SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2010
Tea party groups divided on how to use newly won clout
Survey shows little consensus for a legislative agenda
BY KRISSAH THOMPSON South Carolina tea party activ-
ist Sunny O’Donovan plans to travel to Washington in January to personally witness the swear- ing-in of her new congressman, Jeff Duncan, who was elected with the backing of several tea party groups. On that day, O’Don- ovan will shift from being an enthusiastic supporter to an ea- ger constituent with a long wish list. “What I’d really like to see is
the national Department of Edu- cation abolished and some plans for education to be given back to the states,” she said. “But the first thing is topermanentlyinstall the Bush tax cuts. . . . And repeal the Obama health care — that was ridiculous.” Now that the tea party has
matured from a protest move- ment to a player on Capitol Hill, its grass-roots members are try- ing to make the transition along with it. But interviews and a Washington Post survey make clear that few in the movement
“We didn’t embrace the Republican Party.Alot of Republicans got elected because they were in line with the principles we believe, but they are still on probation.”
—Eric Wilson, a leader of Kentucky We Surround Them, a tea-party- affiliated group in Georgetown, Ky.
agree on a legislative agenda be- yond downsizing government. Even in that area, there are many views; some are demanding radi- cal cuts, while others simply want better management of federal funds. For tea party activists, the
range of opinion could compli- cate the task of harnessing the energy they created in the cam- paign. And for the GOP, it could make the challenge of managing the new members of their caucus more difficult. TobyMarieWalker, a leader of
theWaco Tea Party, has applaud- ed the use of federal stimulus money to expand the Interstate 35 bridge in the busy central Texas corridor and wants to see the federal government finish the job. Cut spending elsewhere, she said.
“One of the biggest misconcep-
tions about the tea party move- ment is that we are anti-govern- ment,” Walker said. “They think we are anti-tax. No. We are for fiscal responsibility. We under- stand that we have to pay taxes, and we understand that we have
to pay for some of the things the federal government must do.” Julles Rodgers, a member of
the Nebraska Tea Party, takes a harder line. “Taxes, taxes, taxes. Lord, the
tax burden we have is out of this world!” said Rodgers, owner of the Liberty Inn motel in Aurora, Neb. “They are killing the econo- my with the rules and regula- tions. It’s the government telling Detroit how to make cars that made Detroit go belly-up. It’s the government telling the mortgage companies how to make loans that caused the housing crisis.” In a recent Washington Post
canvass of nearly 650 tea party groups, 24 percent said they were motivated by concern over gov- ernment spending and the defi- cit; 20 percent by the size of government; 11 percent by pro- tecting the Constitution; 5 per- cent by the downturn in the econ- omy; and 4 percent by taxes. Others mentioned immigration, health-care policy and states’ rights as concerns. Eric Wilson, a leader of Ken-
tucky We Surround Them — a tea-party-affiliated group in Georgetown, Ky.—said many tea party members are following is- sues on Capitol Hill with great interest and will be watching newly elected Republicans close- ly.
“We didn’t embrace the Repub-
lican Party,” Wilson said. “A lot of Republicans got elected because they were in line with the princi- ples we believe, but they are still on probation. “What is different this time, as opposed to most movements in the past being driven by just emotionandpeople getting angry — people came out and started educating themselves. It’s a new face of the tea party, a more educated and sophisticated face of the tea party.” Wilson said he wantsWashing-
ton to “get back to the ancient principles our Founding Fathers set forth” and rein in spending on big social programs. The most extreme in the movement favor privatizing or even eliminating Social Security andMedicare. Others, like Frank Cougha-
nour, a leader of Palm Beach Freedom Fighters, an affiliate of Tea Party Patriots, say Congress should make no major changes to Social Security. “The funds that go in to sup-
port itcomeback to the verysame people who put it in,” he said. Some tea party supporters said
they favor strong opposition to both establishment Republicans and Democrats. No compromise, said CrisKurtz, a freelance graph- ic designer who leads the USA Patriots group in Tulsa. “We are determined and fo-
cusedonthemkeeping their cam- paign promises,” Kurtz said. “Any candidate who campaigned and said they would see the Bush tax cuts continued, if they were to vote against it now, our eyes are going to be on them.We are going to fax and e-mail and call.” Looking ahead, newly elected Republicans will have two years to prove their tea party mettle, said Rodgers, theNebraska activ- ist.
