Republican Party or Tea Party

Then, the Tea Party should come up with their own candidate instead of backing the Republican candidates. Either be a "party" or get out of politics. No, I do NOT want you to vote "Republican and shut up". I want you to vote for whichever candidate will be best for the US regardless of party lines.

There have been independent candidates throughout the country that have been endorsed by various tea parties. They don't just blindly endorse republicans. Even a small number of democrats have been endorsed by tea parties.

The trouble with running under a third party line is that, unless you have a larger base of support than the two major parties, you actually end up hurting the Republican party by splitting the conservative vote. Of course, you could use that as a threat if you don't get what you want, but you'll need to run as part of a major party (or garner a larger support base than either party) in order to really get your own people elected.

After looking at your profile, I find that we are almost the same age. When I was in my late teens and just eligible to start voting, I researched our political parties. We do actually have more than 2 parties; but, any party other than Democrat or Republican barely get a mention and have little to no influence. The results of my research were that the Democrats are "give a man a fish" in their philosophy and the Republicans are "teach a man to fish" - (Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.) I went Republican. We used to have liberals, moderates, and conservatives in BOTH parties. We still do; but, many of the moderates and liberals in the Republican party are being overshadowed or forced out by the Tea Party politics that are taking over the Republican Party. "What are the fanatical ideas of the current "Tea Party"?" Very simply, their "my way or the highway" attitide. They allow no room for compromise and do not care what the majority of people in the US want to happen, only what THEY want. These are not the principals our country was founded on and they do not describe a democracy. Any time you have a person or group of people that insist that their way is the only correct way, that things have to be the way that they say; and that there is no room for compromise - you have fanaticism.

The Tea Party started out with - reduced government spending, increased government accountability, enforcement of immigration laws, and balanced budget. It then extended to overturning Obamacare, increased taxes for the rich, and following the dictates of Catholicism and evangelicical Christianity. And, they now refuse to permit any comprise on any of their positions even when it results in deadlocks and nothing being accomplished.

You misunderstood my question. I want to know what the tea party's political ideas are. Do these ideas differ from the ideas of the Republican party?

The problem with the Tea Party is that they grew to a massive size very rapidly. They started in a recession with demands for eliminating corruption in goverment, eliminating earmarks, balancing the budget and stopping government overspending. All good things and things many Americans could get behind. But, then they started attracting the "nutters" who quietly took over and started inserting religious agendas. Most intelligent people who are not conservative religious fanatics have been distancing ourselves from the Tea Party. Unfortunately, as long as the Tea Party can get into the news, the politicians have continued to court them and they are distancing themselves from the majority of American voters (even those who are in the same party).

When I first heard of the Tea Party, they seemed like a good idea, but they rapidly seemed to become barking mad. And not in a good way, like the Monster Raving Loony Party.

Unfortunately, the hindrance we have that you across the pond don't is our ridiculous fear that the government is going to become too powerful and swallow us whole if they're allowed to provide us with a decent health care system.

Unless something changes very quickly, even though I have been a Republican since the 1970's, I will be voting Democrat this year. Also, a recent survey showed that over 20 percent of the Republican Party is so disgusted with what is happening this year that they also will vote Democrat rather than let any of the current candidates take office. If you have read my previous posts from the last Presidential election and even those after; you will know that I loath Obama; but, he would be better for this country than any of the current Republican candidates and the garbage they are proposing.

Yes, these Super PACs are ridiculous. They are clearly an appendage of the campaigns because each candidate has their own PAC.

Thank you. This country does need more than 2 major parties and I would wholeheartedly love to see the Tea Party actually live up to their name and become a "legitimate" political party in their own right instead of infiltrating and trying to take over the Republican party. Unfortunately, no matter what we do, it will not be in time to change the 2012 election campaign and it may take the Republicans losing to Obama again to let them see that they are going too conservative and are actually trying to turn back time instead of looking to the future.

The moderate party is a good theory, but I would also like to throw in just to have one party the American party. This country was built on a idea. Why do we need political parties, where apparently all it does is create divisiveness, because people seem to think only there party can be right. Since the country was founded on an idea, why not keep it that way? This country grinds to a halt on little petty issues from each side? This way we would only elect politicians on their ideas where they formed from listening to the people instead of other politicians and people who threw the most money their way.

I personally believe that the U.S. needs a true "moderate" party. The two major ones are becoming increasingly partisan to their own side, and this alienates people like me who are in the middle. I am currently a democrat, but would join any serious attempt at a moderate party.

Well, I have too many problems with the Democratic patry to actually become a Democrat; that is why I would go Independant. "The biggest problem I find with this group is their complete inability to even communicate with the other side of the aisle." I have found that type of attitude anytime religion gets involved with anything. That is why we are supposed to have religious freedom in the US and separation of church and state; but, unfortunately, we have a lot of religions (Christians, especially in the US) who act like religious freedom means that others have the right to believe in their religion only and that they can impose their religious beliefs on others. When religion started being injected into the Tea Party, I ran the other way as fast as I could; but, now it is dragging down the Republican Party.

Unfortunately, not. The Tea Party is a group of people who do anything but relax and share their views. In the US they are a politically active group which calls themselves a "party"; but, has not done the necessary work to make them a legitimate political party.