How We Killed the Tea Party [Politico article]

[Kablooie]

Greedy super PACs drained the movement with endless pleas for money to support “conservative” candidates—while instead using the money to enrich themselves. I should know. I worked for one of them.

As we watch the Republican Party tear itself to shreds over Donald Trump, perhaps it’s time to take note of another conservative political phenomenon that the GOP nominee has utterly eclipsed: the Tea Party. The Tea Party movement is pretty much dead now, but it didn’t die a natural death. It was murdered—and it was an inside job. In a half decade, the spontaneous uprising that shook official Washington degenerated into a form of pyramid scheme that transferred tens of millions of dollars from rural, poorer Southerners and Midwesterners to bicoastal political operatives.

What began as an organic, policy-driven grass-roots movement was drained of its vitality and resources by national political action committees that dunned the movement’s true believers endlessly for money to support its candidates and causes. The PACs used that money first to enrich themselves and their vendors and then deployed most of the rest to search for more “prospects.” In Tea Party world, that meant mostly older, technologically unsavvy people willing to divulge personal information through “petitions”—which only made them prey to further attempts to lighten their wallets for what they believed was a good cause. While the solicitations continue, the audience has greatly diminished because of a lack of policy results and changing political winds.

I was an employee at one of the firms that ran these operations. But nothing that follows is proprietary or gleaned directly from my employment. The evidence of the scheming is all there in the public record, available for anyone willing to look.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/08/tea-party-pacs-ideas-death-214164#ixzz4HKWQfybt

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Interesting article.
Did you know the Tea Party Patriots only spent 10 percent of their cash supporting candidates while the rest went to enrich the staff and lawyers? The founder makes an estimated $450,000 a year. The Tea Party Patriots site is now dead and sends you to a Facebook page for a radio show.

Maybe the TP people will realize that, yes, the system is rigged against them.
If you're too ignorant to understand what you're voting for the system will just grab your money, give nothing back, and then ask for more.

Maybe they will just give up and stay home on election day the way they used to.

[Iliyah]

1. They are destroying themselves

[PSPS]

2. What a ridiculous article

I almost stopped reading at "the spontaneous uprising," but did stop at "an organic, policy-driven grass-roots movement." The "Tea Party" was something created out of whole cloth by the right-wing media.

This is not a serious article but, rather, the disgruntled rant of Paul Jossey, a GOP hack who bemoans his waning influence.

[salin]

8. *cough* Koch brothers *cough*

spontaneous grass roots... how about ginned up, primed and then fleeced.

[Stinky The Clown]

17. Who remembers Dick Armey as the front man getting the Tea Party off the ground?

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This was just one reason why he's called Dick.

[salin]

18. indeed.

and later he got brusquely pushed out. No honor among thieves.

[D23MIURG23]

9. Exactly. The Teaparty was astroturfed by the Koch Brothers

So that they could get a bunch of gullible nutjobs to invade town hall meetings about the ACA and scream about "death panels". Once they got the koots riled up, though, it started taking on a life of its own.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. Scaife was probably even more involved. . . . nt

[Volaris]

12. Ayep that's a spot-on observation,

And part of the reason it failed. Even the people on the 'inside' still think it was legit. Imagine how pissed they will be when they discover for themselves how badly they were dicked.
The Republican Sad is just beginning.

[Maeve]

3. And now the money goes to yet another con-man

Interesting article indeed...
I've met people who were true believers, who thought this new movement would change America. The poor saps never saw the con, never realized they were being fleeced.

[malaise]

6. Many folks buy unto the Sunday grift

It makes them very susceptible particularly when times are hard.

[kimbutgar]

4. And now they are being grifted by the biggest con man

the evolution of the tea party rubes are Cheeto's supporters.

[malaise]

5. This should have 500 recs

Rec

[Egnever]

7. The tea party was simply a way to pretend you weren't a republican

While still voting republican. It was a sham from the beginning that a lot of really dumb people bought into.

[Paladin]

10. Couldn't happen to a more deserving movement. (nt)

[getagrip_already]

13. 10 cents on the dollar...

Is pretty much the norm for fund raising organizations, especially email and phone based.

It's why we have a policy of not donating to ANY phone solicitation. When we give money, we go directly to the org it's going to.

The underlying org's are usually starved for cash, and see it as money they wouldn't otherwise see anyway. But I hate the thought of giving 90% to phone thugs.

[Missn-Hitch]

14. It is so tempting to start a PAC.

Easy money. I wish these ethics would stop getting in the way.

[RapSoDee]

15. So, basically the Republicans SUCKERED the proles. As usual.

The Republicans are masters at SUCKERING Americans to donate and to vote against their own interests, this we know.

[ThoughtCriminal]

16. Ideal target market for scams

Most gullible dummies in the country.

[BadGimp]

19. even I'm stunned..

re: "Maybe the TP people will realize that, yes, the system is rigged against them.
If you're too ignorant to understand what you're voting for the system will just grab your money, give nothing back, and then ask for more. "

Well said. We can only hope.