Tea party movement grows; efforts could shake up 2010 elections

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — It could be the birth of a party.

Fueled by anger at politicians and distrust of the government, the rapidly growing tea party movement could upend the political establishment in the 2010 elections — ultimately becoming a permanent, game-changing force in American politics.

Or, it could fizzle.

Even supporters aren’t sure. Joyce Kaufman, a talk-show host on WFTL, thinks the answer will come in the November elections. “If nothing happens in 2010, it falls apart,” she said.

But she doesn’t see that happening.

“It’s going to be a huge dynamic. I don’t think it’s going to be easily defused. I think what you’re going to see is an energized voice. What they will do is come out and vote. The tea party movement is going to make a difference,” Kaufman said.

From its start in February with an on-air rant by CNBC analyst Rick Santelli, who said he was organizing a “Tea Party” for those opposed to the president’s proposed homeowner bailout plan, the tea party brand has become formidable. Protesters turned out for tea party demonstrations in cities across the country on April 15, then again to voice their opposition to health care legislation at town hall meetings throughout the summer.

Now, tea party supporters and related groups have picked up where the demonstrations left off. They are active throughout the United States and in South Florida, where they’re holding regular protests, preparing to register voters and recruiting more and more followers.

An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll this month showed more than four in 10 Americans have a favorable view of the movement, significantly more than the 24 percent with a negative opinion. That was better than the 35 percent positive rating for Democrats and the 28 percent Republicans got. In a Rasmussen poll in December, more people said they would vote for tea party movement candidates than for Republican ones — 23 percent to 18 percent, respectively.

Supporters disagree over how to best harness the movement’s energy.

Charlotte Beasley, a Republican who unsuccessfully challenged Democratic Palm Beach County Commissioner Burt Aaronson in 2008, said she thinks a tea party third party would be strong — and she’s a member of the Republican Executive Committee, the governing body of the Palm Beach County Republican Party.

She thinks it would get something done. “It would hurt the Republican Party absolutely, but I think it’s a good idea. People have a bad taste for Democrats and a bad taste for Republicans,” she said.

Danita Kilcullen, of Fort Lauderdale, co-leader of a tea party group that protests every Saturday afternoon, said she thinks a tea party “third party” is a bad idea.

“I know that there’s talk,” she said. “I’m not for any third party that splits the (Republican) Party. I just want the Republican Party to get back on track. That’s really what we want.”

Political science professor Robert Watson, director of American studies at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., said a third party won’t happen.

“Everybody wants a third party, and everybody says the time is right, but it just doesn’t happen,” he said. “Ralph Nader and Ross Perot were interesting and enigmatic, but even they couldn’t get a third party going.”

So far, the movement is loosely organized, and it’s impossible to say how many tea party supporters there are. Activities depend on participants’ energy and interests.

In Broward, tea partiers have gathered, rain or shine, with signs and American flags every Saturday for more than 40 straight weeks at the intersection of Oakland Park Boulevard and Federal Highway. Demonstrators can bring signs addressing whatever issues they consider most important.

In Palm Beach County, tea party organizers are conducting voter registration drives, looking for an office and seeking volunteers who speak Hebrew, are willing to make phone calls, and are able to knock on doors.

So are members of related groups, such as the 9-12 Project, whose members in Miami-Dade have been lobbying state legislators. Spawned by Fox News commentator Glenn Beck, 9-12 members say they’re dedicated to returning the United States to the sense of unity felt the day after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“For far too long the silent majority has been silent,” said Beth Culbertson, of Parkland. Culbertson, who has participated in the Fort Lauderdale protests and is starting similar weekly events in her city, said her goal is “awareness, for Americans to wake up. We have corruption. We have big taxing, big spending, big government. Enough.

“Stop with the spending. Just stop with the spending. Just stop it. This administration is driving us over a cliff. It’s not all this administration. It’s the one before it, too. We have had enough. It’s not about left. It’s not about right. Our common ground is freedom.”

Sid Dinerstein, chairman of the Palm Beach County Republican Party, said he thinks the tea party movement ultimately will help his party. “While we can’t predict how this will play out, the country needs the discussion that the tea party people are asking us to have.”

A growing and vibrant tea party movement could also threaten the Republican Party, by stealing away voters from its base.

“How do you really manage these things? It’s like trying to put the genie back in the bottle,” said Watson, the political science professor. “You’ve released the rats to terrorize your enemy, but how do you get them back in the pen?”