America has long had a primarily two-party political system, with other factions being largely pushed to the side. In response, the Tea Party Patriots movement has exploded into the forefront of American politics in 2009, with supporters hoping to fill what they believe is a gap in the political system.
According to the movement’s website, their mission is “to attract, educate, organize and mobilize our fellow citizens to secure public policy consistent with our three core values of Fiscal Responsibility, Constitutionally Limited Government and Free Markets.”
On their website, the organization explains that it considers itself a “non-partisan grassroots organization of individuals united by our core values derived from the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States of America, the Bill of Rights as explained in the Federalist Papers.”
Yet the Tea Party movement is comprised mainly of conservatives unhappy with the current administration and unfulfilled by the mainstream GOP’s actions, particularly in terms of tax policies.
The group has, in recent months, gained headway in terms of notoriety and membership.
Boston University political science assistant professor Douglas Kriner explained the upsurge.
“The Tea Party movement has been successful in attracting considerable media attention to their cause and forcing both parties to respond to their cause,” he said.
Kriner accredited this to several causes.
“Right now the movement is riding a wave of popular anger over the state of the economy and the country, and big government is an attractive target of that anger,” he said. “The Republican Party seems very responsive to the new Tea Party movement and it will likely become a key part of the Republican base to which GOP candidates will have to respond.”
He also acknowledged the impact that famous political figures have had on the success of the movement.
Sarah Palin and other high-profile politicians have certainly given the group great legitimacy and have made it a real force, particularly within the Republican Party,” he said.
The former Alaska governor recently made headlines when she was the keynote speaker at the National Tea Party Convention on Feb. 6. In her speech, she was particularly critical of President Barack Obama, asking the audience, “How’s that hope-y-change-y stuff working out for you?”
But Kriner said he does not think the party will ever become a major player in the American political system.
“Once things improve, many will continue to embrace the movement’s goals, but some of the fervor may wane and I think its growth will be checked,” he said.
Students agreed that they do not anticipate imminent impact on politics, despite recent media attention.
“I think to some degree they’ll be successful, but November ’10 and November ’12 are very, very far away . . . I don’t know how well their movement will translate to the halls of power in D.C.,” said School of Education freshman Brett Feldman.
Joseph Barkus, a freshman in the School of Management, agreed.
“I think they’ll have trouble getting movement into Washington because I think the congressmen are most likely going to want to stick it out with the current plans,” Barkus said.
However, he said he expects the movement will gain followers in the current political climate.
“I know a lot of people are against Obama’s stimulus plan because they think he’s going about stimulating the economy in the wrong way,” he said.
While many conservatives agree with the position of the Tea Party movement, not all see eye to eye with the extreme politics of the group, among them College Republicans Secretary Matthew Stern.
“Some of those concerns are on point and Republicans do support their positions while others are more controversial,” Stern, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said. “I, as a member of the conservative movement, cannot support these claims.”
He said he was primarily referring to the arguments that some have concerning Obama
“A faction like the Birthers in the Tea Party movement that support the impeachment of President Obama on grounds that he is not a true American citizen are just not grounded in solid fact,” he said. “Their suspicion of our president’s intentions serve to show how Americans really are vulnerable to rumors and can be distracted from the important issues of our time.”
Stern attended a Tea Party health care reform rally on the Boston Common during the fall semester.
He said there were around 100 activists in attendance and explained that as petitions made their way around the crowd, there were “small kids handing out American flags and buttons.” Multiple speakers then addressed the crowd of activists.
The Tea Party Patriots have also been influential in some recent elections. Sen. Scott Brown, who was elected to represent Massachusetts in January, was supported by the Tea Party.
However, Kriner said the Tea Party movement is not a major factor in any recent successes of the Republican Party.
“2010 may be such a good year to be a Republican that [the Tea Party] will not matter much in the end,” he said.
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