-- From "Pairing of religious conservatism with fiscal sets Iowa tea partiers apart" by Amy Gardner, Washington Post Staff Writer 2/3/11
Although . . . mixing of fiscal and social conservatism may suit Iowans just fine, it represents a departure for the tea party movement that could threaten its brand and turn away voters who were drawn to its narrower message last year. With the political world focused on the state's first-in-the-nation caucuses for the next year, that could have a profound effect across the country on the tea party and the candidates courting it.
The movement is not as well-organized in Iowa as it is in other states. The national groups that have helped train, organize and fund tea party organizations across the country have less of a presence here, in part because their exclusive focus on free-market priorities puts them at odds with the evangelical movement that controls the state's Republican Party apparatus.
Sixty percent of GOP caucus-goers in the 2008 presidential election described themselves as evangelical Christians . . .
Home-schooling mom Kim Pearson of suburban Polk County . . . [is now] a freshman member of the Iowa House - elected largely with tea party backing - who is pushing abortion restrictions and a ban on same-sex marriage through the state legislature.
People told her that "the only thing people are interested in is spending," Pearson said. "And it wasn't true. I did not focus on fiscal issues. I think there's a misperception that you can only do one thing at a time."
To read the entire opinion column, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 2/9/11: Finally, the Washington Post prints an accurate description of the Tea Party movement . . .
From "At CPAC forum, potential GOP candidates must navigate social-fiscal tension" by Amy Gardner, Washington Post Staff Writer 2/9/11
As for the battle for attention between social and fiscal conservatives, advocates from both camps acknowledge that it remains an issue within the conservative movement that is likely to play out this week at CPAC. But they noted that most activists consider themselves both social and fiscal conservatives and suggested that there is not [that] much discord within their ranks . . .
"There are a lot of tea partyers who are social conservatives who believe that the focus on fiscal issues reflects the most important challenges our country is facing," [Matt Kibbe, president of FreedomWorks] said. "I think that a lot of the dividing lines and the squabbling comes from national groups who have a stake in what issues they are talking about - but not from the activists themselves."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Click headlines below to read previous articles:
Iowa Tea Party Win = More Abortion Restrictions
'Teavangelical Party' Emerges from 2010 Election Polling
Tea Party Energy is Christian
Oklahoma Tea Party Pushes Christian Agenda
Tea Party = Religious Right, says Liberal Media
Liberal Media Paint Tea Party as Christian
'Catholic Tea Party' Smeared by Liberals
Media Scorn God's Involvement in Elections
GOP Ignores Social Conservatives at Own Peril
Christians 'Hold Rudder' in Conservative Politics
