/05/10/juan-williams-surprising-rise-rep-ron-paul/ | work=Fox News | title=JUAN WILLIAMS: The Surprising Rise of Rep. Ron Paul | date=May 10, 2011}}</ref> although on-air comments delivered on CNBC by ] are credited with inspiring a number of Tea Party-themed websites and events. ] Tea Party on February 27, 2009.]]

===Early local protest events===
On January 24, 2009, Trevor Leach, chairman of the ] in New York State organized a "Tea Party" protest in response to "obesity taxes" proposed by New York Governor ], and out-of-control spending. Several of the protesters wore Native American headdresses similar to the band of 18th century colonists who dumped tea in Boston Harbor to express outrage about British taxes.<ref> YNN&nbsp;— Your News Now, January 24, 2009</ref>

Some of the protests were partially in response to several Federal laws: the ],<ref name="post gazette ">{{Cite news |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09067/954066-454.stm |title=Harrisburg Tea Party protests ongoing bailout |last=Barnes |first=Tom |date=March 8, 2009 |work=Local/State |publisher=Post-Gazette.com |accessdate=April 9, 2010}}</ref> the ],<ref name=peter>{{Cite news |title=The Tea Party Revolution |url=http://spectator.org/archives/2009/04/15/the-tea-party-revolution |accessdate=June 18, 2009 |publisher=] |first= Peter |last=Ferrara |date=April 15, 2009}}</ref><ref name="nytimes">{{Cite news |first=Jeff |last=Seleny |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/us/politics/13protestweb.html |title=Thousands Rally in Capital to Protest Big Government |accessdate=September 28, 2009 |date=September 12, 2009 |work=The New York Times }}</ref> and ].<ref name="tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com">Evan McMorris-Santoro,, ''], DC'', April 5, 2010.</ref>

'']'' journalist Kate Zernike reported that leaders within the Tea Party credit ] ]ger and conservative activist ] with organizing the first Tea Party in February 2009, although the term "Tea Party" was not used.<ref name="Zernike">{{Cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/us/politics/28keli.html/ |title=Unlikely Activist Who Got to the Tea Party Early |first=Kate |last=Zernike |date=February 27, 2010 |newspaper=The New York Times |accessdate=April 25, 2010 |quote=But leaders of the Tea Party movement credit her with being the first}}{{dead link|date=August 2011}}</ref> Other articles, written by Chris Good of '']''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/02/is-palins-tea-party-speech-a-mistake-tea-partiers-have-mixed-opinions/35360/ |title=Is Palin's Tea Party Speech A Mistake? Tea Partiers Have Mixed Opinions |first=Chris |last=Good |date=February 4, 2010 |publisher=The Atlantic |accessdate=April 25, 2010 |quote=Keli Carender, 30, of Seattle, who is credited with hosting one of the first ever Tea Party protests in February of 2009, before the movement really got started.&nbsp;— Chris Good}}</ref> and ]'s Martin Kaste,<ref name="Kaste">{{cite web |url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123229743 |title=Tea Party Star Leads Movement On Her Own Terms |first=Martin |last=Kaste |date=February 2, 2010 |publisher=National Public Radio |accessdate=April 25, 2010 |quote=Keli Carender&nbsp;... organized some of the earliest Tea Party-style protests&nbsp;— before they were even called Tea Party protests}}</ref> credit Carender as "one of the first" Tea Party organizers and state that she "organized some of the earliest Tea Party-style protests".

Carender first organized what she called a "Porkulus Protest" in ] on ], February 16, the day before President ] signed the ] into law.<ref name="Seattleprotest_KIROtv">{{cite web|author=KIRO Tv|url=http://www.kirotv.com/video/18727718/index.html |title=Video: Dozens Gather At 'Porkulus' Protest |date=February 16, 2009 |format=Video |accessdate=March 29, 2009}}</ref> Carender said she did it without support from outside groups or city officials. "I just got fed up and planned it." Carender said 120 people participated. "Which is amazing for the ] of blue cities I live in, and on only four days notice! This was due to me spending the entire four days calling and emailing every person, think tank, policy center, university professors (that were sympathetic), etc. in town, and not stopping until the day came."<ref name="meet keli carender">{{cite web |url=http://taxdayteaparty.com/2009/03/meet-keli-carender-tea-party-organizer-in-seattle-washington/ |title=Meet Keli Carender, Tea Party organizer in Seattle, Washington |date=March 2009 |publisher=TaxDayTeaParty.com |accessdate=April 24, 2010}}</ref>{{dead link|date=October 2010}}<ref name="Zernike" />

Carender also contacted ] author and ] contributor ], and asked her to publicize the rally on her blog.<ref name="meet keli carender"/>{{dead link|date=October 2010}} Carender then held a second protest on February 27, 2009, reporting "We more than doubled our attendance at this one."<ref name="Zernike"/>

According to pollster ], the bailouts of banks by the ] and ] administrations triggered the Tea Party's rise. The interviewer adds that the movement's anger centers on two issues, quoting Rasmussen as saying, "They think federal spending, deficits and taxes are too high, and they think no one in Washington is listening to them, and that latter point is really, really important."<ref>Dan Weil, , Newsmax.com, September 18, 2010</ref>

===First national protests===
On February 19, 2009,<ref name = McGrath>{{cite news |title=The Movement: The Rise of Tea Party Activism |first=Ben |last= McGrath |magazine=The New Yorker |date=February 1, 2010 |accessdate=March 30, 2010 |url=http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/02/01/100201fa_fact_mcgrath?currentPage=all}}</ref> in a broadcast from the floor of the ], ] Business News editor Rick Santelli criticized the ], which had just been announced the day before. He said that those plans were "promoting bad behavior"<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/15/politics/main4946264.shtml|title=Tax Day Brings Out "Tea Party" Protesters Protests Planned Across Country Against Government Taxation And Spending As Some Question Whether Movement Has Been Co-Opted |first=Brian |last=Montopoli |publisher=CBS News |date=April 15, 2009 |accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref> by "subsidizing losers' mortgages". He suggested holding a tea party for traders to gather and dump the derivatives in the ] on July 1.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.cnbc.com/id/29283701/Rick_Santelli_s_Shout_Heard_Round_the_World |title=Rick Santelli's Shout Heard Round the World |date=February 22, 2009 |publisher=CNBC.com |accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref><ref name="cnbc">{{Cite news |url=http://www.cnbc.com/id/29471026 |title=Rick Santelli: I Want to Set the Record Straight |first=Rick |last=Santelli |date=March 2, 2009 |publisher=CNBC.com |accessdate=April 23, 2009}}</ref><ref name="chicagotribune2">{{cite news |date=February 23, 2009 |url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-02-23/news/0902220319_1_rant-mr-santelli-jim-cramer |title=Rant raises profile of CNBC on-air personality Rick Santelli |first=Phil |last=Rosenthal |publisher=Chicago Tribune |accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref> A number of the floor traders around him cheered on his proposal, to the amusement of the hosts in the studio. Santelli's "rant" became a ] after being featured on the ].<ref>{{cite news |title=Rant by CNBC's Rick Santelli puts pundit at odds with Obama administration |first=Phil |last=Rosenthal |work=Chicago Tribune |date=February 22, 2009 |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-na-tea-party-ads-20100919,0,5669482.story}}</ref>

In response to Santelli, websites such as ChicagoTeaParty.com (registered in August 2008 by Chicago radio producer Zack Christenson) were live within 12 hours.<ref name="cbs">{{Cite news |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/04/opinion/main4843055.shtml |title=Opposition To The Foreclosure Bailout Rises |first= Jonathan V. |last=Last |publisher=] (reprinted by CBS News.com) |date=March 4, 2009 |accessdate=April 25, 2010}}</ref> About 10 hours after Santelli's remarks, reTeaParty.com was bought to coordinate Tea Parties scheduled for ] and, as of March 4, was reported to be receiving 11,000 visitors a day.<ref name="cbs"/>

According to '']'' writer Ben McGrath<ref name = McGrath/> and ''New York Times'' reporter Kate Zernike,<ref name="Zernike"/> this is where the movement was first inspired to coalesce under the collective banner of "Tea Party". By the next day, guests on Fox News had already begun to mention this new "Tea Party".<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.foxnews.com/search-results/m/21911279/worst-case-scenario-no-3.htm |title=Worst Case Scenario No. 3 |date=February 20, 2009 |publisher=FoxNews.com |accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref>

As reported by ], a ] page was developed on February 20 calling for Tea Party protests across the country.<ref name="huffingtonpost.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jane-hamsher/a-teabagger-timeline-koch_b_187312.html |title=A Teabagger Timeline: Koch, Coors, Newt, Dick Armey There From The Start |last=Hamsher |first=Jane |publisher=HuffingtonPost.com |date=April 15, 2009 |accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref> Soon, the "Nationwide Chicago Tea Party" protest was coordinated across over 40 different cities for February 27, 2009, thus establishing the first national modern Tea Party protest.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/09/modern-day-tea-parties-taxpayers-chance-scream-better-representation/|title=Modern-Day Tea Parties Give Taxpayers Chance to Scream for Better Representation |last=Berger |first=Judson |date=April 9, 2009 |publisher=FoxNews.com |accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Roesgen |first=Andy |url=http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/TeaParty |title=Protestors Gather for Self-Styled Tea Party |publisher=myFoxChicago.com |date=February 27, 2009 |accessdate=February 27, 2009}}{{dead link|date=August 2011}}</ref> The movement has been supported nationally by at least 12 prominent individuals and their associated organizations.<ref>, ''National Journal'', February 4, 2010</ref>

===Symbols===
Pussies

==Composition==
{{see also|List of Tea Party politicians}}

===Membership and demographics===
Several polls have been conducted on the demographics of the movement. Though the various polls sometimes turn up slightly different results, they tend to show that Tea Party supporters are mainly ] and slightly more likely to be male, married, older than 45, more conservative than the general population, and likely to be more wealthy and have more education.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/us/politics/15poll.html?src=me&ref=general |title=Poll Finds Tea Party Backers Wealthier and More Educated |last=Zernike |first=Kate |coauthors=Megan Thee-Brenan |date=April 14, 2010 |work=New York Times |accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref><ref> ''New York Times''/CBS News Poll; April 14, 2010</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-ds_name=ACS_2008_1YR_G00_&-CONTEXT=dt&-mt_name=ACS_2008_1YR_G2000_B02001&-redoLog=true&-geo_id=01000US&-format=&-_lang=en&-SubjectID=15233308|title= Data Set: 2008 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates |work=Survey: American Community Survey |author=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=April 24, 2010}}</ref><ref name="vogel1">{{Cite news |url=http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=8E3F7732-18FE-70B2-A8C52111DA960902 |title=Poll: Tea Partiers Like GOP |first=Kenneth P. |last=Vogel |publisher=Politico |date=March 23, 2010 |accessdate=April 24, 2010}}</ref><ref name="quinnipiac1">{{cite web|author=Quinnipiac University&nbsp;— Office of Public Affairs |url=http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1295.xml?ReleaseID=1436 |title=National U.S. Poll * March&nbsp;24, 2010 |publisher=Quinnipiac University |date=March 24, 2010 |accessdate=September 9, 2010}}</ref>

One ] poll found that other than gender, income and politics, self-described Tea Party members were demographically similar to the population as a whole.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/127181/tea-partiers-fairly-mainstream-demographics.aspx |title=Tea Partiers Are Fairly Mainstream in Their Demographics |publisher=Gallup.com |date=April 5, 2010 |accessdate=July 27, 2010}}</ref>

When surveying supporters or participants of the Tea Party movement, polls have shown that they are to a very great extent more likely to be registered Republican, have a favorable opinion of the Republican Party and an unfavorable opinion of the Democratic Party.<ref name="quinnipiac1"/><ref name="nytimes1">{{Cite news |title=CBS/NY Times Poll: National Survey of Tea Party Supporters|url=http://documents.nytimes.com/new-york-timescbs-news-poll-national-survey-of-tea-party-supporters?ref=politics|work=New York Times |date=April 12, 2010 |accessdate=April 24, 2010}}</ref><ref name=WinstonPoll/>
The ] of adults 18 and over showed that 40% of Tea Party supporters are 55 or older, compared with 32% of all poll respondents; 79% are white, 61% are men and 44% identify as "]" ]s,<ref name="bloomberg 03-2010">{{Cite news |url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aLBZwxqgYgwI&pos=8 |title=Tea Party Advocates Who Scorn Socialism Want a Government Job |last=Przybyla |first=Heidi |date=March 26, 2010 |publisher=Bloomberg News |accessdate=March 28, 2010}}</ref> compared with 75%,<ref>This number includes ].
Excluding these, this category comprises 65.4%: " United States Census Bureau; Retrieved December 8, 2009, and " United States Census Bureau; Retrieved December 8, 2009</ref> 48.5%,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html |title=CIA&nbsp;— The World Factbook&nbsp;— United States |accessdate=February 16, 2010 |publisher=CIA}}</ref> and 34%<ref>Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar (2009) Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Retrieved April 1, 2009 (PDF)</ref> for the general population, respectively.

