Do the Tea Party Express protests and similar events sway lawmakers?

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Law Debates

16 Contributors
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Yes
69% of users

  • Yes, even though I feel a bit jaded about our government, I still believe lawmakers listen to their constituents.

    I think it is true that the squeaky wheel always gets the grease. And, I believe that protests and other newsworthy events and rallies do sway lawmakers. I am not sure that a lawmaker would admit to "listening" to these fringe elements, but how could they help but be influenced by what is going on in the world?

    Yes NoisyAlva89

  • The Tea Party Express protests sway lawmakers, in that they recognize potential voting blocks that they can manipulate.

    Lawmakers are primarily controlled by their corporate masters. But, protesters, such as the Tea Party, do tend to sway lawmakers, by virtue of their size and the amount of their media coverage. Most lawmakers would be considered idiotic to ignore a large voting block that yells loud enough to be heard.

    Yes BrownDustin82

  • Large protests and political movements often sway lawmakers who either fear angry voters or are looking to pick up supporters and donations.

    Political movements such as the Tea Party Express do have an impact on lawmakers. Politicians are very aware that their political survival depends on winning the next election. The easiest way to do that is to have a large group of supporters and donations. Groups such as the Tea Party Express can provide that support. Therefore, a sitting politician is very likely to take into consideration a political protest movement like the Tea Party Express.

    Yes EminentBennett93

  • The Tea Party and other public expressions of approval or disapproval influence lawmakers, but not as much as the money that is poured into the war chests of candidates for office.

    Lawmakers have recently begun more to resemble weather vanes, rather than statesmen. They indicate which way the wind is blowing. Their primary consideration has become how to get re-elected. The long-term, or even the short-term, effects of legislation have been been obscured. As human "weather vanes", legislators are swayed by protests, rallies, how many jokes are told on late night TV and Saturday Night Live, as well as by YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and any other venue in which the public can express even the silliest and most unsubstantiated beliefs. The Constitution guarantees us the right to free speech, but it does not require that speech to reflect intelligent thought. Yes, of course legislators are swayed by these things. In the short term, these events and words reflect an impressive level of ignorance, lack of information, and abundance of misinformation. Let us contemplate how these trends will impact our country. If we elect legislators based on their willingness to bow down to the pollsters, they will presumably be bad legislators. They will pass bad legislation. I have confidence that Americans will realize that that they are electing fools, and will begin, eventually, to elect good legislators. But then, I have always been an optimist.

    Yes CI3Iike

  • Protesters, such as the tea party, are designed to raise awareness of an issue, and politicians and lawmakers cannot ignore these protesters.

    Lawmakers and politicians are elected by the general public, thus a great deal of their time goes into making sure the public receives some form of acknowledgment. Public protests draw attention from those in the public eye, and they would be naive to not make some attempt to appease the public.

    Yes danielleduce

  • The Tea Party Express protests serve as a signal to lawmakers for how voters want the country to be run.

    Tea Party Express protests, as well as similar politically-motivated demonstrations, are an effective way to demonstrate to lawmakers the will of the people. When large numbers of people come out to express their desires on a given topic, lawmakers see that a large block of voters have a strong opinion on this topic, and may alter their decision making in response. Because lawmakers are put in office by voters, seeing that voters are unhappy with a certain course of action may force these lawmakers to reconsider their approach, in order to improve chances of re-election.

    Yes MiIBoot

  • Yes, politicians are affected by grass roots activities, especially those growing in popularity.

    Politicians pay close attention to polls, protests and what issues are important to the general populace. They are aware that voters can vote them out of office if they do not show obvious attention and take efforts to address their expressed concerns. If the grass roots movements are gaining in popularity lawmakers need take notice or they risk being replaced in the next election.

    Yes NettN355

  • Yes the Tea Party Express protests sway lawmakers. They are a large, vocal, and highly organized group.

    The Tea Party movement is one of the most recognizable political movements in the past decade. For better or worse they have garnered significant press coverage and therefore reach a very large audience. Their are very vocal, very powerful, and highly organized. These factors, I believe, make them a significant force in the political landscape. Because of this, lawmakers (especially those in the Republican Party) have no choice but to adapt their legislation.

    Yes IarsChrome

  • I oppose against the tea party as it is not fair what they have done.

    I believe that the court is providing a judgment without affecting lawyer or public people. This is clearly seen in the case of a girl who is raped in Delhi, but the court gave a correct judgment.

    Yes labellemorte

  • Lawmakers do not want to alienate any potential voters, including tea party members.

    Lawmakers are out of a job if they aren't elected by popular vote. This means their views are often as main stream as possible, as inoffensive as possible, in order to appeal to the broadest majority. If they sense that a tea party position is gaining popularity and acceptance, it behooves them to incorporate that position into their platform.

    Yes Prinzess

  • I agree that the Tea Party Express protests and similar events sway lawmakers.

    I believe that people in general go by what the masses say. So when loud protests are expressed vehemently there is a great influence on the minds of the lawmakers to get swayed to the tone of the protests. This often leads to the lawmakers giving a patient and listening ear more that what is required to the the Tea Party Express protests.

    Yes P4rkGree
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No
31% of users

  • The Tea Party prevents laws much more than it generates them.

    Members of the Tea Party have a right to protest, just as anyone else. However, as their requests are so strong, they really should learn how to compromise and not simply complain. Their actions stall laws and anger lawmakers and citizens. They have an "all talk and no action" quality that simply does not work.

    No SpikyWesley

  • I don't believe the Tea Party Express protests and similar events sway lawmakers because, while they are certainly flashy, they have no real political truth behind them.

    I believe the Tea Party Express events do not sway lawmakers. These events are big and seem important, sure. But, in truth, the members of the Tea Party Express do not even seem to understand what they stand for, or what the Tea Party was in the Revolutionary War days. They protest taxation, but the original Tea Party was about taxation on goods like tea, sugar and other basic household items, from a country that had little to do with America. Our country is currently in recession and in vast amounts of debt, coupled with some of the lowest taxes we have had in years, thanks to the Bush era tax cuts and their recent extension. Why protest taxation, when we really are not being taxed at all?

    No CompleteJerrod

  • The Tea Party Express protests and similar events do not sway lawmakers.

    The Tea Party Express protests and similar events do not sway lawmakers because the lawmakers know what is good for us even when we don't agree with them. The lawmakers have their own agenda and listen to no one. The one message that they can clearly understand is the message sent in November.

    No JamieM

  • No, because instead, I would like to think that lawmakers are open-minded enough to take an overall view of a situation, and then decide appropriately.

    Lawmakers are educated professional individuals who are capable of weighing the arguments on both sides. They have to take into account an overview of the situation and not just one small segment, so that the final judgment is for the benefit of the majority of citizens, and not one narrow group of individuals.

    No NorbyM4d3

  • The outrageous nature of their rhetoric precludes any possibility of taking them seriously.

    Signs can be seen at Tea Party protests calling the President a "communist" or a "socialist," in addition to inflammatory racist accusations. Associating oneself with this kind of over-the-top name calling is not acceptable for actual politicians.

    No eclair910
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Do the Tea Party Express protests and similar events sway lawmakers?
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