Primary season began on Tuesday, and it was not a banner start for the Tea Party. On her radio program on Wednesday, Laura Ingraham questioned whether the Tea Party moniker had outlived its usefulness.
“Do you believe that the Tea Party moniker and the quote, ‘idea,’ of the Tea Party brand has kind of run its course,” she asked. “Not because initially it wasn’t a good idea but because there are so many different groups that have different names that I think it ultimately becomes meaningless.”
In a blog post on her website, Ingraham explained that while the movement began with good intentions and is responsible for giving Republicans control of the House in 2010, it has devolved to some degree into a brand with a negative connotation.
"Without the Tea Party there would be no current GOP majority in the House. Since 2010, it has moved the political debate on key issues such as the national debt, ObamaCare, and taxes,” she wrote. “But recently, the groups have lost their unity of purpose. Let's face it, they've become disorganized and poorly run. Out of the $37.5 million raised by the PACS of the 6 major tea party organizations, less than $7 million has been devoted to directly helping candidates. This obviously means fewer tea party candidates will win, and fewer new voters will take notice.”
Ingraham believes it is time “for the Tea Party to rebrand, reorganize, and re-capture its standing as a credible alternative to our failed Establishment,” but on radio this morning, Glenn reiterated the importance of holding fast to values and principles – not politics.
“Laura Ingraham said the Tea Party moniker has outlived its usefulness… I don't like the fact that we have to change words because I'm not a progressive. That's what Progressives do. They just change the words. And then they win,” Glenn said. “But I think we shouldn't be foolish on holding on to words. What we should be holding on to are principles and values.”
Whether it be ACORN or Common Core, progressives masterfully redefine controversial topics and programs as a means of propaganda. In the case of the Tea Party, Glenn believes the principles that founded the movement must be the principles that continue to drive that movement and names and titles really mean nothing at this point.
“The name doesn't really matter… What matters is the people living the principles and the values that they espouse. Our crowd does. So you don't have to worry about what anybody calls you. You don't have to worry about those things. You could change names every day of the week. People will recognize you for who you are,” Glenn said. “Just like ACORN. It doesn't take very long. You can change the name of ACORN, but it won't take very long because they live by a set of principles and values that make them very obvious.”
“That entire point is just an admission of the United States being pathetic, though,” Stu concluded. “We're all about labels. It’s just sad that this country has developed into that.”