====Canvass and polls====
An October 2010 ''Washington Post'' canvass of local Tea Party organizers found 99% said "concern about the economy" was an "important factor".<ref name="agwpostface"/> Polls have also examined Tea Party supporters' views on race and racial politics. The University of Washington poll of registered voters in Washington State found that 74% of Tea Party supporters agreed with the statement "hile equal opportunity for blacks and minorities to succeed is important, it's not really the government's job to guarantee it", while a CBS/''New York Times'' poll found that 25% think that the administration favors blacks over whites, compared with just 11% of the general public, and that they are more likely to believe Obama was born outside the United States.<ref name="nytimes1"/><ref name="huffingtonpost1"/><ref name="nwsource1"/> A seven state study conducted from the ] found that Tea Party movement supporters within those states were "more likely to be racially resentful" than the population as a whole, even when controlling for partisanship and ideology.<ref name=NewsweekAreTea>{{Cite news |url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/236996 |title=Are Tea Partiers Racist? |last=Campo-Flores |first=Arian |date=April 26, 2010 |work=Newsweek |accessdate=April 30, 2010}}</ref><ref> FiveThirtyEight&nbsp;— Politics Done Right; April 14, 2010</ref> Of white poll respondents who strongly approve of the Tea Party, only 35% believe that blacks are hard-working, compared to 55% of those strongly opposed to the Tea Party, and 40% of all respondents.<ref>{{cite web| title=New Poll Finds Tea Partiers Have More Racist Attitudes |url=http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/the-gaggle/2010/04/09/new-poll-finds-tea-partiers-have-more-racist-attitudes.html |date=April 9, 2010 |publisher=Newsweek}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://depts.washington.edu/uwiser/Stereotypes%20about%20Asians%20and%20whites%20by%20White%20tea%20Party%20Approval.pdf |title=Stereotypes about blacks and Latinos by white Tea Party Approval |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=September 9, 2010|publisher=University of Washington}}</ref> However, analysis done by ABC News' Polling Unit found that views on race "are not significant predictors of support for the Tea Party movement" because they are typical of whites who are very conservative.<ref> ABC News, July 12, 2010</ref><ref> FT.com {{subscription}}</ref>

===Views of supporters===
Various polls have also probed Tea Party supporters for their views on a variety of political and controversial issues. A ] poll of 1,695 registered voters in the state of ] reported that 73% of Tea Party supporters disapprove of Obama's policy of engaging with ] countries, 88% approve of the ] recently enacted in ], 82% do not believe that ] and ] couples should have the ], and that about 52% believed that "lesbians and gays have too much political power".<ref name="huffingtonpost1">{{cite web |url= http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/02/tea-party-poll-more-than_n_597968.html?ref=fb&src=sp#sb=164043 |title= More Than Half Of Tea Party Supporters Say Gays And Lesbians Have Too Much Political Power (POLL) | date= Released June 2, 2010 | publisher=The Huffington Post |accessdate=July 1, 2010}}</ref><ref name="nwsource1"></ref>

More than half (52%) of Tea Party supporters told pollsters for ]/''New York Times'' that they think their own "income taxes this year are fair".<ref name="nytimes1"/> Additionally, a ] poll found that Tea Partiers are not against increased government action in all cases. "The ideas that find nearly universal agreement among Tea Party supporters are rather vague," says J. Ann Selzer, the pollster who created the survey. "You would think any idea that involves more government action would be anathema, and that is just not the case."

The ] demonstrated considerable skepticism within the Tea Party movement with respect to the dangers and the reality of ]. A ''New York Times''/CBS News Poll during the election revealed that only a small percentage of Tea Party supporters considered global warming a serious problem, much less than the portion of the general public that does. Opposition is particularly strong to ] with Tea Party supporters vilifying Democratic office holders who supported efforts to ] by emissions trading, which would encourage use of fuels that emit less ].<ref>John M. Broder ''The New York Times'', October 20, 2010, retrieved October 21, 2010</ref> An example is the movement's support of ], which would suspend AB32, the ].<ref> San Jose Mercury News, October 4, 2010</ref> The proposition failed to pass, with less than 40% voting in favor.<ref></ref>

Many of the movement's members also hold conservative views on social issues such as ].<ref>, '']'', August 11, 2010</ref> However, political analyst ] has argued that in a "fundamental change" evangelical or social issues do not dominate the Republican activists in 2010, because "economic and fiscal issues prevail. The Tea Party has made the Republican Party safe for libertarians."<ref name=NewRepRi/>

===Leadership and groups===
Morris says the Tea Party is a ] movement with no national leadership. "Those who conduct its affairs are mere coordinators of local groups where the real power lies. The entire affair is a grassroots-dominated movement." He notes that the ] umbrella group, with more than 2,800 local affiliates, has only seven paid staff members, and a payroll of $50,000 a month.<ref name=NewRepRi/>

An October 2010 ''Washington Post'' canvass of 647 local Tea Party organizers asked "which national figure best represents your groups?" and got the following responses: no one 34%, ] 14%, ] 7%, ] 6%, ] 6%, ] 4%.<ref name="agwpostface"> ''Washington Post'' October 24, 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-28.</ref>

The success of candidates popular within the Tea Party movement has boosted Sarah Palin's visibility.<ref>"One Republican who is not on any ticket is stealing the national spotlight: Sarah Palin" according to Huma Khan and Alexander Pepper, ''ABC News'', June 24, 2010</ref> Rasmussen and Schoen (2010) conclude that "She is the symbolic leader of the movement, and more than anyone else has helped to shape it."<ref>Scott Rasmussen and Doug Schoen ''Mad As Hell'' (2010) pp. 154</ref>

The movement has been supported nationally by prominent individuals and organizations,<ref name="top_players"> '']'', September 26, 2010</ref><ref name="tea_players">{{cite web |url=http://www.nationaljournal.com/njonline/no_20100204_7827.php |title=12 Tea Party Players To Watch
|publisher=NationalJournal |date=February 4, 2010 |accessdate=September 9, 2010}}</ref> including:

'''501(c)(4) Non-Profit Organizations:'''
* ], an organization with more than 1,000 affiliated groups across the nation<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.teapartypatriots.org/ |title=Find Your Local Tea Party |publisher=Tea Party Patriots |date=April 15, 2010 |accessdate=July 27, 2010}}</ref> that proclaims itself to be the "Official Home of the Tea Party Movement.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://teapartypatriots.ning.com/ |title=Tea Party Patriots&nbsp;— Official Home of the American Tea Party Movement |publisher=Tea Party Patriots |date= |accessdate=July 27, 2010}}</ref>
* ], a grassroots organization founded by ] in 2003, and led by ]. The group has over 1 million members in 500 local affiliates, and led protests against health care reform in 2009.<ref name="top_players" />
* ], an organization led ]. Like Americans for Prosperity, the group has over 1 million members in 500 local affiliates. It makes local and national candidate endorsements.<ref name="top_players" />
* ], a national bus tour run by ], itself a conservative ] created by ]-based ] consulting firm ].<ref name=autogenerated1>{{Cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-brantzawadzki/tea-party-convention-lose_b_416987.html |first=Alex |last=Brant-Zawadzki |title=Tea Party Convention Loses Main Sponsor |date=January 14, 2010 |accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref><ref name="tpmmuckraker">{{cite web|url=http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/12/majority_of_tea_party_groups_spending_went_to_gop.php?ref=fpa |title=Majority Of Tea Party Group's Spending Went To GOP Firm That Created It |last=Roth |first=Zachery |date=December 28, 2009 |publisher=TPMMuckraker |accessdate=February 22, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/2766-turning-republicans-into-teapublicans |title=Turning Republicans into Teapublicans |last=Adelmann |first=Bob |date=January 18, 2010 |publisher=TheNewAmerican.com |accessdate=April 23, 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2010/01/04/news/6669165.txt |title=On board the Tea Party Express |first=Rick |last=Foster |newspaper=] location=Attleboro, Massachusetts|date=January 4, 2010 |accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref>

'''For-Profit Businesses:'''
* ], which sponsored the ] that was criticized for its $549 ticket price.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0130/Why-the-Tea-Party-Convention-is-tea-tering-on-the-edge |title=Why the Tea Party Convention is tea-tering on the edge |first=Patrik |last=Jonsson |publisher=The Christian Science Monitor |date=January 30, 2010 |accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.startribune.com/blogs/81186517.html |title=Palin, Bachmann Tea Party sessions closed to press | publisher=StarTribune.com |first=Kevin |last=Diaz |date=January 26, 2010 |accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/us/politics/26teaparty.html | work=The New York Times | title=Tea Party Disputes Take Toll on Convention | first=Kate | last=Zernike | date=January 26, 2010 | accessdate=April 1, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/01/15/2175393.aspx |title=Tea Partying for profit? |first=Domenico |last=Montanaro |publisher=MSNBC.com |date=January 15, 2010 |accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref> and because ] was apparently paid $100,000 USD for her appearance (which she put towards ]<ref>{{cite web|author=Patrik Jonsson |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0203/As-others-bolt-Sarah-Palin-stands-by-tea-party-convention |title=As others bolt, Sarah Palin stands by 'tea party' convention |publisher=Csmonitor.com |date=2010-02-03 |accessdate=2011-08-01}}</ref>).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lcn.canoe.ca/lcn/infos/lemonde/archives/2010/02/20100207-085944.html |title=Palin prête pour une révolution |format=in French |date=February 20, 2010 |accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref>

'''Informal Organizations and Coalitions:'''
* The ], formed on April 8, 2010, by several leaders in the Tea Party movement to help spread its message and to respond to critics with a quick, unified response.<ref name="Federation announcement">{{Cite news |url=http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/08/nation/la-na-tea-federation9-2010apr09 |title=Tea parties form a federation, but don't call them organized |first=Kathleen |last= Hennessey |date=April 8, 2010 |work=Los Angeles Times |accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref>
* , a loose national coalition of several dozen local tea party groups.

'''Prominent Individuals:'''
*In July 2010, Representative ], a ] Republican, formed the House congressional ]. This ], which Bachmann chairs, will be devoted to the Tea Party's stated principles of "fiscal responsibility, adherence to the Constitution, and limited government".<ref>. ]; July 16, 2010</ref> As of August 2, 2010, the caucus consisted of 49 Republican representatives. ] and Melissa Clouthier accuse them of trying to hijack or co-opt the grassroots Tea Party Movement.<ref>Kenneth P. Vogel . ]; August 2, 2010.</ref>

==Agenda==
===Contract from America===
{{Main|Contract from America}}
The Contract from America was the idea of Houston-based lawyer Ryan Hecker. He stated that he developed the concept of creating a ] call for reform prior to the April 15, 2009, Tax Day Tea Party rallies. To get his idea off the ground, he launched a website, ContractFromAmerica.com, which encouraged people to offer possible ] for the contract.

