Tea Party Editorial

Tea Party Transforms the Republican Party
During the most recent midterm elections, Republicans won the House majority and made significant gains in the Senate. In addition to President Obama’s plummeting approval ratings and the unstable economy, the Tea Party Movement was a major contributor to the November election results. Many people are trying to sort out the differences between the Tea Party Movement and the GOP, but few recognize the striking similarities. In Idaho, Republican Rod Beck showcased just how the Tea Party Movement has reshaped the GOP. The Tea Party Movement did not borrow all of its ideals from the Republican Party, but through the growing importance and influence of the Tea Party, Republican voters have been forced to examine themselves for what they truly believe in.
In June of 2010, Beck changed Idaho’s GOP from within at the state Republican convention. In an article by Associated Press, John Miller explains how Rod Beck used Tea Party outrage to reshape Idaho’s GOP. Beck came into the June convention frustrated by his failed attempts to rejoin the state Senate when primary election rivals whom he insisted did not support party ideals defeated him. The Republican convention was his chance to sway delegates to his conservative beliefs. After just three days, joined by Tea Party members, Beck transformed 500 Idaho delegates’ platforms with a “spasm of anti-fed outrage.” They created a platform urging Idaho Republicans to seize federal land, end elections of popular U.S. Senators and support an inflation hedge to U.S. Federal Reserve-issued greenbacks. These Republicans, using the Tea Party’s momentum, hoped to also reshape Idaho’s policies on concealed weapons and force their inmates into performing hard labor in exchange for meals. Conservatives all across America are changing the 2010 political landscape amid anger over bank bailouts, health care reform, federal deficits and illegal immigration.
Polls are now showing not only Republicans gaining more presence in government, but also Republicans and Tea Party members being decidedly more conservative. Conservative Republicans now outnumber moderate/liberal Republicans by almost a 2-1 margin, as shown in a Gallup poll conducted in the summer of 2010. That gap among Tea Party supporters is a 3-1 ratio, showing that the Tea Party is a very conservative movement. The study also identified 8 out of 10 Tea Party supporters as Republican, and thirty percent of Americans, on average, identifying themselves as Tea Party supporters. The Tea Party is a young, new movement that has grown tremendously over a years’ span of time. If thirty percent of Americans are identifying themselves as Tea Party members, that means that Americans are becoming more and more conservative. The Tea Party’s conservatism is not only greatly influencing American politics but is also altering the Republican Party.
So why is this important? In the fall campaign, Republicans gained ground in American politics. The Tea Party backed candidates in crucial races against other Republican candidates and succeeded. Not every state has a Tea Party candidate though, so when it comes down to a Republican vs. Democrat vote, Tea Party members will most likely vote for the Republican candidate. It’s important for St. Olaf students to recognize this new-wave conservatism in order to better knowledge themselves about the direction of American politics. The Tea Party Movement is one of the fastest growing political groups in the country, but many students are unsure on what they stand for. For starters, Oles should turn to the hard evidence. Tea Party supporters are conservative Republicans at heart who are changing the heart of the Republican Party.