Christian right leaders deeply troubled by the growing Tea Party movement

[Swampfox]

Is the Tea Party insurgency fueling discontent on the evangelical right? The small-government grass-roots movement, determined to halt tax cuts and health care reform, is increasingly at odds with the family-values flank of the GOP, which stresses hot-button cultural issues such as abortion and gay marriage. As Politico's Ben Smith reported Friday, evangelical leaders on the right are dismayed by what they see as neglect of the social conservative agenda among the libertarian-leaning Tea Partiers. And prominent politicians who've historically been friendly to social conservative causes, like South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint, are now moving to align themselves with the Tea Party, much to the chagrin of some within the GOP.

Certainly Tea Party strategists aren't doing much to calm the worries of the culture warriors. As Smith notes, a grass-roots group called the Tea Party Patriots is pushing for a revised version of the Contract With America, which helped Republicans to take control of Congress in 1994. The group has set up a website where visitors can select 10 issues they'd like to see included in the new "Contract From America." The ballot includes 21 issues—with abortion, gay marriage and other hot-button culture-war issues nowhere to be found. "They're free to do it, but they can't say [the new contract] represents America," Family Research Council President Tony Perkins told Politico. "If they do it they're lying."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_ts1244

Interesting article. The Tea Party movement is still pretty amorphous, but there's no doubt that a good chunk of it is libertarian-leaning. I think in the end, they'll unite with religious conservatives against the Democrat's ill-conceived big government agenda in the short term. What happens to the movement in the long term is more of a mystery.

[AmPat]

I don't believe this is the problem. The bigger potential problem is the possibility of the Tea Party pushing a Ross Perot scenarior. Either the Tea Party joins with the GOP or we can get used to a permanent one party system of Marxist leanings. There will be a permanent shift of our gov't into a socialized and progressively communist country.

[Milly]

I don't believe this is the problem. The bigger potential problem is the possibility of the Tea Party pushing a Ross Perot scenarior. Either the Tea Party joins with the GOP or we can get used to a permanent one party system of Marxist leanings. There will be a permanent shift of our gov't into a socialized and progressively communist country.

Actually, the big push in my group is to get true conservatives into the primaries and then help them win.

A case in point is Dan Coats in Indiana. He's a Republican, but he's a lobbyist and a carpet-bagger. The RNC picked him, not the people.

There are a couple of great guys running against him in the Republican primary, but we don't plan to field our own candidate should Coats win in May. We'll just grab Bayh's old seat for the Republicans and hope for a more conservative candidate next time. We're in this for the long haul.

[AmPat]

Actually, the big push in my group is to get true conservatives into the primaries and then help them win.

A case in point is Dan Coats in Indiana. He's a Republican, but he's a lobbyist and a carpet-bagger. The RNC picked him, not the people.

There are a couple of great guys running against him in the Republican primary, but we don't plan to field our own candidate should Coats win in May. We'll just grab Bayh's old seat for the Republicans and hope for a more conservative candidate next time. We're in this for the long haul.

Outstanding. The strict adherance to ideology is attractive but impractical. Once we get the attention of the GOP and change the party into a true conservative party, then is the time to selectively target all the RINO's. I think the RINOs are watching this very closely right now.

[fettpett]

They'll be watching the primaries more now than before. In the past most of they time if a true Conservative was running it made them move right for a little bit then go back. Now they have to really watch themselve, espeically if someone Like McCain gets their butt handed to them, the rest will take notice.

[Milly]

I think the RINOs are watching this very closely right now.

I'm sure Dick Lugar is. If 2010 goes as I think it will, it wouldn't surprise me if Lugar decided to retire after this term.

[noonwitch]

Outstanding. The strict adherance to ideology is attractive but impractical. Once we get the attention of the GOP and change the party into a true conservative party, then is the time to selectively target all the RINO's. I think the RINOs are watching this very closely right now.

RINOs are useful for the GOP in blue states. Michigan's governor's race this year is a good example. I'm a traditionally democratic voter, but I am open to a good GOP candidate, as long as he is not a religious right conservative.

A RINO can make progress toward the GOP recapturing the black vote in Michigan. A candidate who knows how to talk to little old church ladies could go a lot farther than one might think. A pro-business republican could make some real progress with the current Mayor, as he is a pro-business democrat who has managed to tick off all of the city employee unions in his first year. In the 70s, Gov. Milliken (the ultimate RINO) was very well-liked by Detroit voters.

The dems have been taking the black vote for granted since LBJ. Don't think for a minute that black people aren't aware of it, even if the current president is "one of us". Has the civil rights act really changed that much for black americans over the past 45 years, except for getting rid of poll taxes and other restrictions that southern states used to keep blacks from voting? Are they still over-represented in poverty statistics? Who was right about civil rights, Goldwater or LBJ? It is easy to establish that LBJ was not so secretly a racist, that he used the n word on a regular basis, and that the only reason he supported the civil rights act was to deliver the black vote to the democrats. It is equally easy to establish that Goldwater was a true believer in the American way, and that his belief was that if the american people banded together against racism, it could be defeated without changing the law.

[Gingersnap]

This story is detailing a completely fake issue. I'm Christian and I'm conservative and I belong to the Tea Party movement and none of that is conflicting for me.

The best way to get conservative social issues through is to choke the life out of social-issue government spending. If no money is going to Planned Parenthood or the Gay/Straight alliance, then they will have to get their funding and exposure elsewhere.

I'm not going to vote for a politician who is against "gay" marriage and who then turns around and throws millions at a host of useless or damaging social programs that involve other social issues. The entire point of the Tea Party is that we don't want business as usual. We're against all the special interest groups that make deals and offer payoffs to politicians and that includes special interest groups for our own pet ideas.

[fettpett]

RINOs are useful for the GOP in blue states. Michigan's governor's race this year is a good example. I'm a traditionally democratic voter, but I am open to a good GOP candidate, as long as he is not a religious right conservative.

A RINO can make progress toward the GOP recapturing the black vote in Michigan. A candidate who knows how to talk to little old church ladies could go a lot farther than one might think. A pro-business republican could make some real progress with the current Mayor, as he is a pro-business democrat who has managed to tick off all of the city employee unions in his first year. In the 70s, Gov. Milliken (the ultimate RINO) was very well-liked by Detroit voters.

The dems have been taking the black vote for granted since LBJ. Don't think for a minute that black people aren't aware of it, even if the current president is "one of us". Has the civil rights act really changed that much for black americans over the past 45 years, except for getting rid of poll taxes and other restrictions that southern states used to keep blacks from voting? Are they still over-represented in poverty statistics? Who was right about civil rights, Goldwater or LBJ? It is easy to establish that LBJ was not so secretly a racist, that he used the n word on a regular basis, and that the only reason he supported the civil rights act was to deliver the black vote to the democrats. It is equally easy to establish that Goldwater was a true believer in the American way, and that his belief was that if the american people banded together against racism, it could be defeated without changing the law.

I take it, thats why you like Synder. Idk what his social stances are, but frankly couldn't care less if he can turn this state around.

[Megaguns91]

The best way to get conservative social issues through is to choke the life out of social-issue government spending. If no money is going to Planned Parenthood or the Gay/Straight alliance, then they will have to get their funding and exposure elsewhere.

Well spoken. Of all the Tea-Partiers I know this is a great summary of our agenda.