#Identify constitutionality of every new law
#Reject emissions trading
#Demand a balanced federal budget
#Simplify the tax system
#Audit federal government agencies for waste and constitutionality
#Limit annual growth in federal spending
#Repeal the healthcare legislation passed on March 23, 2010
#Pass an 'All-of-the-Above' Energy Policy
#Reduce Earmarks
#Reduce Taxes

The ] have asked both Democrats and Republicans to sign on to the Contract. No Democrats signed on, and the contract met resistance from some Republicans who since created "Commitment to America". Candidates in the 2010 elections who signed the Contract from America included Utah's ], Nevada's ], Sen. ] (R-OK), and Sen. ] (R-SC).<ref name="supporters">{{cite web|title=Complete List of Signatories Running for U.S. Congress or Governor|url=http://www.thecontractfromamerica.org/repreport.aspx|accessdate=September 18, 2010|publisher=Contract from America}}</ref>

===Foreign policy===
{{Content|section|date=June 2011}}
In an August 2010 article for '']'' magazine, Ron Paul outlined foreign policy views the Tea Party movement should emphasize: "e cannot stand against big government at home while supporting it abroad. We cannot talk about fiscal responsibility while spending trillions on occupying and bullying the rest of the world&nbsp;... I see tremendous opportunities for movements like the Tea Party to prosper by capitalizing on the Democrats' broken promises to overturn the George W. Bush administration's civil liberties abuses and end the disastrous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A return to the traditional U.S. foreign policy of active private engagement but government noninterventionism is the only alternative that can restore our moral and fiscal health."<ref>{{Cite journal |title=A Tea Party Foreign Policy |url=http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/08/27/a_tea_party_foreign_policy |date=August 27, 2010 |first=Ron |last=Paul |authorlink=Ron Paul |work=] |separator=, |postscript= |accessdate=April 30, 2011}}</ref>

] analyzes the foreign policy views of the Tea Party movement in a 2011 essay published in '']''. Mead says that ] populists, such as the Tea Party, combine a belief in '']'' and its role in the world with skepticism of American's "ability to create a liberal world order". When necessary, they favor total war and unconditional surrender over "limited wars for limited goals". Mead identifies two main trends, one somewhat personified by Ron Paul and the other by Sarah Palin. "Paulites" have a ], "neo-isolationist" approach that seeks to avoid foreign military involvement. "Palinites", while seeking to avoid being drawn into unnecessary conflicts, favor a more aggressive response to maintaining America's primacy in international relations. Mead says that both groups share a distaste for "liberal internationalism".<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Tea Party and American Foreign Policy: What Populism Means for Globalism |first =Walter Russell |last=Mead |authorlink=Walter Russell Mead |url=http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67455/walter-russell-mead/the-tea-party-and-american-foreign-policy |journal=] |date=March/April 2011 |pages=28–44}}</ref>

==Fundraising and support==
Sarah Palin headlined four "Liberty at the Ballot Box" bus tours, to raise money for candidates and the Tea Party Express. One of the tours visited 30 towns and covered 3,000 miles.<ref>{{cite news |title=Palin stirs Tea Party troops with call to recapture principles of Ronald Reagan: Activists start two-week tour ahead of midterm poll: Key Democrats targeted amid attack on 'socialism' |first=Ed |last=Pilkington |work=The Guardian |date=October 19, 2010 |page=18}}</ref> Following the formation of the Tea Party Caucus, Michele Bachmann raised $10 million for a ], MichelePAC, and sent funds to the campaigns of Sharron Angle, Christine O'Donnell, Rand Paul, and Marco Rubio.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bachmann's MichelePAC has $10 million, shared with local conservatives, 'tea party' hopefuls |first=Jason |last=Hoppin |work=Saint Paul Pioneer Press |date=October 22, 2010}}</ref> In September 2010, the ] announced it had received a $1,000,000 ] donation from an anonymous donor.<ref name="million"> Bloomberg, September 21, 2010</ref>

===Koch Industry influence===
{{Main|Political activities of the Koch family}}
In an August 30, 2010, article in '']'', ] said that the billionaire brothers ] and ] and ] are providing financial and organizational support to the Tea Party movement through ], which David founded.<ref name="nyerhit">{{cite news |author=Mayer, Jane |date=August 30, 2010 |title=Covert Operations |url=http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/08/30/100830fa_fact_mayer?currentPage=all |work=The New Yorker |publisher=Condé Nast |accessdate=2011-01-31}}</ref><ref name="Zernike1020">{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/us/politics/20koch.htm |title=Secretive Republican Donors Are Planning Ahead |work=] |date=October 19, 2010 |first=Kate |last=Zernike }}{{dead link|date=August 2011}}</ref> The AFP's "Hot Air Tour" was organized to fight against taxes on carbon use and the activation of a ] program.<ref>Rasmussen, Scott; Schoen, Doug (2010). ''Mad As Hell''. p. 150</ref> In 1984, David Koch also founded ],<ref>Ed Pilkington, , '']'', September 18, 2009</ref> part of which became ] in a 2004 split,{{undue-inline |date=December 2010}} another group that organized and supports the movement.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tea party invests at local level in Virginia |first1=Rosalind S |last1=Helderman |first2=Amy |last2=Gardner |work=The Washington Post |date=November 26, 2010 |page=A.1 |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/25/AR2010112504072.html}}</ref> Koch Industries issued a press release stating that the Kochs have "no ties to and have never given money to FreedomWorks".<ref name="WeigelFW">{{cite newspaper |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/right-now/2010/04/dick_armey_please_koch_keep_di.html |author=Weigel, David |title=Dick Armey: Please, Koch, keep distancing yourself from me |agency=Washington Post <--online only--> |date=April 15, 2010}}</ref> Former ambassador ] writes in the '']'' that the Tea Party movement is a mix of "grassroots populism, professional conservative politics, and big money", the last supplied in part by Charles and David Koch.<ref>{{cite news |title=Is this the start of a new American Revolution? |first=Christopher |last=Meyer |work=Mail Online |location=London (UK) |date=October 23, 2010 |page=16 |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1323047/Anti-establishment-Tea-Party-leave-Obama-lame-duck.html}}</ref> Jane Mayer says that the Koch brothers' political involvement with the Tea Party has been so secretive that she labels it "covert".<ref name="mayer-fresh-air-2010">{{cite web |title=The Brothers Koch: Rich, Political And Playing To Win |last=Mayer |first=Jane |work=] |publisher=] |date=2010-08-26 |url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129425186}}</ref>

==Impact on the 2010 election cycle==
In 2010 Tea Party-endorsed candidates upset established Republicans in several primaries, such as Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Nevada, New York, South Carolina and Utah, giving a new momentum to the conservative cause in the 2010 elections. In the 2010 midterm elections, ''The New York Times'' has identified 138 candidates for Congress with significant Tea Party support, and reported that all of them were running as Republicans&nbsp;— of whom 129 are running for the ] and 9 for the ].<ref>Kate Zernike, ''The New York Times'', October 14, 2010</ref> The ''Wall Street Journal''-NBC News poll in mid October showed 35% of likely voters were Tea-party supporters, and they favored the Republicans by 84% to 10%.<ref>Jonathan Weisman, ''Wall Street Journal, October 20, 2010</ref>

However the effectiveness of the Tea Party to endorse candidates has come into question as only 32% of the candidates that were backed by the Tea Party won the election<ref>"", MSNBC.</ref>

