America’s new Tea Party

The American political scene has never been short of colourful characters, from allegations of cross-dressing and marital affairs, to George Bush and Sarah Palin.

Carrying on this tradition is a new force brewing in America, fronted by Sarah Palin, known as the Tea Party movement.

Linked to the Republican right-wing but even more conservative in nature, the Tea Party has attracted a huge amount of media attention and has become a vocal source of opposition.

Only a couple of weeks ago a Tea Party-funded billboard comparing Barack Obama to Hitler had to be pulled down out of bad taste.

So who are these Tea Partiers? Why are they so powerful and what do they stand for?

What’s in a name?

The name ‘Tea Party’ derives from the Boston Tea Party of 1773, when a group of American colonists rallied to oppose taxes placed on them by the British government.

Taxed tea was refused entry into Boston and instead thrown into the harbour in protest. Two years later the American Revolution began not far from Boston.

Since then, the term has been appropriated by a number of different groups seeking to oppose taxes and government spending. TEA is also thought to stand for ‘Taxed Enough Already’.

The movement again began to crystallize into a wealthy and powerful political force in late 2008 with the US economy in disarray and Obama’s healthcare reforms gaining momentum.

Igniting the blogosphere and gaining massive media attention, the movement registered websites and gained tens of thousands of followers in the first 12 hours.

At present, the Tea Party movement remains a vague umbrella term for various groups, each with specific characteristics depending on their leaders’ beliefs and the particular region’s political situation.

Tea Party rallies have also become a central point for other lobbies such as pro-gun, anti-abortion and anti-immigration groups.

Despite the quiet-sounding name, the Tea Party has been described as one of the most vibrant and outspoken political forces in America.

Who are they?

According to a New York Times poll, approximately one in five Americans identify themselves as a Tea Party supporter.

They’re more likely to be over 45, white, male, and more educated and wealthy than the general public. They have a tendency to vote Republican and describe themselves as ‘very conservative’ (very right-wing).

While most Republican voters tend to be “dissatisfied” with Washington, Tea Party supporters are more likely to consider themselves “angry.”

What motivates them?

A key feature of Tea Party politics is dissatisfaction with increased taxes, and more government spending in areas like healthcare, bailouts and economic stimulus (although they didn’t seem to mind George Bush doubling the defense budget).

It culminates in a general dissatisfaction with the direction America is heading.

More than 90% of Tea Party supporters think the country is heading in the wrong direction, compared with 60% of the general public, while an overwhelming majority stated a preference for small government.

Key policies of the movement include abolishing the Federal Reserve, the Federal tax agency and many other agencies as a means of trimming the fat from government.

However, many have also stated they would like to keep Medicare (government healthcare for the elderly) and Social Security, particularly those who have lost jobs in the financial crisis.

The ‘Contract for America’ is a central point of the movement. It calls for reduced federal spending, the requirement that every law is rooted in the constitution, rejects emissions trading, advocates reducing taxes and seeks to repeal the new healthcare laws.

At its most extreme, a new country, boycotts of taxes, rendering federal laws void and citizen militias also feature in the movement.

Many Tea Party supporters are said to have more in common with the libertarian Patriot movement than the Republican Party.

Indeed, some supporters have singled out Republican candidates that they believe are not sufficiently conservative.

Tea Party activists ridiculed Lindsay Graham from South Carolina who publicly gave Barack Obama a hug, and has shown willingness to compromise on issues such as terrorism and climate change.

Not everyone’s cup of tea

Critics say the Tea Party movement is nothing more than ‘astro-turfing’, or an attempt by vested or business interests to manufacture support for their concerns and pass it off as a grass roots movement.

President Obama, as a champion of consensus politics, has said that attempts to paint him as a socialist dictator undermine the possibility for cooperation between the two parties.

Indeed, many Republicans themselves believe that despite the media attention and money the Tea Party attracts, extremities of the movement will tarnish their Republican image. This could scare off fringe voters and weaken their overall support.

But that’s unlikely to stop the momentum. Look out for the Tea Party movement later this year in November when most members of Congress (parliament) are up for election.

That is where Washington’s true power lies, and what most Tea Partiers see as their best chance to regain America.

By Victoria Craw