Tea party fervor flares up; but what'll keep it from flaming out?

[stubtoe]

By DICK POLMAN, Philadelphia Enquirer

They spoke to me about the downfall of America, with fear burning in their eyes. It was vintage "tea party" talk, the kind of stuff we're hearing every day.
C.A. Alexander, a businessman who looks like an airline pilot, said: "We're just feeling helpless. I get paranoid about the future of our country." Ralph Leatherman, a worker in bib overalls, said: "Our country's gone. It's just gone." Orville Capes, a plumber, lamented, "We're losing this country without fighting the battle." But they agreed it was time to fight hard and take the country back. As retired Navy veteran R.W. Phillips said: "I never wanted to be a protester or activist or political person. The system has forced me to become everything I didn't want to be."

Well, guess what: Those fed-up folks were all planning to vote for a third-party candidate named Ross Perot. I conducted those interviews in 1992.

In other words, there is nothing particularly novel about the "tea partyers" who earlier this month staged their first national convention (although many boycotted the event, which speaks volumes about the movement's fractiousness). For nearly 200 years, grass-roots populist anger -- directed at Washington, Wall Street, the elites in general -- has flared up and flamed out. Most of the time, the anger begets a movement, which in turn becomes co-opted by the two major parties or simply implodes from within.

It's too soon to say whether the diffuse and leaderless tea partyers will play a significant role in the 2010 congressional races. That may well happen; the movement is in its flare-up phase. On the other hand, the movement has more cliques than a high school, and the infighting is already fierce. As Jim Knapp, a prominent tea-party activist, remarked on CNN: "I don't think the tea party knows what's happening to the tea party.

Article: http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/02/tea_party_fervor_flares_up_but.html|at Portland Oregonian>

[Deep13]

1. In a word, Fox. nt

[T Wolf]

2. Hatred does not disappear unless the haters are removed. The baggers will continue, aided

directly by the pukes and indirectly by the Dems.

Until they are all dead and gone. THEN, there may be a chance for progress.

[corkhead]

3. Preparation H

[theoldman]

4. Ignorant people have more children.

That is why we are heading to Idiotcracy.

[buff2]

5. Where were all these people when the damage was being done

to our country by the bu$h administration?:wtf: We get a new President and now suddenly they decide our country is doomed? Gone? Where exactly has it gone? I look around every day and it looks to me like we are all still here. They need to put the blame where it should be. BUSH AND CHENEY.