For a list of Tea Party politicians, see ]
* On January 19, 2010, Republican ] was elected as the U.S. senator from ] in the special election held after ]'s death. The election was notable in that Massachusetts is normally a solidly pro-Democratic state. Brown received Tea Party support.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/0119/Scott-Brown-the-tea-party-s-first-electoral-victory |publisher=CSMonitor.com |title=Scott Brown: the tea party's first electoral victory |first=Scott S. |last= Powell |date=January 19, 2010 |accessdate=April 24, 2010}}</ref>
* Dean Murray, a ] businessman, won a special election for a New York State Assembly seat. He is believed to be the first Tea Party activist to be elected into office.<ref>{{Cite news |last =Malcolm |first =Andrew |title =Dean Murray, first elected Tea Party activist, joins N.Y. Legislature Monday |work=Los Angeles Times |date =February 18, 2010 |url =http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2010/02/tea-party.html |accessdate =July 11, 2010 }}</ref>
* John Frullo won the nomination for the ] District 84 seat vacated by the retiring ], also a Republican. Frullo defeated businessman Mark Griffin, a former ] regent.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.lubbockonline.com/election2/2010/04/14/anatomy-of-perry%e2%80%99s-victory-over-jones-could-hold-key-to-party%e2%80%99s-direction/ |title=Anatomy of Perry's victory over Jones could hold key to party's direction |publisher=Lubbock Avalanche-Journal |date=April 2, 2010 |accessdate=April 24, 2010}}</ref> He was elected as a representative.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lubbockonline.com/local-news/2010-11-04/new-legislators-ready-deliver |title=New legislators ready deliver |publisher=Lubbockonline.com |date=2010-11-04 |accessdate=2011-08-01}}</ref>
* In ], April 13, 2010, ] won the GOP primary against 86-year-old incumbent and fellow Republican ] in District 83 and is unopposed in the November 2 general election.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://enr.sos.state.tx.us/enr/results/apr13_150_state.htm |title=Texas Republican runoff primary returns |date= April 13, 2010 |publisher=Office of the Secretary of State |accessdate=April 13, 2010}}</ref><ref name=laj>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.lubbockonline.com/election2/candidates/ |title=Election 2010: State, Region Candidates |publisher=Lubbock Avalanche Journal|accessdate=March 6, 2010}}</ref>
* In ] attorney ] defeated establishment Republican U.S. Senator ] (R-]) in the GOP senate primary on May 8, 2010. Lee's win is seen as a victory for the Tea Party Movement, whose supporters were against Bennett's return.<ref>{{Cite news | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/us/politics/09utah.html?scp=2&sq=Bob%20Bennett&st=cse | work=The New York Times | title=Utah Delegates Oust Three-Term G.O.P. Senator From Race | first=Kirk | last=Johnson | date=May 8, 2010 | accessdate=May 24, 2010}}</ref><ref></ref>{{dead link|date=October 2010}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/08/sen-bennett-faces-conservative-test-utah/ |title=Utah Republican Sen. Bob Bennett Ousted in Re-Election Bid |publisher=FOXNews.com |date=April 7, 2010 |accessdate=July 27, 2010}}</ref>
* ], endorsed by Tea Party groups, won the ] GOP Senate primary in ]. Paul, the son of Republican Congressman ] of Texas, comfortably beat Republican establishment favorite ] with 60% of the vote. He was quoted saying, "The Tea Party Movement is about saving our country from a mountain of debt."<ref>{{cite web |author=Kylibertynow's Blog says: |url=http://www.zimvi.com/?p=4489 |title=Super Tuesday Results: Tea Party's Rand Paul (The son of Ron Paul) wins Republican primary in Kentucky while Senator Specter Loses against Joe Sestak in Pennsylvania |publisher=Zimvi.com |date=May 19, 2010 |accessdate=July 27, 2010}}</ref> Rand won his seat.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/03/us-midterm-election-results-tea-party | location=London | work=The Guardian | first1=Paul | last1=Harris | first2=Ewen | last2=MacAskill | title=US midterm election results herald new political era as Republicans take House | date=November 3, 2010}}</ref>
* In the Republican primary in ] for the at-large Congressional seat, ], a Tea Party-approved candidate, defeated incumbent ] ] and state representative Blake Curd.<ref>, '']'', June 8, 2010.</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/10/13/2010-10-13_the_new_sarah_palin_or_christine_odonnell_south_dakota_tea_party_darling_kristi_.html |title=Kristi Noem, congressional hopeful and Tea Party favorite from South Dakota raises $1.1M |first= Aliyah |last=Shahid |date=October 13, 2010 |work=New York Daily News}}</ref>
* In the ] first Congressional District GOP Primary, Tea Party favorite ], defeated two establishment Republicans with long family histories in Republican politics: Paul Thurmond, son of the former South Carolina ] ].<ref>Radnofsky, Louise , '']'', June 9, 2010.</ref> and Carroll Campbell, son of former South Carolina Governor ] Scott has spent one term in the South Carolina House, where the businessman became the first ] GOP representative in more than 100 years.<ref> ABC News, June 8, 2010</ref><ref>Weigel, David , '']'', June 9, 2010.</ref><ref> ''The New York Times'', June 25, 2010</ref><ref> The Root, June 22, 2010</ref><ref> The Daily Caller, July 27, 2010</ref>
* ], a 38-year-old ] state representative, beat out three prominent Republican rivals in the ] primary race for governor, capturing 49% of the vote. She defeated the second-place finisher, U.S. Representative ], in a ] on June 22.<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/10/us/politics/10haley.html | work=The New York Times | title=S.C. Candidate Challenges Status Quo | first=Robbie | last=Brown | date=June 9, 2010}}</ref><ref> MSNBC, June 23, 2010</ref>
* In ], ] won the GOP primary for governor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.myfoxmaine.com/news/95952474.html |title=LePage, Mitchell Win Nominations |publisher=myFoxMaine.com |date=June 9, 2010 |accessdate=July 27, 2010}}{{dead link|date=August 2011}}</ref>
* In ], ], who had Tea Party backing, lost the GOP senate primary to ], who had backing from ].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/06/09/2010-06-09_sarah_palins_helps_haley_and_fiorina_score_big_in_primaries_.html#ixzz0qOhKeBLH |title=GOP primaries: Sarah Palin helps South Carolina's Nikki Haley and Calif.'s Carly Fiorina win big |work=Daily News |location=New York |date=June 9, 2010 |accessdate=July 27, 2010 | first=Joe | last=Tacopino}}</ref> But she lost on November 2, 2010, to Boxer.<ref>{{cite news |author=McKinley, Jesse |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/03/us/politics/03calif.html |title=In California, Boxer Wins Senate Race, and Brown Is Leading for Governor |date=November 3, 2010 |newspaper=The New York Times |accessdate=November 3, 2010}}</ref>
* In ], ] defeated Republican "establishment" candidate Diane Gooch in the Republican congressional primary for the ] on June 8, 2010. Little will face Democratic Congressman ] in November.<ref>David Weigel.. '']''; September 14, 2010.</ref> Pallone defeated Little by over 16,000 votes, 55% to 43%.
* In ], ] won the U.S. Senate Republican primary race, defeating the GOP favorite, ], the one-time front runner.<ref>. Fox News; June 9, 2010.</ref> Angle was defeated by ] ] ].<ref name="news.yahoo.com">{{cite web|last=Rose |first=Rachel |url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20101103/el_yblog_upshot/tea-party-offers-gop-a-mixed-bag |title=Tea Party offers GOP a mixed bag |publisher=News.yahoo.com |date=2010-11-03 |accessdate=2011-08-01}}</ref>
* In ] Jesse Kelly beat state Sen. Jonathan Paton, the National Republican Congressional Committee's preferred candidate, in the August primary for the party's nomination in congressional district 8.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/09/21/20100921-tea-party-candidates-to-watch-politico-prog.html?page=2#ixzz11vdFO15S |title=Top 10 "Tea Party' Candidates to Watch |publisher=AZCentral.com |date=September 21, 2010 |accessdate = October 9, 2010}}</ref> He lost the general election to incumbent ].
* In ], attorney ] defeated current U.S. Senator ], in the GOP primary race on August 24, 2010. Murkowski had been appointed to the seat by her father, Alaska ] ], who had held the Senate seat for 30 years prior to becoming governor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://politics.usnews.com/news/articles/2010/09/08/tea-party-movement-buoyed-by-joe-millers-win-in-alaska.html |title=Tea Party Movement Buoyed by Joe Miller's Win in Alaska&nbsp;— US News and World Report |publisher=US News and World Report |date=September 8, 2010 |accessdate=September 9, 2010}}</ref> Murkowski remained in the election as a write-in candidate, eventually beating Miller in the general election.<ref>{{cite news |last = Brusk |first = Steve |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/12/27/alaska.senate.race/index.html?iref=storysearch |title=Miller won't contest Murkowski certification; pursues federal suit |publisher = CNN |date = December 27, 2010}}</ref>
* In ], Tea Party-backed candidate ] defeated veteran Representative ] in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.<ref>Karen Tumulty. ''The Washington Post''; September 16, 2010</ref><ref>. '']''; April 15, 2010.</ref> Her victory was a surprising upset and was seen as a sign of Tea Party movement strength.<ref name="upsets castle">{{cite news | last = Cameron | first = Carl | url = http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/09/14/hours-polls-close-gloves-come-delaware/ | title = Tea Party-Backed O'Donnell Upsets Castle in Delaware GOP Race | publisher = Fox News | date = September 15, 2010| accessdate = September 18, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Chase2010-09-15">{{Cite news | url = http://www.timesonline.com/bct_news/news_details/article/1521/2010/september/12/odonnell-earns-degree-21-years-later-1.html | title = O'Donnell in spotlight after Del. primary victory | last = Chase | first = Randall | date = September 15, 2010 | agency = Associated Press | publisher = The Beaver County Times | accessdate = September 18, 2010 | archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5splk5nT1 | archivedate =September 18, 2010 }}</ref> O'Donnell lost the election.<ref name="news.yahoo.com"/>
* In ], Tea Party-backed candidate ] defeated former Representative ] in the Republican primary for governor;<ref> '']'', September 20, 2010; Retrieved September 21, 2010</ref><ref>, '']'', September 12, 2010</ref> at the November elections he was defeated by Democrat candidate ].
* In ], in the last congressional primary of 2010, Tea Party-endorsed Republican ] of ] defeated the establishment choice, former ] ] by a 65–35 percent margin.<ref name="politico.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1010/43042.html |first=Alex |last=Isenstadt |title=Jeff Landry wins Louisiana House runoff |date= October 2, 2010 |publisher=Politico.com |accessdate=October 8, 2010}}</ref> Landry won the 2010 general election.<ref>{{dead link|date=August 2011}}</ref>
* In ], tea party favorite ] defeated Independent and sitting governor ] for the U.S. Senate seat.<ref name="MarcoRubio"> ''The Washington Post'', 2010-11-04. Retrieved 2011-01-23.</ref>
* In ], tea party favorite ] won the GOP Senate primary, defeating Republican establishment candidate ].<ref name=BuckNorton> '']'', August 11, 2010</ref><ref> Politics Daily, August 10, 2010</ref> In the November general election, Buck was defeated by Senator Michael Bennet.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thedenverdailynews.com/article.php?aID=10582 |title=Bennet beats Buck. Narrow U.S. Senate race comes down to just around 15,000 votes |publisher=Thedenverdailynews.com |date=2010-11-04 |accessdate=2011-08-01}}</ref>

Allegations of Democratic candidates planting "fake" Tea Party candidates have surfaced in ],<ref name="florida-democratic-front">{{Cite news |first=Muriel |last=Kane |url=http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/06/republicans-claim-florida-tea-party-democratic-front |title=Republicans claim 'Florida Tea Party' is a Democratic front |accessdate=October 11, 2010 |date=June 8, 2010 |publisher=]}}</ref><ref name="Tea-Party-Fakers">{{Cite news |first=Evan |last=McMorris-Santoro |url=http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/09/tea-party-fakers-dems-blamed-for-coopting-tea-party-label.php |title=Tea Party Fakers? Dems Blamed For Co-Opting 'Tea Party' Label To Split Conservative Vote |accessdate=October 11, 2010 |date=September 27, 2010 |publisher=]}}</ref> ],<ref name="Tea-Party-Fakers" /><ref name="michigan-democratic-link">{{Cite news |first=Leonard |last=Fleming |url=http://detnews.com/article/20100902/POLITICS02/9020422/Tea-Party-candidates-deny-Democratic-link |title=Tea Party Candidates deny Democratic link |accessdate=October 11, 2010 |date=September 2, 2010 |publisher=]}}</ref> ],<ref name="Tea-Party-Fakers" /><ref name="New-Jersey-democratic-plant">{{cite news |first=Geoff |last=Mulvihill |url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101008/ap_on_el_ho/us_plant_candidate |title=Dems Planted NJ Tea-Party House Candidate|accessdate=October 11, 2010 |date=October 8, 2010 |agency=Associated Press}}{{dead link|date=August 2011}}</ref> and ].<ref name="Tea-Party-Fakers" /><ref name="pennsylvania-democratic-Jim-Schneller">{{Cite news |first=Joelle |last=Farrell |url=http://articles.philly.com/2010-08-05/news/24973290_1_signatures-campaign-worker-campaign-manager |title=Pennsylvania tea-party activists, GOP, and Democrats distance themselves from Jim Schneller |accessdate=October 11, 2010 |date=August 5, 2010 |newspaper=]}}</ref>

==Impact on the 2012 election cycle==
]
In February 2011, the Tea Party Patriots organized and hosted the American Policy Summit in Phoenix, Arizona. The 1,600 attendees were polled regarding their preference for a 2012 presidential candidate. Georgia radio host ], the first of the 2012 candidates to form a presidential exploratory committee, won the poll with 22%. Runners up were Tim Pawlenty (16%), Ron Paul (15%) and Sarah Palin (10%). Ron Paul won the Summit's online poll.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Herman Cain wins Tea Party presidential live straw poll at Phoenix summit |url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/27/herman-cain-wins-tea-party-presidential-live-straw-poll-at-phoenix-summit/ |date=February 27, 2011 |first=Shannon |last=Travis |work=political ticker&nbsp;... |publisher=CNN |separator=, |accessdate=March 15, 2011}}</ref>

==Public opinion==
A ''USA Today''/Gallup poll conducted in March 2010, found that 28% of those surveyed considered themselves supporters of the Tea Party movement, 26% were opponents, and 46% were neither.<ref name=GallupPoll>{{cite web |title=Tea Partiers Are Fairly Mainstream in Their Demographics |url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/127181/tea-partiers-fairly-mainstream-demographics.aspx |first=Lydia |last=Saad |publisher=] |date=April 5, 2010 |separator=, |postscript= |accessdate=February 6, 2011}}</ref> These figures have remained stable through January 2011, as has public opinion of the movement. In the ''USA Today''/Gallup poll conducted in January 2011, approximately 70% of adults, including approximately 9 out of 10 Republicans, feel Republican leaders in Congress should give consideration to Tea Party movement ideas.<ref name=GallupPoll2>{{cite web |title=Americans Believe GOP Should Consider Tea Party Ideas |url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/145838/americans-believe-gop-consider-tea-party-ideas.aspx|first=Lydia |last=Saad |publisher=] |date=January 31, 2011}}</ref> A CBS News/''New York Times'' poll in September 2010, showed 19% of respondents supported the movement, 63% did not, and 16% said they did not know. In the same poll, 29% had an unfavorable view of the Tea Party, compared to 23% with a favorable view.<ref name=CBSPoll>{{cite news |title=Tea Party Supported by One in Five in New CBS News/NYT Poll |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20016526-503544.html |first=Stephanie |last=Condon |publisher=] |date=September 20, 2010 |separator=, |postscript= |accessdate=February 8, 2011}}</ref> The ], a progressive group, used this poll to assert that the Tea Party movement holds views that differ from those the general public. The Tea Party differed on views related to '']'', ], and Obama.<ref name=CAP>{{cite news |title=Public Opinion Snapshot: The Tea Party vs. The Public |url=http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/04/snapshot042610.html |first=Ruy |last=Teixeira |date=April 26, 2010 |separator=, |postscript= |accessdate=February 12, 2011}}</ref> An NBC News/''Wall Street Journal'' poll later the same month found 27% considered themselves Tea Party supporters. In that poll, 42% said the Tea Party has been good for the U.S. political system; 18% called it a bad thing. Those with an unfavorable view of the Tea Party outnumbered those with a favorable view 36–30%. In comparison, the Democratic Party was viewed unfavorably by a 42–37% margin, and the Republican Party by 43–31%.<ref name=WSJPoll>{{cite news |title=Poll: Battle for Congress tightens between parties |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39405132/ns/politics-white_house/ |first=Mark |last=Murray |work=] |date=September 28, 2010 |separator=, |postscript= |accessdate=February 8, 2011}}</ref>

