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THE QUESTION
Success and leadership
Q: The tea-party movement doesn't want a single leader. After all, the last thing it wants is to become part of the "establishment." But in recent primaries, tea-party candidates ended up battling each other, enabling some incumbents to win. Does a successful organization need a leader to steer the boat? Or is it enough for the upstarts to oppose the "old guard" on principle and to agree on some key ideas?
Posted by
Success Editors on June 17, 2010 12:00 AM
FROM THE PANEL
Pro, not con
The "tea party" movement is actually the first major political movement to grow up very quickly thru the use of social networking tools. But sometimes the wisdom of mobs does not lead to ultimate victory.
Posted by Raul J. Fernandez, on June 17, 2010 4:31 PM
Toward or against?
Political movements and leaders who 'move against' tend to become more associated over time with complaining and bomb throwing and less with productive movement.
Posted by Hile Rutledge, on June 17, 2010 3:07 PM
Broadening the dialogue
Whether or not one believes in the issues promoted by the tea party is immaterial. They are a fact of our political process and should be viewed in that context.
Posted by Cleve Francis, on June 17, 2010 12:44 AM
Responsibly partying
There's a term for a boat with no steering mechanism; we call it 'adrift.' If you don't have a leader, you do not have any ... what's the word? ... followers!
Posted by Garrison Wynn, on June 17, 2010 12:00 AM
Anarchy's progeny
The tea-party movement is legitimate dissent, but some of its claims are way off base. The real Boston Tea Party wasn't about rejecting taxation at all; the idea was that taxation was legitimate only if imposed by elected leaders.
Posted by Patricia McGuire, on June 17, 2010 12:00 AM
Ideas are enduring
The Tea Party movement's message -- and votes -- cannot be ignored. We shall see about the staying power of this political movement.
Posted by Jan Scruggs, on June 17, 2010 12:00 AM
Keeping it going
The tea party is good television. But if they want to be more than a sideshow they'll need to do more than wave signs around. They'll have to find a way to appeal to a broader range of voters. They'll need to check their facts.
Posted by Nell Minow, on June 16, 2010 11:51 PM
