The Tea Party : a brief history
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The Tea Party : a brief history
Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012
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Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 127-137) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
The Tea Party burst on the national political scene in 2009-2010, powered by right-wing grassroots passion and Astroturf big money. Its effect on electoral politics and the political process is undeniable, but the message, aims, and staying power of the loosely organized groups seem less clear. In this concise book, American political historian Ronald P. Formisano probes the remarkable rise of the Tea Party movement during a time of economic crisis and cultural change and examines its powerful impact on American politics. A confederation of intersecting and overlapping organizations, with a strong connection to the Christian fundamentalist Right, the phenomenon could easily be called the Tea Parties. The American media's fascination with the Tea Party - and the tendency of political leaders who have embraced the movement to say and do outlandish things - not only has fueled the fire driving the movement, but has diverted attention from its roots, agenda, and the enormous influence it holds over the Republican Party and the American political agenda.
Looking at the Tea Party's claims to historical precedent and patriotic values, Formisano locates its anti-state and libertarian impulses deep in American political culture as well as in voter frustrations that have boiled over in recent decades. He sorts through the disparate goals the movement's different factions espouse and shows that, ultimately, the contradictions of Tea Party libertarianism reflect those ingrained in the broad mass of the electorate. Throughout American history, third parties, pressure groups, and social movements have emerged to demand reforms or radical change, only to eventually fade away, even if parts of their programs often are later adopted. The Tea Party's impact as a pressure group has been more immediate. Whether the Tea Party endures remains to be seen. Formisano's brief history certainly gives us clues.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introductions
1. Reading Tea Leaves
Astroturf or Grassroots Populism?
Parties, Anti-Parties, and Populism
2. The Rise of the Tea Party
The Search for the Rosa Parks Moment
Media and Money
3. Political Payoff in the 2010 Midterm Elections
Tea Party Ascendant
Evangelicals and the Tea Party
4. The Tea Party and the Religious Right
Constitutional and Biblical Fundamentalism
The Christian Right and Machismo
5. The Tea Party and Big Business
Libertarian Fundamentalism versus Christian Fundamentalism
Developing Strains in the Alliance
Frustration with Politics as Usual
Immediate Precursors of Tea Party Rebellion
Libertarianism with Benefits
7. The Tea Party and American Political Culture
Predictions and Assessments
The Roots of the Tea Party's Grassroots
Postscript
Notes
Index
by "Nielsen BookData"