A poll conducted by ] found that only 13% of national adults identified themselves as part of the Tea Party movement but that the Tea Party had a positive opinion by a 28–23% margin with 49% who do not know.<ref name=QPoll>{{cite news |title=March 24, 2010 - Tea Party Could Hurt GOP In Congressional Races, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Dems Trail 2-Way Races, But Win If Tea Party Runs |url=http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1295.xml?ReleaseID=1436 |date=March 24, 2010 |separator=, |postscript= |accessdate=February 11, 2011}}</ref> A similar poll conducted by the ''Winston Group'' found that 17% of American registered voters consider themselves part of the Tea Party movement.<ref name=WinstonPoll>{{cite news |title=Survey: Four in 10 Tea Party members are Democrats or independents |url=http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/polls/90541-survey-four-in-10-tea-party-members-dem-or-indie |first=Sean |last=Miller |date=April 4, 2010 |separator=, |postscript= |accessdate=February 11, 2011}}</ref>

==Reception==
===Obama administration===
] at the White House, March 23, 2010.]]

Polls found that just 7% of Tea Party supporters approve of how Obama is doing his job compared to 50% (as of April 2010) of the general public,<ref name="nytimes1"/> and that roughly 77% of supporters had voted for Obama's Republican opponent, ] in 2008.<ref name="vogel1"/><ref name="quinnipiac1"/>

On April 19, 2009, Senior White House Adviser ], when asked about the Tea Party protests on ], said, "I think any time that you have severe economic conditions, there is always an element of disaffection that can mutate into something that's unhealthy." He also noted, "The thing that bewilders me is this President just cut taxes for ninety-five percent of the American people. So I think the tea bags should be directed elsewhere, because he certainly understands the burden that people face."<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/FTN_041909.pdf |title=Transcript Face the Nation: Guests David Axelrod, Governor Ed Rendell, Wayne LaPierre |format=PDF |date=April 19, 2009 |publisher=CBS News |accessdate=April 24, 2010}}</ref>

On April 29, 2009, Obama commented on the Tea Party protests publicly during a townhall meeting in ], saying: "hen you see, you know&nbsp;... those of you who are watching certain news channels on which I'm not very popular&nbsp;— and you see folks waving tea bags around&nbsp;... let me just remind them that I am happy to have a serious conversation about how we are going to cut our health care costs down over the long term, how we're going to stabilize ]. ] and I are working diligently to do basically a thorough audit of federal spending. But let's not play games and pretend that the reason is because of the recovery act, because that's just a fraction of the overall problem that we've got. We are going to have to tighten our belts, but we're going to have to do it in an intelligent way. And we've got to make sure that the people who are helped are working American families, and we're not suddenly saying that the way to do this is to eliminate programs that help ordinary people and give more tax cuts to the wealthy. We tried that formula for eight years. It did not work. And I don't intend to go back to it."<ref> ]; April 29, 2009.</ref><ref> CNN Political Ticker; April 29, 2009</ref>

On April 15, 2010, Obama touted his administration's tax cuts, noting the passage of 25 different tax cuts over the past year, including tax cuts for 95% of working Americans. He then remarked, "So I've been a little amused over the last couple of days where people have been having these rallies about taxes. You would think they would be saying thank you. That's what you'd think."<ref name="ABC pol punch">{{Cite news |url=http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/04/obama-at-democratic-fundraiser-tea-partiers-should-be-thanking-him-for-tax-cuts.html |title=Obama at Democratic Fundraiser: Tea Partiers Should Be Thanking Him for Tax Cuts |last=Travers |first=Karen |coauthors=Rachel Martin |date=April 15, 2010 |work=Political Punch |publisher=ABC News |accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref><ref> White House Press Office&nbsp;— Transcript; April 16, 2010</ref>

On September 20, 2010, at a townhall discussion sponsored by CNBC, Obama said healthy skepticism about government and spending was good, but it was not enough to just say "Get control of spending", and he challenged the Tea Party movement to get specific about how they would cut government debt and spending: "And so the challenge, I think, for the Tea Party movement is to identify specifically what would you do. It's not enough just to say, get control of spending. I think it's important for you to say, I'm willing to cut veterans' benefits, or I'm willing to cut Medicare or Social Security benefits, or I'm willing to see these taxes go up. What you can't do&nbsp;— which is what I've been hearing a lot from the other side&nbsp;— is say we're going to control government spending, we're going to propose $4 trillion of additional tax cuts, and that magically somehow things are going to work."<ref> USA Today; September 20, 2010</ref><ref> Scribd Transcript; September 20, 2010</ref>

===Commentaries on the movement===
{{Section OR|date=October 2010}}

According to '']'', the three main groups that provide guidance and organization for the protests, ], ], and Americans for Prosperity, state that the demonstrations are an organic movement.<ref name=who>{{cite web |url=http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2009/04/the-tea-party-movement-whos-in-charge/13041/ |title=The Tea Party Movement: Who's In Charge? |first=Chris |last=Good | date=April 13, 2000 |publisher=] |accessdate=April 24, 2010}}</ref> Law professor and commentator ], best known as author of the ] political blog, argued in the '']'' that: "These aren't the usual semiprofessional protesters who attend ] and pro-union marches. These are people with real jobs; most have never attended a protest march before. They represent a kind of energy that our politics hasn't seen lately, and an influx of new activists."<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/04132009/postopinion/opedcolumnist/tea_parties__real_grassroots_164143.htm {{dead link|date=July 2011}} |title= Tea Parties: Real Grassroots |first=Glenn H. |last=Reynolds | publisher=]| date=April 13, 2009| accessdate=April 24, 2010}}</ref> Conservative political strategist ], now head of Americans for Prosperity, has remarked that the Republican Party is "too disorganized and unsure of itself to pull this off".<ref name=rebel>{{Cite news | first=Michael | last=Oneal | coauthors= Janet Hook | title=Anti-Obama rebellion poses risk for the GOP | date=April 16, 2009 | url =http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-tax-day_thuapr16,0,2440162.story | work=Chicago Tribune | accessdate =April 25, 2010}}</ref>

"Tea Party supporters", says Patrik Jonsson of the '']'', "have been called neo-Klansmen and knuckle-dragging hillbillies". Jonsson adds, "demonizing tea party activists tends to energize the Democrats' left-of-center base". He notes that "polls suggest that tea party activists are not only more mainstream than many critics suggest, but that a majority of them are women (primarily mothers), not angry white men".<ref name=Jonsson040310>Patrik Jonsson, ''Christian Science Monitor'', April 3, 2010</ref> Jonsson quotes ] saying that Tea Party's opposition to health reform was based on self-interest rather than racism.<ref name=Jonsson040310/>

] of '']'' has said: "There is no single Tea Party. The name is an umbrella that encompasses many different groups. Under this umbrella, you'll find everyone from the woolly fringe to Ron Paul supporters, from Americans for Prosperity to religious conservatives, independents, and citizens who never have been active in politics before. The umbrella is gigantic."<ref name = "WeekSt"> by ], '']'', Vol. 15, No. 39, June 28, 2010</ref> ] ] speaks at the New York City Tea Party, April 15, 2009.]]
] of ], who has "spoken to many supporters of the Tea Party and been to lots of rallies" has said that when he talks to Tea Party supporters for more than a few minutes, "fury tends to dissolve into concern, worry about the economic direction of the country, worry about the size of the government and the level of taxation".<ref name="mardell103010"/> While "many" supporters of what Mardell calls the "]-headed" Tea Party combine their fiscal and constitutional concerns with social issues associated with their Christian beliefs, the unifying focus is on ] and the constitution.<ref name="mardell103010">{{cite web | title= Tea Party not so mad | url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markmardell/2010/10/tea_party_not_so_mad.html | date= October 30, 2010 | first= Mark | last= Mardell | authorlink= Mark Mardell | work= Mark Mardell's America (blog) | publisher= BBC News | accessdate=October 31, 2010}}</ref>

Former House Speaker ]'s political activist group ] supports the protests, saying on its website that they are "our chance to communicate our anger and opposition to the irresponsible policies of politicians in Washington who have failed to solve problems". Gingrich spoke at the New York City protest on April 15.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.worldmag.com/webextra/15293 | title=New York Tea Party | date=April 16, 2009 | publisher=Worldmag.com | accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref>

Dan Gerstein, a former Democratic political advisor, argued in '']'' that the protests could have tapped into real feelings of disillusionment by American moderates, but the protesters put forth too many incoherent messages.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/21/republican-barack-obama-government-spending-opinions-columnists-tea-party.html |title=Dangerous Thoughts: Tea Party Foul |first=Dan |last=Gerstein |work=Forbes |date=April 29, 2009 |accessdate=April 25, 2010}}</ref> Democratic Party Chairman ] told CNN that Tea Party candidates will not appeal to independent and moderate voters, and that their growing importance within the Republican Party will help Democrats.<ref>{{cite news |title=Democratic Leader: Tea Party Will Benefit Us |date=September 19, 2010 |agency=Thomson/Reuters |url=http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/tea-party-democrats-tim/2010/09/19/id/370797}}</ref>

], president of ], an organization that offers training for many Tea Party activists, believes this movement is not about political parties, stating, "It's very much anti-establishment at both parties&nbsp;... They don't care about party labels." He has also said that "I think we're getting to the point where you can truly say we're entering a post-party era. They aren't going to be necessarily wed to a certain party&nbsp;— they want to see leadership that reflects their values first&nbsp;... They don't care what party you're in; they just want to know if you reflect their values&nbsp;— limited government, fixing the economy."<ref name=CNN>{{Cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/01/21/mass.independent.vote/index.html?iref=allsearch |title=Independents' anger in Massachusetts a sign of things to come? |first=Ed |last=Hornick |publisher=CNN |date=January 21, 2010}}</ref>

According to ], president of the ], a conservative think tank, America is locked in a culture war between the country as being an "exceptional nation organized around the principles of free enterprise&nbsp;— limited government, a reliance on entrepreneurship and rewards determined by market forces" or as a country determined by "European-style statism". Brooks states that while some have tried to criticize the tea party, they are part of an ideological movement to preserve the former and oppose the latter.<ref>{{cite news |author=Post Store |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/21/AR2010052101854.html?sid=ST2010052103072 |title=America's new culture war: Free enterprise vs. government control |author=Arthur C. Brooks |work=The Washington Post |date=May 23, 2010 |accessdate=September 9, 2010}}</ref>

