Whose Tea Party is This Anyway?

For two years, the Tea Party has been forming a grassroots movement from the ground up. Conservatives from across the nation have embraced this opportunity to participate in townhall meetings and organized demonstrations proclaiming patriotism and promoting a more limited government. So far, so good. But two of the more well known Republican candidates who have been backed by the Tea Party are Michelle Bachmann and Herman Cain, both of whom have had to deal with their fair share of controversy in recent weeks.

Michelle Bachmann’s campaign was dropped entirely in recent weeks by her entire New Hampshire staff for what was described in a publicly released statement by the NH team as “cruel treatment” from Bachmann’s national campaign staffers. Bachmann responded to the statement by claiming that she was unaware of a problem in New Hampshire. But plenty of critics have pointed out that if she can’t manage her own campaign and keep up with problems between her own paid staffmembers, then she has no business trying to manage affairs on a national level. Point taken.

As for Herman Cain, or “Black Walnut” as his supporters affectionately call him, with his down-to-earth common sense rhetoric, his simple as pie 9-9-9 plan, and his signature black hats, he’s been hit with accusations of a late 90’s sexual harrassment scandal that was allegedly settled monetarily on terms of silence from the accusers. While it may not bump him from his spot as Republican frontrunner in the campaign, it very well could. How he responds to this development could make or break his entire campaign. His ongoing refusal to comment is going to have to give way to actually addressing this in some way if the story reported on Politico.com doesn’t fizzle out soon.

For such an orderly and organized movement, the Tea Party has so far backed two candidates who have made really elementary campaign mistakes, like not having knowledge of internal working of one’s own campaign and not using reporter’s questions on such a serious matter as sexual harassment to create an opportunity for pre-emptive damage control. “No comment” isn’t going to cut it on this one.

And now, with the Occupy Wall Street movement filling in the gap for a liberal equivalent to the Tea Party, and gaining far more publicity and nationwide support than the Tea Party movement itself, the Tea Party had better add a lump of sugar-or better yet, two- to sweeten their candidates. If the candidates they back continue failing to take responsibility for serious allegations like inner campaign cruelty and sexual harassment of former colleagues, the party itself may be better off dumping these candidates like crates of tea into the harbor. Otherwise, the Tea Party itself may find its own name foreshadowing its ultimate fate; being dumped overboard because of the candidates it has become associated with.

For a movement that started out as innocent as Mayberry and as sweet as apple pie, the Tea Party’s candidates are starting to make me wonder if the Mad Hatter is hosting this party they’re throwing.


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