“If these guys don’t deliver on
their promises, then I expect by 2012 a third party could emerge,” she said. “For Republicans . . . it’s their last shot. They better per- form.”
thompsonk@washpost.com STEFFANI NOLTE/MORNING NEWS VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS Lilly Dobbs, 14 months, greets her father, John, who returned home Friday toHemingway, S.C., after nine months in Afghanistan. ARIZONA
Voters legalize medical marijuana Arizona voters have approved
a measure that will legalize medi- cal marijuana use in the state for people with chronic or debilitat- ing diseases, according to unoffi- cial referendum results an- nounced Saturday. Proposition 203 won by a tiny
margin: just 4,431 votes out of more than 1.67 million counted. The measure started out losing by about 7,200 votes on Nov. 2, and thegapgraduallynarrowedin the following 10 days. The measure began Friday los-
ing by about 1,500 votes, then surged ahead by 4,421 votes.Mar- icopa, the last county with ballots outstanding, finished counting its remaining provisional and early ballots Saturday. The final, unofficial count was
841,346 in favor of the measure and 837,005 opposed. Arizona is the 15th state to
approve a medical marijuana law. —Associated Press
NEWYORK
Madoff belongings are sold at auction Anyone wanting to walk in the
shoes of fallen financier Bernard L. Madoff was in luck Saturday: Thousands of belongings from his New York City penthouse, including his used shoes, went on the auction block. An anonymous bidder paid the
highest price of the auction — $550,000 — for a 10.5-carat dia- mond engagement ring that be- longed to Madoff ’s wife, Ruth. Ruth Madoff ’s French diamond earrings fetched the next highest price. Valued at $100,000 to $137,500, they went for $135,000 to an undisclosed buyer. The Manhattan sale is the last
auction in New York of Madoff belongings. Proceeds will be used to compensate the victims ofMa- doff ’s multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme. Madoff was arrested two years ago and quickly admitted his
scheme. Investigators said he used billions of dollars in cash from new investors to pay old ones, cheating charities, celebri- ties and institutional investors. —Associated Press
ILLINOIS
Emanuel kicks off Chicago mayoral bid Former White House chief of
staff Rahm Emanuel officially an- nounced his candidacy for mayor ofChicago Saturday, promising to fight tax increases and address- ing what has already been a contention by other candidates— that he’s an outsider. Emanuel spoke of how he was
born and raised in Chicago and how he and his wife are raising their family there as well. “Only the opportunity to help
President Obama as his chief of staff could have pried me away from here,” Emanuel said. “And only the opportunity to lead this
city could have pried me away from the president’s side.” Emanuel is one of about a half-dozen candidates who have either formally announced or are expected to soon do so. The elec- tion is Feb. 22.
—Associated Press
Man shoots family, self in Pa. home: A 29-year-old man shot and killed awomanand their two daughters, ages 4 and 7, in his Erie, Pa., home Saturday before turning the gun on himself, au- thorities said. A 2-year-old boy was taken to a hospital with a minor injury, and police believe themantried to shoot him, too. It wasnotimmediately clearwheth- er the man and woman were married. Erie is on the banks of Lake Erie about 25 miles east of the Ohio border.
Girl killed in accident at Okla. fairgrounds: An accident involv- ing a barrel ride at an Oklahoma fairgrounds killed an 8-year-old
girl Friday and left four other children seriously injured. An all- terrain vehicle at theLove County Fairgrounds was pulling 55-gal- lon barrels with children sitting in them, authorities said.The girl, identified by police as JaylenWolf of Marietta, was pronounced dead at a hospital. Four other children from ages 3 to 8 were hospitalized.
Dog rescued in Colo. canyon: A springer spaniel stuck overnight on a cliff ledge in Lake Pueblo StatePark in Colorado was said to be in decent condition after a sheriff ’s deputy rappelled down a canyon to retrieve him. The dog, named “Doc,” went over an 80- foot cliffThursday morning while training tobecomea huntingdog. The spaniel slid down a shale canyonsideandlandedona ledge about 80 feet down a 200-foot ravine. Rescuers passed blankets down to the ledge and then rap- pelled down the following day. —From news services
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