In an April 2009 '']'' opinion column, contributor ] wrote that "the tea parties don't represent a spontaneous outpouring of public sentiment. They're ] (fake grassroots) events, manufactured by the usual suspects. In particular, a key role is being played by ], an organization run by ]."<ref name="Krugman 04-12-09">{{Cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/13/opinion/13krugman.html | work=The New York Times | title=Tea Parties Forever | first=Paul | last=Krugman | date=April 12, 2009 | accessdate=April 24, 2010}}</ref>{{verify credibility|failed=yes|reason=OpEd|date=November 2010}} The same month, then Speaker of the House ] (D-]) stated "It's not really a grassroots movement. It's astroturf by some of the wealthiest people in America to keep the focus on tax cuts for the rich instead of for the great middle class"<ref>{{cite news|title=Pelosi Backpedals on Tea Partiers |date=March 2, 2010 |first=Sean |last=Hannity |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,587745,00.html |publisher=FOX News Network |work=Hannity's America}}</ref><ref> ThinkProgress, Apr 15th, 2009. Retrieved 2011-01-28.</ref>

In a September 2010 piece for '']'', journalist ] wrote: "I've concluded that the whole miserable narrative boils down to one stark fact: They're full of shit. ...&nbsp;he Tea Party is a movement that purports to be furious about government spending&nbsp;— only the reality is that the vast majority of its members are former Bush supporters who yawned through two terms of record deficits&nbsp;... The average Tea Partier is sincerely against government spending&nbsp;— with the exception of the money spent on them. In fact, their lack of embarrassment when it comes to collecting government largesse is key to understanding what this movement is all about&nbsp;..."<ref name="Rolling Stone Taibbi"> ''Rolling Stone'', Sept 28, 2010. Retrieved 2011-03-31</ref> Taibbi concluded, "This, then, is the future of the Republican Party: Angry white voters hovering over their cash-stuffed mattresses with their kerosene lanterns, peering through the blinds at the oncoming hordes of suburban soccer moms they've mistaken for death-panel bureaucrats bent on exterminating anyone who isn't an illegal alien or a Kenyan anti-colonialist."<ref name="Rolling Stone Taibbi" />

Observers have compared the Tea Party movement to others in U.S. history, finding commonalities with previous populist<ref name=Jonsson>{{cite news |title=Tea party movement: lessons from earlier uprisings; While movements like the tea party have fervor and anger, historians caution that such groups can quickly lose momentum and influence. |first=Patrik |last=Jonsson |work=The Christian Science Monitor |location=Boston |date=February 5, 2010}}</ref> or nativist movements and third parties such as the ] party, the ],<ref name=Jonsson/><ref name=Rich/> and the campaigns of ], ],<ref name=Rich>{{cite news |title=The Billionaires Bankrolling the Tea Party |first=Frank |last=Rich |work=New York Times |date=August 29, 2010 |page=WK.8}}</ref> ],<ref name=Fraser/> and ].<ref>{{cite news |title=Visigoths at the gate? |first=Charles |last=Krauthammer |work=The Washington Post |date=September 24, 2010 |page=A.21}}</ref> Two historians, Steve Fraser and Joshua B. Freeman, have written in ] that the Tea Party movement and anti-immigration movements share a "fear of displacement".<ref name=Fraser>{{cite news |title=The strange history of Tea Party populism: The resentment fueling today's Tea Party movement is as old as America|first1=Steve |last1=Fraser |first2=Joshua B. |last2=Freeman |work=Salon.com |date=May 3, 2010 |url=http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2010/05/03/tea_party_populism_history}}</ref> Historian Jill Lepore has described the movement as a form of "historical fundamentalism", turning the founding into sacred history and rejecting critical academic study of it.<ref>Jill Lepore, ''The Whites of Their Eyes: The Tea Party's Revolution and the Battle Over American History'', Princeton University Press, 2010.</ref> U.S. Senator ] compared the movement to the Know Nothings, saying it seeks to roll "the clock back to a point in time which they've sort of idealized in their own minds as being a better time in America".<ref>{{cite news |title=Senator looks back on difficult year |first=Robert |last=Koch |agency=McClatchy&nbsp;— Tribune Business News |location=Washington |date=September 19, 2009}}</ref> Other commentators, like ] and ], predict that it will share the short life span of third parties in U.S. history that have faded after altering the political order.<ref>{{cite news |title=The 'tea party' dance; Will the movement sink or save the conservatives? |first=Jacob |last=Heilbrunn |work=Los Angeles Times |date=February 21, 2010 |page=A.28}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Tea Party is today's 'Know Nothing' movement |first= DeWayne |last=Wickham |work=USA TODAY |location=McLean, Va. |date=September 7, 2010 |page=A.11 |url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2010-09-07-column07_ST1_N.htm}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=A Tea Party cannot change a nation |first=Michael |last=Lind |work=Financial Times |location=London (UK) |date=October 20, 2010 |page=13}}</ref>

In March 2011 ], a ] fundraising executive was secretly recorded during a lunch meeting with two men posing as potential donors. On the recording, Schiller said that he would speak personally, and not for NPR; then he contrasted the fiscally conservative Republican party of old that didn't get involved in people's personal and family lives with "the current Republican Party, in particular the Tea Party, that is fanatically involved in people's personal lives and very fundamental Christian&nbsp;— I wouldn't even call it Christian. It's this weird evangelical kind of move." Schiller said some highly-placed Republicans believed the Republican Party had been hijacked by this radical group, and characterized them as "Islamophobic" and "seriously racist, racist people".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/03/what-james-okeefes-latest-video-means-for-npr-funding/72198/ |title=What James O'Keefe's Latest Video Means for NPR Funding - Chris Good - Politics |publisher=The Atlantic |date=2011-03-08 |accessdate=2011-08-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2011/03/tea-party-secret-video-npr-funding-/1 | work=USA Today | first=Catalina | last=Camia | title=NPR executive calls Tea Party supporters 'racist' | date=March 8, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Memmott |first=Mark |url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/03/08/134358398/in-video-npr-exec-slams-tea-party-questions-need-for-federal-funds?ft=1&f=1001 |title=In Video: NPR Exec Slams Tea Party, Questions Need For Federal Funds : The Two-Way |publisher=NPR |date=2011-03-08 |accessdate=2011-08-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/08/npr-executive-caught-calling-tea-partiers-racist/ | work=The New York Times | first=Brian | last=Stelter | title=NPR Executive Caught Calling Tea Partiers 'Racist' | date=March 8, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/41970138/ns/politics-more_politics/ |title=NPR exec caught bashing Tea Partiers as 'racist' - TODAY News - TODAY.com |publisher=Today.msnbc.msn.com |date=2011-01-08 |accessdate=2011-08-01}}</ref>

===Media coverage===
'']'' reported that the nature of the coverage of the protests has become part of the story.<ref name=world>{{Cite news |date=April 16, 2009 |publisher=US News and World Report |title=Tea Party Rallies Protest Obama Policies |accessdate=April 24, 2010 |url=http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_090416.htm}}</ref> On ]'s '']'', journalist ] commented that "much of the media seems to have chosen sides". He says that Fox News portrayed the protests "as a big story, CNN as a modest story, and ] as a great story to make fun of. And for most major newspapers, it's a nonstory."<ref name=world/> There are reports that the movement has been actively promoted by the Fox News Channel, indicating a ].<ref>
{{Cite news
|last=Calderone
|first=Michael
|title=Fox teas up a tempest
|date=April 15, 2009
|work=POLITICO
|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/21275.html }}
</ref><ref>
{{Cite news
|last=Good
|first=Chris
|title=More Tea Party Symbiotics: Fox News
|date=April 10, 2009
|magazine=The Atlantic
|url=http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2009/04/more-tea-party-symbiotics-fox-news/12984/ }}
</ref>
] during the ], September 12, 2009.]]

According to ], a ] media watchdog, there is a disparity between large coverage of the Tea Party movement and minimal coverage of larger movements. In 2009, the major Tea Party protests were quoted twice as often as the ] despite a much lower turnout.<ref>{{Cite news
|last=Hollar
|first=Julie
|title=National Equality vs. Tea Party
|date=December 2009
|work=Extra!
|url=http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3955}}</ref>
In 2010, a Tea Party protest was covered 59 times more than the ] (177 Tea Party mentions versus 3 for Social Forum) despite an attendance that was 25 times smaller in size (600 Tea Party attendees versus at least 15,000 for Social Forum).<ref>{{Cite news
|last=Hollar
|first=Julie
|title=Tea Party vs. U.S. Social Forum
|date=September 2010
|work=Extra!
|url=http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=4143}}</ref>

In April 2010, responding to a question from the media watchdog group ] posed the previous week, ], the chief executive of ], which owns Fox News, said, "I don't think we should be supporting the Tea Party or any other party." That same week Fox News canceled an appearance by ] at a ] Tea Party rally.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/17/us/17fox.html |work=The New York Times |title=Fox Canceled Hannity's Attendance at Tea Party's Tax Day Rally in Cincinnati |first=Brian |last=Stelter |date=April 16, 2010}}</ref>

Following the September 12 ], Fox News said it was the only cable news outlet to cover the emerging protests and took out full-page ads in '']'', the '']'', and '']'' with a prominent headline reading, "How did ], CBS, NBC, MSNBC, and CNN miss this story?"<ref>{{cite web |last=Krakauer |first =Steve |title =Internal Fox News Email Addresses "Standards" After 9/12 Flap |publisher=Mediaite |date =September 21, 2009 |url =http://www.mediaite.com/tv/internal-fox-email-addresses-standards-after-912-flap/ |accessdate=April 24, 2010}}</ref> CNN news anchor ] disputed Fox's assertion, pointing to various coverage of the event.<ref name="politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com">{{Cite news|url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/18/networks-respond-to-false-fox-ad/ |title=Networks respond to false Fox ad |date=September 18, 2009 |publisher=CNN |accessdate=April 24, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/0909/WaPo_defends_running_Fox_ad.html |title=WaPo defends running Fox ad |last=Calderone |first=Michael |date=September 18, 2009 |publisher=Politico |accessdate=April 24, 2010}}</ref><ref name="mediabistro.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/fnc/in_full_page_ad_fox_asks_where_were_other_media_on_912_the_answer_they_were_there_136133.asp?c=rss |title=In Full Page Ad, Fox Asks Where Were Other Media on 9/12. The Answer: They Were There |first=Chris |last=Ariens |publisher=MediaBistro.com |date=September 18, 2009 |accessdate=April 24, 2010}}</ref> CNN, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, and CBS Radio News provided various forms of live coverage of the rally in Washington throughout the day on Saturday, including the lead story on CBS Evening News.<ref name="politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com"/><ref name="mediabistro.com"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2009/09/18/nr.sanchez.on.fox.news.cnn |publisher=CNN |title=Fox News, Your Facts Are Wrong: CNN's Rick Sanchez takes FOX News |date=September 18, 2009 |format=Video |accessdate=April 24, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/18/fox-news-newspaper-ad-mak_n_291494.html |first=Jason |last=Linkins |title=Fox News Newspaper Ad Makes False Claims About Tea Party Coverage |date=September 18, 2009 |publisher=Huffington Post |accessdate=April 24, 2010}}</ref>

James Rainey of the '']'' said MSNBC's attacks on the tea parties paled compared to Fox's support, but that MSNBC personalities ], ] and ] were hardly subtle in disparaging the movement.<ref name="Los Angeles Times">{{Cite news |title=Fox News, MSNBC prejudge 'tea parties' |work=Los Angeles Times |date=April 15, 2009 |url =http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-onthemedia15-2009apr15,0,189873.column |last=Rainey |first=James |accessdate=April 24, 2010}}</ref> ] has said that, "These hosts said little or nothing about the huge deficits run up by ], but Barack Obama's budget and tax plans have driven them to tea. On the other hand, CNN and MSNBC may have dropped the ball by all but ignoring the protests."<ref name=kurtz>{{Cite news |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/18/AR2009091801102.html |work=The Washington Post |title=Fox News Ad Draws Protests |first=Howard |last=Kurtz |date=September 18, 2009 |accessdate=May 24, 2010}}</ref>

