From Layne Hansen at American Thinker:
Academics and pundits have many criticisms of the Tea Party, e.g., its members are racists, sexists, homophobes, etc. These are unfounded claims, but there is one criticism that is true and it is holding this movement back: the Tea Party is disorganized and lacks sophistication and cohesion. This lack of organization has benefitted the Tea Party in some ways, but the time has come for this passionate but underdeveloped movement to reach its full potential. The Tea Party’s goal for the new year should be to once again become a visible and vocal actor in American politics.
Claiming that the Tea Party needs to ramp things up again is not to say that the movement hasn’t accomplished anything in the last few years. It does, however, mean that the Tea Party needs to return to its origins as a protest movement that exerts pressure on establishment politicians. The movement has had an influence at the ballot box, taking the House away from Democrats in 2010 and the Senate in 2014. However, electioneering has become the main, if not only, function of the movement. Instead of switching back and forth from protest to electioneering mode, the Tea Party needs to become a multi-faceted movement that constantly and relentlessly attacks its opponents from all angles. In the HBO miniseries “The Pacific”, a character named Snafu gives advice that the Tea Party should follow. As Tea Partiers begin to undo Progressives’ agenda — something that has been in the works for a century — their opponents will get even nastier, as difficult as that is to imagine. To combat this, Tea Partiers need to be willing to fight.
Although the Tea Party is still a recognizable entity in American politics, it has begun to lose its identity as a vibrant, independent actor. Because of the constant attacks on the movement — from both Democrats, Republicans, and the IRS — actual membership and activity by Tea Party groups has dwindled.
Read more: American Thinker
