Matt Collins
05-18-2009, 01:24 PM
http://www.tennessean.com/article/D4/20090517/NEWS01/90517001/Tea+party+mobilizes+libertarians++could+reshape+GO P
It’s been more than a month since 300,000 tea party protesters nationwide — 10,000 in downtown Nashville — took to the streets to denounce everything from massive federal spending to the supposedly socialist leanings of Barack Obama, Henry Paulson, even Lamar Alexander.
Since then, the phrase “tea party” has come to serve as a kind of code phrase among conservatives to indicate a vaguely libertarian distrust of government. It also represents a potentially galvanizing force that could reshape a Republican party that appears badly in need of an identity makeover after suffering a bruising defeat nationally last fall.
The social issues that for a generation have mobilized conservatives — abortion, homosexuality, drugs and affirmative action — seem to have been shoved aside in favor of a focus on the deficit, monetary policy and other economic issues that previously had been left to policy wonks.
Wes Messamore’s political life was redirected in 2007 by a message stenciled on a cheap roadside sign: “Who is Ron Paul?”
Messamore, a fan of the ultra-libertarian writer Ayn Rand, caught the reference quickly.
“Who is John Galt?” he said, quoting a famous line from Rand’s influential book Atlas Shrugged.
A 22-year-old Belmont senior with shoulder-length hair, the long fingernails of a serious guitarist, and a blog called the Humble Libertarian, Messamore volunteered soon afterward for the Texas Republican’s outsider presidential campaign. On Halloween, he dressed up as the Constitution and campaigned door-to-door with a clutch of Ron Paul literature printed on candy bars.
The Ron Paul campaign is long over, but Messamore still promotes its platform. Once an ardent Republican, Messamore now holds little regard for George W. Bush and praises Bill Clinton for cutting the federal deficit.
“He kept government simple and humble.”
Messamore attended both tea parties in Nashville dressed as a Native American, the costume adopted by the original Sons of Liberty in Boston in 1773. He believed the events were less Republican rallies than kindling for a reignited conservative cause.
“They could help Republicans. That could be one of the practical results, and I don’t have a problem with that,” Messamore said. “But that’s not the goal. Ultimately, I see this as an ideological battle.”
Ron Paul followers like Messamore accounted for about two-thirds of the crowd at the tea parties, according to Nate Silver, a political statistician from Chicago, who wrote an analysis of the changing nature of America conservatism on his blog “Five Thirty Eight.”
Participants and organizers have directed almost as much ire at Bush as Obama, who they say grossly mismanaged the economy. Congressional Republicans have also drawn criticism for what is perceived to be their failure to stand up to either president. A no-confidence petition aimed at Sen. Lamar Alexander circulated at the April rally, singling him out for his vote for the bank bailout.
“Republican branding has been so tarnished,” said Rhonda Butler, an accountant who attended both rallies. “I have no loyalties to the Republican Party. They can jump off a cliff for all I’m concerned.”
What the rallies seemed to tap into was a growing distrust of government spending, an issue that hovered in the background of Bush’s presidency. This notion gathered momentum in the wake of federal spending measures totaling well over $1 trillion that have been approved by Congress in the last nine months.
And with the GOP left reeling after Obama’s election, many Republicans have been quick to jump on the “get rid of government” bandwagon.
With the focus taken off social issues, absorbing libertarian-leaning conservatives into the Republican Party should be easy. But keeping them energized when the focus shifts back to topics such as gay marriage and drug policy — topics on which libertarians have frequently clashed with traditional conservatives — could prove more difficult.
Still, it’s possible to see the ideas embodied in the tea party protests leaving a mark on conservative politics.
Organizers drew heavily on new social media technologies and brought in people who have traditionally remained outside mainstream politics, two factors that might prove to be a boost to Republicans.
Nascent as it is, the anti-government sentiment that has driven the tea party protests has grabbed the attention of the Republican establishment.
“I think people are very upset at the amount of federal government spending,”
Rep Blackburn said, indicating that Republicans shared in the blame for not cutting the budget more when they were in control of Congress and the White House. “I think this has been bubbling under the surface for a very long time.”
But the willingness of mainstream Republicans to respond to the protests has encouraged some protest participants.