====Tea Party's views of media coverage====
In October 2010, a survey conducted by '']'' found that the majority of local Tea Party organizers consider the media coverage of their groups to be fair. Seventy-six percent of the local organizers said media coverage has been fair while twenty-three percent have said coverage was unfair. This was based on responses from all 647 local Tea Party organizers the ''Post'' was able to contact and verify, from a list of more than 1,400 possible groups identified.<ref name="agwpostmedia">Gardner, Amy , ''The Washington Post'', October 26, 2010. Retrieved January 20, 2011.</ref>

==Racial issues==
{{Undue-section|date=May 2011}}
Black conservatives have expressed mixed feelings about the Tea Party's inclusiveness and concerns about ]. Brandon Brice, a primary black speaker at a tax-day Tea Party rally, said he was worried about the movement, noting that, "It's strayed away from the message of wasteful spending and Washington not listening to its constituents, and it's become more of this rally of hate." ], a Republican commentator, author and Tea Party supporter, said he has seen racism within the movement and has confronted it by approaching people with racially derogatory signs of President Obama and asking them to take the signs down. Like Brice, McAllister thinks leaders of the Tea Party movement must not ignore the issue. McAllister told '']'', "The people are speaking up and becoming more educated on the issues, but you have fringe elements that are defining this good thing with their negative, hateful behavior." He said the movement is more diverse than news clips show, commenting that "There is this perception that these are all old, white racists and that's not the case."<ref name=Waporacist/> Jean Howard-Hill, leader of the National Republican African American Caucus, wrote that, "Any movement which cannot openly denounce racism, calling it out as wrong troubles me. To attack President Obama on his policy is one thing, but to do so on his race or some hysterical pretext of socialism is yet another."<ref name="Waporacist">, ''The Washington Post'', April 7, 2010</ref> During an interview on ] with ], McAllister and columnist ] discussed racism and the Tea Parties; Tucker wrote about the interview, concluding that McAllister's take on racism was that he'd seen enough racist signs at other Tea Party gatherings to know that racism is associated with the movement.<ref>
{{Cite document
|last=Tucker
|first=Cynthia
|publisher=Atlanta Journal-Constitution
|title=A black tea party supporter offers advice on the movement's struggle with racism
|date=May 6, 2010
|url=http://blogs.ajc.com/cynthia-tucker/2010/05/06/a-black-tea-party-supporter-offers-advice-on-the-movements-struggle-with-racism/
|postscript=<!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}} }}</ref>

Black Republican presidential candidate ] said that racist accusations about the Tea Party Movement are "ridiculous".<ref name = “CBSNewsCampaign2012”> Montopoli, Brian (June 9, 2011), , CBS News, Retrieved July 15, 2011.</ref> "I have been speaking to Tea Parties, Americans for Prosperity, since 2009, before it was cool," Cain said, and then, referring to his victories in recent Tea Party Straw polls, "...&nbsp;If the Tea Party organization is racist, why does the black guy keep winning all these straw polls?" Cain went on to say that while he doesn't feel President Obama used race to get elected, "a lot of his supporters use race selectively to try to cover up some of his failures, to try to cover up some of his failed policies." Cain said Obama's surrogates "try to play the race card, because there's supposed to be something wrong with criticizing him", and concluded, "Some people have tried to use to try to give the president a pass on failed policies, bad decisions and the fact that this economy is not doing what it's supposed to do."<ref name = “CBSNewsCampaign2012”/>

Another prominent ] conservative, ], decried accusations of Tea Party racism and defended the movement in a '']'' column: "Race is the engine that drives the political Left. In the courtrooms, on college campuses, and, most especially, in our politics, race is a central theme. Where it does not naturally rise to the surface, there are those who will manufacture and amplify it," Connerly said. "I am convinced beyond any doubt that all of this is part of the strategic plan being implemented by the Left in its current campaign to remake America."<ref name="washingtonpost.com">{{Cite news | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/07/AR2010040703402.html | work=The Washington Post | title=Some black conservatives question tea party's inclusiveness | first=Krissah | last=Thompson | date=April 7, 2010}}</ref>

], September 12, 2009.]]

About 61 percent of Tea Party opponents say racism has a lot to do with the movement, a view held by just 7 percent of Tea Party supporters.<ref>, ''The Washington Post'', May 5, 2010</ref> Some Tea Partiers blame the media for casting them as racists.<ref name=NewsweekAreTea/> ], one of 32 African-Americans who ran for Congress in 2010 as Republicans, says the notion of racism in the Tea Party movement has been made up by the news media.<ref>, '']'', May 4, 2010</ref> ''The Washington Post'' reported that an analysis of the signs displayed at a September 2010 Tea Party rally found that "the vast majority of activists expressed narrow concerns about the government's economic and spending policies and steered clear of the racially charged anti-Obama messages that have helped define some media coverage of such events".<ref name="Gardner 10-14-2010">Gardner, Amy (October 14, 2010), , '']''</ref> Roughly a quarter of the signs "reflected direct anger with Obama", 5 percent "mentioned the president's race or religion, and slightly more than 1 percent questioned his American citizenship".<ref name="Gardner 10-14-2010"/> The researcher, Emily Elkins, did not conclude that "the racially charged messages" were "unimportant", but she did conclude that "media coverage of tea party rallies over the past year have focused so heavily on the more controversial signs that it has contributed to the perception that such content dominates the tea party movement more than it actually does".<ref name="Gardner 10-14-2010"/> A report published in the fall 2010 by the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights and backed by the ] has found what it says are efforts by white nationalist groups and militias to link themselves to the Tea Party movement.<ref>Burghart, Devin; Zeskind, Leonard (Fall 2010), , Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights</ref><ref>Thompson, Krissah (October 20, 2010), , '']''</ref> White nationalists have attempted to recruit new members at Tea Party events. Steve Smith, Pennsylvania Party Chairman of the white nationalist ] Party, has called Tea Party events "fertile ground for our activists".<ref>, ''Sky Valley Chronicle'', October 21, 2010</ref><ref>, American Third Position, October 11, 2010</ref>

===Specific racial slurs===
While at a Tea Party event on February 27, 2009, a photo was taken of TeaParty.org founder and president Dale Robertson with a sign that said "Congress = Slaveowner, Taxpayer = ]".<ref name="sign">{{cite news |title=Tea Party Leader Dale Robertson Ousted for N-Word Sign |url=http://www.bet.com/news/news/2010/01/06/politicsteapartyleaderdalerobertsonoustedfornwordsign.html |accessdate=27 September 2010 |newspaper=BET |date=December 30, 2009}}</ref> It has been reported that he was ejected from the event because of the offensive nature of the sign, and Houston Tea Party Society leaders ousted him from the society shortly after. It was reported that Robertson intended to sell the domain TeaParty.org; however, {{as of|2011|5|lc=yes}} he is named the "President & Founder" on the TeaParty.org "Founder" section.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.teaparty.org/founder.html |title=1776 Tea Party |publisher=TeaParty.org |date= |accessdate=2011-08-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://i.imgur.com/OKOw9.jpg |title=Welcome to TeaParty.org (image) |date= |accessdate=2011-08-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Morgan |first=David S. |title=Tea Party Leader: NAACP Is Playing the Race Card |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/07/18/ftn/main6689716.shtml |accessdate=27 September 2010 |newspaper=CBS News |date=July 18, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Kiely |first=Kathy |title=Squabbling threatens to ice 'Tea Party' momentum |url=http://www.usatoday.com/NEWS/usaedition/2010-02-05-teaparty05_ST_U.htm |accessdate=27 September 2010 |newspaper=USA Today |date=February 4, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=TEAPARTY.ORG for Sale&nbsp;— Tea Party Founder loses Home |url=http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/06/prweb2510974.htm |accessdate=27 September 2010 |newspaper=PRWeb |date=June 8, 2009}}</ref><ref> ], January 4, 2010</ref>

===Reports of slurs at health care reform protests===
On March 20, 2010, during a rally at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. before the ] was voted on, several black lawmakers said that demonstrators shouted "]" at them.<ref name="WPost Omb">{{Cite news |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/09/AR2010040903716.html |title=Allegations of spitting and slurs at Capitol protest merit more reporting |date=April 11, 2010 |work=The Washington Post |accessdate=April 14, 2010 |first=Andrew |last=Alexander}}</ref><ref name="Fox 2010-03-22">{{Cite news |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,589776,00.html |title=Tea Party Protesters Dispute Reports of Slurs, Spitting Against Dem Lawmakers |date=March 22, 2010 |publisher=Fox News |accessdate=April 14, 2010}}</ref> Congressman ] was spat upon, although it is unclear if this was deliberate, and said he heard the slurs. Congressman ], who is ], was called a "]".<ref name="WPost Omb"/><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100320/NEWS02/100329990 |title=Racist epithets fly at tea party health protest |agency=McClatchy News |publisher=HeraldNet.com |date=March 20, 2010 |accessdate=April 24, 2010}}</ref> Representative ] said that while walking with ] and his chief of staff from the ], amid chants of "kill the bill", he heard the "n-word at least 15 times". Carson said he heard it coming from different places in the crowd, and one man "just rattled it off several times".<ref name=UKGuardian1> ''The Guardian'', April 13, 2010</ref><ref> ''The Washington Times''; April 6, 2010</ref> Carson quoted Lewis as saying, "You know, this reminds me of a different time."<ref name=UKGuardian1/> ], a Democratic U.S. representative from North Carolina commented on the tenor of the protests, saying: "It was the most horrible display of protesting I have ever seen in my life." He also confirmed hearing the slur against Frank.<ref> ''The Wall Street Journal''; April 14, 2010</ref><ref> ABC News; April 15, 2010</ref>


While attending the health care rally in Washington, D.C., on March 21, 2010, ] Tea Party founder Sonny Thomas posted a racial slur on the Springboro Tea Party Twitter webpage he managed. Directed specifically at the ] community, it stated "Illegals everywhere today! So many spics makes me feel like a speck. Grrr. Wheres my gun!?" On April 14, 2010, according to CNN anchor Rick Sanchez, when CNN contacted Thomas to ask for an explanation, Thomas initially said he was making a reference to a ]'s song. Thomas posted the following on the Springboro Tea Party website, "I take full responsibility for the action and it was not my intention to be insensitive. While it is never appropriate to make such a facetious comment, I hope that we can put this issue behind us for the greater good."<ref>; Dayton Daily News; April 14, 2010</ref><ref name="TRS20100414">{{cite news |last=Edwards |first=David |title=CNN anchor rips 'bigot' Ohio Tea Party Leader |work=The Raw Story |date=2010-04-14 |url=http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/04/cnn-anchor-rips-bigot-ohio-tea-party-leader/}}</ref> The posting triggered cancellations by several local and statewide political candidates and leaders scheduled to speak at a Springboro Tea Party rally on April 17. An Ohio Republican state Sen. ] boycotted the rally and stated, "I don't think it says anything about the movement per se". A Dayton Tea Party official, Rob Scott, claimed that the posts were "classless" and did not represent the national Tea Party movement as a whole.<ref> '']''; April 12, 2010.</ref><ref>; Dayton Daily News; April 12, 2010</ref> While attending the health care rally in Washington, D.C., on March 21, 2010, ] Tea Party founder Sonny Thomas posted a racial slur on the Springboro Tea Party Twitter webpage he managed. Directed specifically at the ] community, it stated "Illegals everywhere today! So many spics makes me feel like a speck. Grrr. Wheres my gun!?" On April 14, 2010, according to CNN anchor Rick Sanchez, when CNN contacted Thomas to ask for an explanation, Thomas initially said he was making a reference to a ]'s song. Thomas posted the following on the Springboro Tea Party website, "I take full responsibility for the action and it was not my intention to be insensitive. While it is never appropriate to make such a facetious comment, I hope that we can put this issue behind us for the greater good."<ref>; Dayton Daily News; April 14, 2010</ref><ref name="TRS20100414">{{cite news |last=Edwards |first=David |title=CNN anchor rips 'bigot' Ohio Tea Party Leader |work=The Raw Story |date=2010-04-14 |url=http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/04/cnn-anchor-rips-bigot-ohio-tea-party-leader/}}</ref> The posting triggered cancellations by several local and statewide political candidates and leaders scheduled to speak at a Springboro Tea Party rally on April 17. An Ohio Republican state Sen. ] boycotted the rally and stated, "I don't think it says anything about the movement per se". A Dayton Tea Party official, Rob Scott, claimed that the posts were "classless" and did not represent the national Tea Party movement as a whole.<ref> '']''; April 12, 2010.</ref><ref>; Dayton Daily News; April 12, 2010</ref>

Revision as of 04:12, 7 August 2011

{{About|the movement|the protest events themselves|Tea Party protests|the U.S. Congressional c

OBSTRUCTIONIST!

