The battle over how to avoid the looming cuts and tax increases known as the fiscal cliff is a frustrating one for the Tea Party. The movement is still a force within the GOP, even as its popularity has fallen over the past two years.
But in the current debate, there have been no big rallies in Washington, and Tea Party members in Congress seem resigned to the fact that any eventual deal will be one they won't like — and one they'll have little influence over.
Ryan Rhodes, who heads the Iowa Tea Party, doesn't see anything to feel good about as he watches Washington from afar.
"Well, frankly, the way that Republicans are getting beat, and beat essentially from a media perspective ... it's starting to get kind of embarrassing," he says.
Rhodes says the starting proposal put forth by Speaker of the House John Boehner is unacceptable to Tea Party members, and he knows that even that will be weakened as negotiations play out.
Sal Russo, a co-founder of one of the nation's biggest Tea Party groups, the Tea Party Express, says the biggest failure Republicans have had "is getting the debate to be about raising taxes instead of about cutting spending."
Russo insists that Boehner stand firm against raising taxes on upper-income Americans as part of any deal, but he rejects the established Tea Party image as being unwilling to compromise.
"We're not adverse to compromise, and you've got to have the votes. And let's face it, conservatives don't have the votes in the Senate, and we don't have the vote in the White House," he says. "So we can't win everything, but what we can't do is lose everything."
It's a far cry from the bravado of the Tea Party after its big gains in the 2010 midterm elections. But in this year's election, the Tea Party lost about one-sixth of its members in Congress. Now comes the latest to depart — South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, who announced his resignation Thursday. He's going to the top job at the conservative Heritage Foundation.
A new survey in South Carolina — an early Tea Party hotbed — shows a decline in public support as well. Winthrop University professor Scott Huffmon says two years ago, more than 30 percent of South Carolina Republicans and voters leaning Republican said they were Tea Party members. Today, he says, just under 10 percent of those voters describe themselves as members of the Tea Party.
National polls also show a decline. That means less fear of Tea Party retribution. A possible sign of that is a move by GOP leadership in Congress this week stripping four members who have bucked the leadership on key votes of their prime committee assignments. Among them is Tea Party caucus member Tim Huelskamp, a first-term congressman from Kansas who will no longer sit on the budget and agriculture committees.
"In a way, it was clearly vindictive and petty and certainly provides no real ways to enhance how we make decisions here in Washington, D.C.," he says.
But if there have been strong attacks by Tea Party activists about how Boehner is handling these very early stages of talks with the White House, the reaction from many Tea Party members in Congress has been much more careful. Take Arizona Rep. Trent Franks, when asked about Boehner on the topic of the fiscal cliff Thursday:
"I do think he is trying to do the best he can, and I don't want to second-guess him. We'll just have to see what comes back, and I'll do what I believe to be right for the country, no matter what else happens," he said.
There has also been a noticeable absence of any kind of visible Tea Party push. Still, Huffmon of Winthrop University says even though the ranks of the Tea Party are smaller, the issues that gave the movement life are still there.
"They're still floating around. It's sort of like elements in a solution, when you're electroplating. All you have to do is stick a wire in there and run a charge through it," he says, "and I do believe they could be brought back and galvanized."
Huffmon says an eventual deal addressing the so-called fiscal cliff could help provide that charge.
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Transcript
RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
All the back and forth over the budget deficit deadline is frustrating for the Tea Party. The movement is still a force within the GOP, though its popularity has waned over the past two years. During the current debate, there have been no big rallies in Washington, D.C., and Tea Party members in Congress seem resigned to the fact that an eventual deal will be one they won't like and they one they will have little influence over. NPR national political correspondent Don Gonyea has more.
DON GONYEA, BYLINE: It's not been a good past month for Tea Party activists. President Obama won reelection. And now comes the battle over the fiscal cliff. Ryan Rhodes, who heads the Iowa Tea Party, doesn't see anything to feel good about as he watches Washington from afar.
RYAN RHODES: Well, quite frankly, the way that Republicans are getting beat, and beat, essentially, from a media perspective is - it's starting to get kind of embarrassing.
GONYEA: Rhodes says the starting proposal put forth by Speaker of the House John Boehner is unacceptable to Tea Party members, and he knows that even that will be weakened as negotiations play out. Sal Russo is a cofounder of one of the nation's biggest Tea Party groups, the Tea Party Express.
SAL RUSSO: I think the biggest failure that the Republicans have had is getting the debate to be about raising taxes instead of about cutting spending.
GONYEA: Russo insists that Speaker Boehner stand firm against raising taxes on upper-income Americans as part of any deal, but he rejects the established Tea Party image as being unwilling to compromise.
RUSSO: We're not adverse to compromise, and, you know, you've got to have the votes. And let's face it: Conservatives don't have the votes in the Senate, and we don't have the vote in the White House. So we can't win everything, but what we can't do is lose everything.
GONYEA: And that's what he worries about. It's a far cry from the bravado of the Tea Party after its big gains in the 2010 midterm elections. But in this year's election, the Tea Party lost about one-sixth of its members in Congress. Now comes the latest to depart, South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint, who announced his resignation yesterday. He's going to the top job at the conservative Heritage Foundation.
A new survey in South Carolina, an early Tea Party hotbed, shows a decline in public support, as well. Winthrop University professor Scott Huffmon says two years ago, more than 30 percent of South Carolina Republicans and voters leaning Republican said they were a Tea Party member. Today...
SCOTT HUFFMON: Among Republicans and leaners who voted in the 2012 presidential election, just under 10 percent describe themselves as members of the Tea Party.
GONYEA: National polls also show a decline. That means less fear of Tea Party retribution. A possible sign of that is a move by the GOP leadership in Congress this week stripping four Republican members of their prime committee assignments, among them Tea Party caucus member Tim Huelskamp, a first-term congressman from Kansas who will no longer sit on the budget and agriculture committees.
REPRESENTATIVE TIM HUELSKAMP: And so, in a way, it was clearly vindictive and petty, and that certainly provides no real ways to enhance how we make decisions here in Washington, D.C.
GONYEA: But if there have been strong attacks from around the country by Tea Party activists about how Speaker Boehner is handling these very early stages of talks with the White House, the reaction from many Tea Party members in Congress has been much more careful. Take Arizona Congressman Trent Franks, when asked about Boehner on the topic of the fiscal cliff this week.
REPRESENTATIVE TRENT FRANKS: I do think he is trying to do the best he can, and I don't want to second-guess him. We'll just have to see what comes back, and I'll do what I believe to be right for the country, no matter what else happens.
GONYEA: There's also been a noticeable absence of any kind of visible Tea Party push. Still, Winthrop University's Scott Huffmon says even though the ranks of the Tea Party are smaller, the issues that gave the movement life are still there.
HUFFMON: But they're still floating around. It's sort of like, you know, elements in a solution, when you're electroplating. All you have to do is stick a wire in there and run a charge through it, and I do believe they could be brought back and galvanized.
GONYEA: And he says an eventual deal addressing the so-called fiscal cliff could help provide that charge. Don Gonyea, NPR News, Washington. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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