Ron Paul vs. Sarah Palin for the Soul of the Tea Parties

[bobbyw24]

There's trouble brewing between the Ron Paul libertarians who staged the the first modern tea party in 2007 by dumping tea into Boston Harbor, and the neocon war hawks led by Sarah Palin who are furiously trying to hijack their message.

After I appeared on MSNBC talking about Sarah Palin's appearance at the Nashville tea party convention, several libertarians told me they were unhappy with the exchange.

I said that Sarah Palin's hawkish message on Iran was oddly out of place in a group whose roots belong to the Ron Paul libertarians, particularly as the anti-interventionist Rand Paul is looking strong in the Kentucky Senate Senate race -- and Palin just endorsed him. The woman who appeared with me representing the tea partiers disagreed with that premise, and claimed she was very much an interventionist.

My libertarian friends couldn't imagine what she was doing on TV representing the tea parties in the first place, and thought it was a sad day when the opposition stated their position more fairly than their supposed allies.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jane-hamsher/will-palin-and-the-neocon_b_456824.html

[TheState]

That was a good piece.

[dr. hfn]

http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=292102745414 Attend this!

[haaaylee]

YouTube - Firedoglake.com's Jane Hamsher Discusses Palin and the Teabaggers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJQfLqoQaP0)


She mentioned DailyPaul.com

[bobbyw24]

That was a good piece.

Agreed-thanks

[rp08orbust]

I didn't know zombies had souls to be fought over, but yeah, otherwise a good article ;)

[LibertyEagle]

She mentioned DailyPaul.com

Wow, that was actually a good piece on MSNBC. Thanks for posting it. :)

[Libertytree]

Palin is inconsequential to the Freedom movement, she's only using it as a stepping stone to get back into the neocon spotlight. She will hang herself, both in the Freedom movement and in the neocon circle.

I agree she must be pushed out asap, by two means.... 1st by vocal opposition and 2cnd by lack of creedance.

[therepublic]

The following is copy pasted from one of the Tea Party websites;


mission is to promote the principles of our founding fathers – individual liberty and responsibility, limited government and moral leadership.

We believe our mission statement is concise, focused and hopefully speaks to ALL Americans.

The tea party movement strives to embrace the concerns of all Americans, to focus on the issues, to inform the electorate of the activities of “our” government and to share ideas on how to restore our country to a constitutional footing intended by our founding fathers.

Those Americans who participate in the Tea Party Movement are free thinkers and individuals who want to be a part of “their” government, regain their liberties and fulfill the God given promises set forth in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

The tea party movement places no labels on anyone and is open to all who share our mission and want to have a voice in America’s future.

We are a nonprofit, grassroots group comprised of Americans of all walks of life who contribute their individual skills to the effort. Our primary tools are personal conversations, letters, rallies, visits to the offices of elected officials, telephone calls, discussion groups, educational and informational sessions, media coverage, news releases and independent Tea Party groups.

We are NOT affiliated with any political parties or interest groups and do not - as a group - support any political candidate.

The First Coast Tea Party founded in Jacksonville, Florida is powered by participants who volunteer sincerely in the movement.

We are patriots who believe elected officials are sworn to serve the country and their constituents transparently. They should be motivated by a desire to preserve and protect America and to uphold the principles that assure ALL Americans of their constitutional rights, including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

We are proud to be Americans and firmly believe in its youth and its future.

[georgiaboy]

Jane Hamsher seems to get it, both in the video and in other interviews I've seen. Great that she actually talks about progressives and tea partyers having some things in common. widen that tent of freedom.

[romacox]

The following is copy pasted from one of the Tea Party websites;


Those Americans who participate in the Tea Party Movement are free thinkers and individuals who want to be a part of “their” government, regain their liberties and fulfill the God given promises set forth in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

The tea party movement places no labels on anyone and is open to all who share our mission and want to have a voice in America’s future.



I am familiar with this group, and that piece was added when one member got critical of those members who did not agree with her. However not all groups have this kind of leadership.

Note: Many Tea Partiers boycotted the National Tea Party Event because there was evidence that it was an attempt from the Republican Party to hijack the Tea Party Movement....to cause a split (moles at work).