While attending the health care rally in Washington, D.C., on March 21, 2010, Springboro, Ohio Tea Party founder Sonny Thomas posted a racial slur on the Springboro Tea Party Twitter webpage he managed. Directed specifically at the Hispanic community, it stated "Illegals everywhere today! So many spics makes me feel like a speck. Grrr. Wheres my gun!?" On April 14, 2010, according to CNN anchor Rick Sanchez, when CNN contacted Thomas to ask for an explanation, Thomas initially said he was making a reference to a Bee Gee's song. Thomas posted the following on the Springboro Tea Party website, "I take full responsibility for the action and it was not my intention to be insensitive. While it is never appropriate to make such a facetious comment, I hope that we can put this issue behind us for the greater good." The posting triggered cancellations by several local and statewide political candidates and leaders scheduled to speak at a Springboro Tea Party rally on April 17. An Ohio Republican state Sen. Shannon Jones boycotted the rally and stated, "I don't think it says anything about the movement per se". A Dayton Tea Party official, Rob Scott, claimed that the posts were "classless" and did not represent the national Tea Party movement as a whole.

Response

According to The Washington Post three weeks after the incidents, video and audio proof of racial slurs against Lewis and Carson had yet to emerge, and conservative commentator and blogger Andrew Breitbart insisted the charges were made up. "If so, they're good actors," Andrew Alexander, ombudsman for the Post, said, explaining that reporters described Carson as "trembling", "agitated", "angry" and "emotional" as he recounted what had just happened. Carson implored the reporters to step back outside to witness and document the taunts, but Capitol police prevented them. Andrew Breitbart offered to make a $100,000 donation to the United Negro College Fund for any audio/video footage of the N-word being hurled at Congressman John Lewis or if Lewis could pass a lie-detector test. "It didn't happen," said Breitbart, who wasn't there. Breitbart asserted that the racial slurs were only alleged as a way for the left, abetted by the "progressive" media, to "marginalize" Tea Party supporters. To support his assertions, Breitbart had posted a mislabeled 48-second video of the Congressional Black Caucus members on the day in question, but later analysis revealed that the video was not of Lewis and Carson walking to the Capitol, when the slurs were reportedly heard, but instead showed the lawmakers leaving the Capitol — at least one hour after the reported incident. When asked about using the video from the wrong moment on his website, Breitbart stood by his claim that the lawmakers were lying. "I'm not saying the video was conclusive proof," he said.

In response to Breitbart's allegations, AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka said he had witnessed the events in question, stating, "I watched them spit at people, I watched them call John Lewis the n-word. I witnessed it." Fox News' Bill O'Reilly discussed the issue on four of his shows, beginning on March 22. O'Reilly stated, "Just because it's not on tape doesn't mean it's fabricated."

Economist and prominent black conservative Thomas Sowell told The Washington Post, "This is a serious charge — and one deserving of some serious evidence ... But, despite all the media recording devices on the scene, not to mention recording devices among the crowd gathered there, nobody can come up with a single recorded sound to back up that incendiary charge. Worse yet, some people have claimed that even doubting the charge suggests that you are a racist."

The National Tea Party Federation sent a letter to the Congressional Black Caucus denouncing racism and requesting that the CBC supply any evidence of the alleged events at the protest on March 20, 2010.

House Republican leaders criticized the use of slurs against the Democratic congressmen by the protesters, but said they were isolated incidents that should not overshadow the healthcare debate. House Minority Leader John Boehner called the incidents "reprehensible", and House Minority Whip Eric Cantor said, "Nobody condones that at all. There were 30,000 people here in Washington yesterday. And, yes, there were some very awful things said." As demonstrators gathered the following day outside the Capitol to rally against the bill again, one held a sign saying, "All tea partiers: If you hear a racial slur, step away, point, boo and take a picture of the rat bastard."

Mark Williams anti-Islam comments

Tea Party Express leader Mark Williams referred to Allah as a "Monkey God". Williams' comments elicited strong rebukes from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York state senators and Muslim leaders. In a subsequent blog posting, Williams wrote, "I owe an apology to millions of Hindus who worship Lord Hanuman, an actual Monkey God. Hanuman is worshiped as a symbol of perseverance, strength, and devotion ... Those are hardly the traits of whatever the Hell (literally) it is that terrorists worship." When questioned by The Washington Post about his comments about Islam, Williams has claimed the controversy has "been fantastic for the movement".

Williams came under further criticism in mid-July when he posted a fictional letter named "Colored People" on his blog. Williams claimed the letter was a "satirical" response to a resolution passed by the NAACP calling on Tea Party leaders to "'repudiate the racist element and activities' from within the movement". In response, the National Tea Party Federation "demanded that the Tea Party Express — a separate group — oust Williams from its ranks. When it did not, the Federation expelled both Williams and his conservative outfit."

Other controversies

On March 22, 2010, a Lynchburg, Virginia, Tea Party activist, attempting to post the home address of Representative Tom Perriello on his blog, incorrectly posted the address of Perriello's brother, who also lives in Virginia, and encouraged readers to "drop by" to express their anger against Representative Perriello's vote in favor of the healthcare bill. The following day, a severed gas line was discovered in Perriello's brother's yard that connected to a propane grill on the home's screened-in porch. Local police and FBI investigators determined that it was intentionally cut as a deliberate act of vandalism. Perriello's brother also received a threatening letter. The website issued a response saying the Tea Party member's action of posting the address "was not requested, sanctioned or endorsed" by the group.

In early July 2010, the North Iowa Tea Party (NITP) posted a billboard comparing Obama to Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin and received sharp criticism, including some from other Tea Party activists. NITP co-founder Bob Johnson acknowledged the anti-socialist message may have gotten lost amid the fascist and communist images. Following a request from the NITP, the billboard was removed on July 14.

Use of term "teabagger"

The term "teabagger" emerged after a protester displayed a placard using the words "tea bag" as a verb. The label has prompted additional puns by commentators, the protesters themselves, and comedians based on the sexual meaning of the term. It is routinely used as a derogatory term to refer to conservative protestors.

The term has also entered into the political debate; supposed or actual supporters of the tea-party movement have been referred to as "tea-baggers" by politicians such as Senators John F. Kerry and Chuck Schumer as well as by President Obama.

See also

Notes

  1. Police Still Searching for Area Tea Party Founder; Dayton Daily News; April 14, 2010
  2. Edwards, David (April 14, 2010). "CNN anchor rips 'bigot' Ohio Tea Party Leader". The Raw Story.
  3. Racial slur by Tea Party leader hits home Dayton Daily News; April 12, 2010.
  4. Springboro Tea Party Tries to Weather Controversy; Dayton Daily News; April 12, 2010
  5. Cite error: The named reference WPost Omb was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. Breitbart Offers 10K for Proof that N-word was Hurled at John Lewis Atlanta Journal-Constitution; March 26, 2010
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference UKGuardian1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. Breitbart, Andrew (April 2, 2010). "Barack Obama's Helter-Skelter, Insane Clown Posse, Alinsky Plans to 'Deconstruct' America". Big Journalism.
  9. Breitbart offers $10k reward for proof that n-word was hurled at John Lewis "Political Insider" by Jim Galloway, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, March 26, 2010
  10. John Fund "Rude for Reid" Wall Street Journal, March 29, 2010
  11. Hoft, Jim (April 13, 2010). "Anything To Slander the Tea Partiers: AP Invents Phantom White Man Who 'Heard' Slur". Big Journalism.
  12. AFL-CIO chief claims he witnessed disputed racial insult at Obamacare rally Washington Examiner, April 8, 2010,
  13. Cite error: The named reference washingtonpost.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. "Letter to the Congressional Black Caucus from Tea Party Federation: Please Provide Evidence of Cannon N-Word Incident". Big Government. April 24, 2010. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
  15. House Republicans denounce racial slurs hurled at Democrats CNN Politics — Political Ticker; March 21, 2010
  16. Goldsmith, Samuel (May 20, 2010). "Tea Party Express leader Mark Williams says 'sorry' — to Hindus — for slamming Muslim's 'monkey god'". Daily News. New York. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  17. "Mark Williams, the monkey god and the 'controversy' game". The Washington Post. May 20, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  18. Tea Party federation expels group over racial writing MSNBC; July 18, 2010.
  19. Tea Party Tension Flares as 'Federation' Gives Firebrand Activist the Boot
  20. "FBI investigating cut gas line at Perriello's brother's home", The Washington Post, March 24, 2010
  21. "Accusations Fly Between Parties Over Threats and Vandalism", The New York Times, March 25, 2010.
  22. McNeill, Brian (March 24, 2010), "Severed gas line found at home of Perriello brother", The Daily Progress (Charlottesville, VA)
  23. "Tom Perriello gas line 'intentionally cut'" Politico, March 25, 2010.
  24. "Iowa billboard linking Obama, Hitler removed". msnbc.com. Associated Press. July 14, 2010. Retrieved June 7, 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |separator= ignored (help)
  25. "Iowa Tea Party Billboard Compares Obama To Hitler, Lenin", The Huffington Post, July 13, 2010
  26. "Tea Party billboard compares Obama to Hitler", Capitol Hill Blue, July 14, 2010
  27. "Scenes from the New American Tea Party" Washington Independent, February 27, 2009; Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  28. Alex Koppelman Your guide to teabagging Salon.com; April 14, 2009
  29. "Cable Anchors, Guests Use Tea Parties as Platform for Frat House Humor". FOX News. April 7, 2010. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  30. Jillian Rayfield (January 18, 2010). "Kerry: 'Tea Baggers' Are 'Revved Up' About MA Senate Race". Tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
  31. Evan McMorris-Santoro (January 13, 2010). "Schumer Takes The Gloves Off: Scott Brown 'Is A Far-Right Tea-Bagger'". Tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
  32. "President Obama: GOP Opposition to Stimulus 'Helped to Create the Tea-Baggers'". Blogs.abcnews.com. May 4, 2010. Retrieved August 1, 2011.

References

  • Rasmussen, Scott; Schoen, Doug (2010). Mad As Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System. Harper. ISBN 978-0061995231.

Further reading

  • Avlon, John (2010). Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America. Beast Books. ISBN 978-0984295111. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Lepore, Jill (2010). The Whites of Their Eyes: The Tea Party's Revolution and the Battle over American History. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-1-4008-3696-3.
  • O'Hara, John M. (2010). A New American Tea Party: The Counterrevolution Against Bailouts, Handouts, Reckless Spending, and More Taxes. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0470567982. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Pierce, Charles (2010). Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free. Anchor. ISBN 978-0767926157.
  • Taibbi, Matt (2010). The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics, and Religion. Spiegel & Grau. ISBN 978-0385520348.
  • Zernike, Kate (2010). Boiling Mad: Inside Tea Party America. Times Books. ISBN 978-0805093483.

External links

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