“I don’t care how it looks,” said Messamore, the Ron Paul supporter. “If it’s the Republican Party coming to its senses, I’ll be OK with that.”
It’s been more than a month since 300,000 tea party protesters nationwide — 10,000 in downtown Nashville — took to the streets to denounce everything from massive federal spending to the supposedly socialist leanings of Barack Obama, Henry Paulson, even Lamar Alexander.
Since then, the phrase “tea party” has come to serve as a kind of code phrase among conservatives to indicate a vaguely libertarian distrust of government. It also represents a potentially galvanizing force that could reshape a Republican party that appears badly in need of an identity makeover after suffering a bruising defeat nationally last fall.
The social issues that for a generation have mobilized conservatives — abortion, homosexuality, drugs and affirmative action — seem to have been shoved aside in favor of a focus on the deficit, monetary policy and other economic issues that previously had been left to policy wonks.
Wes Messamore’s political life was redirected in 2007 by a message stenciled on a cheap roadside sign: “Who is Ron Paul?”
Messamore, a fan of the ultra-libertarian writer Ayn Rand, caught the reference quickly.
“Who is John Galt?” he said, quoting a famous line from Rand’s influential book Atlas Shrugged.
A 22-year-old Belmont senior with shoulder-length hair, the long fingernails of a serious guitarist, and a blog called the Humble Libertarian, Messamore volunteered soon afterward for the Texas Republican’s outsider presidential campaign. On Halloween, he dressed up as the Constitution and campaigned door-to-door with a clutch of Ron Paul literature printed on candy bars.
The Ron Paul campaign is long over, but Messamore still promotes its platform. Once an ardent Republican, Messamore now holds little regard for George W. Bush and praises Bill Clinton for cutting the federal deficit.
“He kept government simple and humble.”
Messamore attended both tea parties in Nashville dressed as a Native American, the costume adopted by the original Sons of Liberty in Boston in 1773. He believed the events were less Republican rallies than kindling for a reignited conservative cause.
“They could help Republicans. That could be one of the practical results, and I don’t have a problem with that,” Messamore said. “But that’s not the goal. Ultimately, I see this as an ideological battle.”
Ron Paul followers like Messamore accounted for about two-thirds of the crowd at the tea parties, according to Nate Silver, a political statistician from Chicago, who wrote an analysis of the changing nature of America conservatism on his blog “Five Thirty Eight.”
Participants and organizers have directed almost as much ire at Bush as Obama, who they say grossly mismanaged the economy. Congressional Republicans have also drawn criticism for what is perceived to be their failure to stand up to either president. A no-confidence petition aimed at Sen. Lamar Alexander circulated at the April rally, singling him out for his vote for the bank bailout.
“Republican branding has been so tarnished,” said Rhonda Butler, an accountant who attended both rallies. “I have no loyalties to the Republican Party. They can jump off a cliff for all I’m concerned.”
What the rallies seemed to tap into was a growing distrust of government spending, an issue that hovered in the background of Bush’s presidency. This notion gathered momentum in the wake of federal spending measures totaling well over $1 trillion that have been approved by Congress in the last nine months.
And with the GOP left reeling after Obama’s election, many Republicans have been quick to jump on the “get rid of government” bandwagon.
With the focus taken off social issues, absorbing libertarian-leaning conservatives into the Republican Party should be easy. But keeping them energized when the focus shifts back to topics such as gay marriage and drug policy — topics on which libertarians have frequently clashed with traditional conservatives — could prove more difficult.
Still, it’s possible to see the ideas embodied in the tea party protests leaving a mark on conservative politics.
Organizers drew heavily on new social media technologies and brought in people who have traditionally remained outside mainstream politics, two factors that might prove to be a boost to Republicans.
Nascent as it is, the anti-government sentiment that has driven the tea party protests has grabbed the attention of the Republican establishment.
“I think people are very upset at the amount of federal government spending,”
Rep Blackburn said, indicating that Republicans shared in the blame for not cutting the budget more when they were in control of Congress and the White House. “I think this has been bubbling under the surface for a very long time.”
But the willingness of mainstream Republicans to respond to the protests has encouraged some protest participants.
“I don’t care how it looks,” said Messamore, the Ron Paul supporter. “If it’s the Republican Party coming to its senses, I’ll be OK with that.”