Comments about ‘Is Utah tea party really stronger than Republicans?’

Tea Party extremists have been in power long enough already to show their weaknesses. For one thing, they are not united on specific issues.

Look for a backlash, but not from conservative Republicans as much as moderate Republicans. Often disguised as independents, they may decide to return and pull back their preferred party from the precipice of extremism. They will have learned one thing from the Tea Party surge--voters are really serious about balancing the budget. Beyond that they will not be as resentful and unreasonable about having some compassion for the poor and for the immigrants. They may also pull back on the worship of the rich and their corporate entitlements.

From a hard core conservative: Utah's delegate/convention system is a disaster. Only the fringe prevail; I know because I have tried and tried but been shunned like a leper. Only the "pure" may apply.

I find it pretty funny that Mr. Webb calls for civil discourse in our dealings with the issues of the day but it was either last week or the weeks before in which his comments about HB477 ripped on people opposing it. Pretty strong language was used by him in his comments ican only hope he realized that it is more important to become part of the solution rather than continuing to be part of the problem. I still think that the Tea Party will continue to dominate the caucus system with the Republican Party and as a result Governor Herbert will be out in 2012.

As long as the extremists control the caucus system in the Republican Party in Utah then you will a problem.

"The biggest threat to Republican dominance in Utah is the prospect of extremist candidates being nominated, who then are defeated in the general election by moderate Democrats." If only this were true! Fact is, in Utah a Republican can't be right wing extremist enough. Case in point - Mike Lee.

Anything to get the Republican party back to their party platform and principles is a good thing. The Tea Party will be good for Utah.

I sort of grow tired of hearing Webb and Piganelli extolling the virtues of moderates and career politicians. It's wasn't the Tea Party that outspent the nation's purse. It wasn't MoveOn.org and like minded people that got us into Iraq. "Moderate" politicians give us the Patriot Act, wars in the Middle East, compromise on tax cuts for the rich, an ever-increasing government while not providing for the revenue side of the equation. I believe there is such a thing as an extreme moderate, and they have been ruling Washington for too long.

I have a hard time telling the difference between the Tea Party and the Republican Party.

So does Sarah Palin.

So we shall sit along the sidelines and watch as the Tea Party further morphs into a culturally-conservative group with more emphasis on socially-conservative issues to go along with their "slash and burn" economic policy.

The 2012 election season has started. The isssues are being enumerated and put forward for all to see. We will see who has buyer's remorse as conservatives continue a no-hold's-barred assault on progressive programs. Then we'll see if regular Republicans can stand up to the Tea Party people going into the general elections. For now, the Tea Party is being exposed as a Right-Wing group which is losing favor with everyone except the most ideologically extreme.

It appears that the Tea Party controls the Republican Party in Utah. But Utah is the most culturally-conservative state outside of the Deep South and remains an island in a changing West. Demographically, all the Western states except Utah and Wyoming are shifting to the center and becoming more politically moderate. Why Utah is so exceptional in this regard remains to be understood by Republicans if they ever hope to extend their influence beyond its borders.

No one else has said, so I will: The caucus system is outdated and should be replaced with a closed primary vote. Maybe the caucus system worked in the old days, but it now has centralized power into way too small of a group or groups of people.

Don't know how one gets this change made, but it needs to happen.

The Tea-Party folks have been useful (trusted) foot soldiers for pushing the agenda of the Republican Party (verified by the 2010 election cycle).

Trust, But Verify.

It is too early to tell which party is stronger.

The 2012 election cycle should provide an accurate barometer.

The Republican Caucus system could be rendered moot if another Tea-party extremist is chosen and the Moderate candidates run as Independents instead.

We are not limited solely to the extremists chosen by the tea-partiers.

They have Senator Hatch on puppet strings speaking with an extreme voice.

This summer the republicans will gerry mander the voting boundries to insure they are never challenged. Including splitting SL city in 4 congressional districts. That makes alot of sense. One day democrats will wake up along with intelligent republicans and vote these people out of office. Right now it doesnt matter who comes out of the caucus system, they are easily elected. Case in point Mike Lee. he's about as extreme as you get.

The tea party largely developed a strong following based on the fact that the two main political parties had become pretty much the same.

The progressives from BOTH PARTIES resent that the tea partiers have come along to "upset their applecart".

Republicans just happen to identify more with tea partiers in that they are SUPPOSED to represent fiscal sanity, and limited government but those things have been forgotten over the years.

Opponents of tea partiers tend to use labels such as: extremist, nutty, far-right, etc., to denigrate and marginalize tea partiers.

As far as I can tell tea partiers would just like BOTH PARTIES to pay for the things they want, and to decide ABSOLUTELY FOR SURE, what things the government should do and what things should be left to individual initiatives.

The tea party is very intelligent people. They carry signs with sayings such as "Keep the governments hands off my medicaid" Their darlings are the last VP candidate from the GOP, Sarah Palin. Wingnut congresswoman from minn. Michele Bachman. The tea party is not seperate from the GOP. They have just guided the GOP to the far right. Who do you think the tea party would vote for? Barack Obama, Or George Bush? 100 to 1 It would be George Bush. Very Intelligent.

The TeaParty doesn't have enough people in power to do anything other than start the debate. They don't have enough numbers to PASS... or BLOCK... ANYTHING!

Last I heard there were 14 TeaParty people in Congress. That's not enough to do ANYTHING... much less control the Congress.. the White House... and almost bring the US_Government to a shutdown!

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Obviously the TeaParty is a whipping_boy for the left... not any actual political power house in Washington DC.

They may add to the discourse and the debate (that's their right)... but they are FAR from powerful enough to force either Republicans OR Democrats to do ANYTHING they don't already WANT to do. They just give BOTH parties somebody to blame when they do what they do.

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The TeaParty could not shutdown Washington if they TRIED!

This assertion that 14 people who won't play the game the way it USED to be played, are RUINING EVERYTHING... is just plain BUNK.

The parties in power are responsible for what happens in Washington. Not the 14 people who won't play their game.

You can sure tell that homebrew is a faithful MSNBC listener. The stuff he posts is the same thing I here there when I tune in to see what tomorrow's buzz_words right_wing_villains will be.

It's been Cheney, Palin, Bush, for so long... when are they going to come up with something new?

Halli-burton!!! fist-bump...

'....I here there when I tune in to see what tomorrow's buzz_words right_wing_villains will be.
It's been Cheney, Palin, Bush, for so long... when are they going to come up with something new?' - 2 bits | 12:30 p.m.

So, you admit they are villans then?

Pagan | 1:41 p.m.

Vilified by the Left... ABSOLUTELY.

Villains... probably. They surely aren't hero's.

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I really don't know what Sarah Palin has actually DONE to deserve HER villain status... Just running a political campaing against Obama seems to be enough for some people.

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What has Sarah Palin actually DONE (GOOD OR BAD)??? Nothing!

I really don't know what she has DONE to achieve being so vilified by the Left... She just talks a lot. What's wrong with that? There are a lot of people on the Left who talk a lot, and say just as contentious things as she does (examples... Michael Moore, Bill Maher, John Kerry, AL Gore, etc).

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But the rest... at least they have some credentials for THEIR villain status.

Halliburton Bro!

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BTW... Who do you think provided support, logistics and supplies for the Americans involved in the recent attacks on Libya??? Hint... Halliburton. So... is Obama a villain now too?