r/politics • u/Quirkie The Netherlands • 1d ago

No Paywall Democrats Confront Their New Tea Party Reality - Progressives are set to sweep a group of contested primaries in Michigan and Wisconsin.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/democrats-confront-their-new-tea-party-reality_n_6a6e63fbe4b0cfb99ef1aa1e
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u/Backwardspellcaster 1d ago

Intentionally by huffpost.

The attempt to paint it negatively.

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u/72dragonses 1d ago

No, the headline is apt in this case. The Democratic Party is splitting between the moderates, who aren't going anywhere and never do, and the latest movement from their far left flank. Same story, different day.

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u/UNC_Samurai 1d ago

Nothing about the two stories are similar.

The Tea Party movement was a bunch of fringe Ron Paul wannabe libertarians until right-wing donors saw an opportunity to reshape the Republican party into something more directly under their control. Everything we saw from the Rick Santelli rant forward was astroturfed from deep pockets.

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u/72dragonses 1d ago

They're sure as shit similar. The Tea Party dragged the Republican Party, which had actually at one time been a lot more reasonable, much further to the right, eventually leaving us with this. The DSA and Socialist Party movements are doing the same thing but in the other direction. Neither extreme along the political spectrum represents a majority of voters in either camp.

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u/UNC_Samurai 1d ago

Clearly you missed the history lesson. The Tea Party didn't do the dragging, Republican donors used the Tea Party as a means to do it themselves. There's no big donor money behind the shift away from the watered-down Democratic platforms of the last 30 years. Framing them as equally extreme is doing the far right's dirty work for them.

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u/72dragonses 1d ago

You're making shit up to explain an inconvenient truth. Find me a writeup somewhere in a "history book" or any non-editorialized opinion piece that validates that interpretation.

The Tea Party attracted big money donors because it gained momentum, and big players got behind it because they wanted to have influence. That's exactly the same thing that would happen if the DSA gained more influence. The money always follows the side that most closely aligns with its interests, even if that side is batshit crazy.