Tea Party
Following the 2008 presidential election and the devastating loss for the Republican Party, the Tea Party emerged seen as the savior the GOP needed, and in their eyes, the saviors of the collapsing country. The grassroots movement mainly composed of conservative, white middle-class citizens gained traction and exposure through Republican business elites, national advocates and funders, and media exposure, particularly conservative news sources with Fox News leading the way. With these outside factors and diffusion methods, Tea Party ideals quickly spread and attracted more and more people. The spread of their message did not simply end at citizens proudly using the “Tea Party” label or attending meetings and rallies. The outside factors supporting
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Quickly groups began organizing at the grassroots level gaining attention from formal, conservative organizations and Fox News behaving as a “cheerleader” for the movement. The support from external factors cemented the movement while validating and ensuring a future for the Tea Party. The culmination of the work from the grassroots level to conservative groups such as Tea Party Express and FreedomWorks came in 2010 with the midterm election. The resources provided by right-wing groups and business elites funded many Tea Party-approved and ultra-conservative candidates into office winning the majority of the House leaving the Tea Party hopeful of the new trajectory the Republican Party was now on.
The importance of external forces is evident in tracking the sudden rise of the Tea Party following Santelli’s tirade. Though it is worth noting the Santelli’s outburst was not the reason for the development of the movement. If anything, the Santelli rant was the culmination of the economic downfall of 2008, newly elected Obama and the policies about to be pushed through
Quickly groups began organizing at the grassroots level gaining attention from formal, conservative organizations and Fox News behaving as a “cheerleader” for the movement. The support from external factors cemented the movement while validating and ensuring a future for the Tea Party. The culmination of the work from the grassroots level to conservative groups such as Tea Party Express and FreedomWorks came in 2010 with the midterm election. The resources provided by right-wing groups and business elites funded many Tea Party-approved and ultra-conservative candidates into office winning the majority of the House leaving the Tea Party hopeful of the new trajectory the Republican Party was now on.
The importance of external forces is evident in tracking the sudden rise of the Tea Party following Santelli’s tirade. Though it is worth noting the Santelli’s outburst was not the reason for the development of the movement. If anything, the Santelli rant was the culmination of the economic downfall of 2008, newly elected Obama and the policies about to be pushed through