Forum Post: Hot off the Press: the 1% Agenda Created by Former Manufacturing Executive To Rule America
Posted 12 years ago on Dec. 15, 2011, 9:03 a.m. EST by Socrates469bc
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By Nick Carey MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina | Thu Dec 15, 2011 8:37am EST
(Reuters) - For insight into the conservative Tea Party movement's battle plan in 2012, check out Joe Dugan's Google spreadsheets.
Dugan, 66, a retired manufacturing executive and chairman of the Myrtle Beach Tea Party, is particularly proud of the scoring system he's devised for South Carolina legislators. Every vote by a member of the state's House or Senate is recorded, with points awarded for those that reflect the conservative position.
"Let's say you get above a five, we'll actively campaign for your reelection," Dugan says. "Below a three, then - Republican or Democrat - we'll come after you."
For more read: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/15/us-special-report-tea-party-idUSTRE7BE0CX20111215
It's a lesson for how to be politically successful. The tea party, for all its faults, is bending local and national office holders to its agenda. In contrast Occupy seems content to simply raise awareness. Occupy is only getting an occasional politician to co-opt them. It takes more then demonstrations to get real change.
Recall tea party was not so bad,once they got popular the media trashed them. It was like something hijacked the movement - and contaminated it with a bad taste. Same thing has happened to OWS in eyes of many cause of media. The message and base are sound. We all have to take hits as they throw mud at everything that goes against the status quo. The peace movement became a drug laced hippie movement. The message was love, peace, the rest got amplified so the status quo would not go along. That is what is always done by media as it changes direction of people. We must not retreat in defeat. Not ever. Retreat to regroup and move with different approach.
I wish Occupy would move to get supporters elected in the same way. Seems like a foolish waste to just protest and hope things somehow change.
This is different from what every other politician does.... how?
These people are revolting. This is why the continuously try to hijack OWS. They are scared as hell. There is nothing in common.
I thought it had potential at first, unfortunately I see it as a revolution going no where. Trying to solve all perceived wrongs at once instead of focusing on a couple of main issues and working to get people elected to make changes.
You're right about there being little in common between the tea party and Occupy. The tea party has gotten people elected to local and national office and is in a position to push its agenda. It's actually doing something besides complaining.
Occupy is looking more to me like it wants to be a lapel ribbon for awareness of ... what? They march against foreclosures one day, to support a union the next, or to take over a park. I don't see anyone as being afraid of it.
The Tea Party has not stood for the people.
No one stands for the people, everyone stands up for what they think is right, even the tea party. The point is how to get things done, for your cause, or the people, or whatever. The tea party is just the latest group in a long list that have achieved success through the political system. Civil rights, the environmentalists, AARP, Women's rights groups have all made the effort to get political support for their cause and have made progress.
Occupy can't seem to decide on what it wants, fix the system or throw out the system. As a result is continues to just agitate for a variety of causes. Eventually members will drift away due to this ineffectiveness. Too bad, it could have made a difference, still could if it could get organized.
Sure they can. It is about balance.
The Tea Party/Republicans have blocked everything that has to do with the American people.
You miss the point, I'm not saying anything positive about the tea party other then they have managed to accomplish something through our political system. I'm not saying what they have accomplished is good, just that the system can work for you if you recruit people to run for office. For all its energy and positive ideas Occupy is missing this opportunity. It's national and could run people in dozens of congressional primaries and races and force their ideas to be included in the national debate.
The revolutionaries in favor of scrapping the system don't have anywhere near the support they would need for that. The movement itself seems to be made up of half a dozen interest groups pushing for their own agenda and there is no real organized structure to actually accomplish anything.
Hey, I think that those that want to scrap the system are naive at BEST. Frankly, it seems to work in favor of corporatism.
Have you heard that phrase, "All roads lead to Rome." That is pretty much the extent of it. One of the things that I am acutely interested in at this time is the response from those that have already been elected.
Incidentally, it seems to mirror the local laws of name your city of the homeless people (in some areas it is against the law to feed the homeless) in this out of sight-out of mind way. The problem is that the out of sight-out of mind people are growing larger and larger and it is harder and harder to keep them out of sight and out of mind.
A third party will throw the vote to the Republicans. We have a historical pattern and even an intentional pattern that demonstrates this. I don't think that they have missed anything. In fact, if you and I can find areas where we agree in even one area then we may set to work on it.
I wouldn't suggest a third party, of the two parties the platform of the democrats is closer to what occupy stands for. Run people in democrat primaries, even if they loose they may have enough votes to push things in the right direction.
I agree that it needs to start from the bottom up. This is why I am finding the reaction interesting from those that are currently elected.