Tensions are arising between the Washington based Tea Party groups and local Tea Party activists who envision their own groups as being among Washington adversaries.
The New York Times reports that “The still-emerging Tea Party movement is not merely waging war against the Republican establishment this year. Some of its more heated disputes are coming from within.”
Many local Tea Party organizations are now finding themselves at odds with Washington Tea Party groups, accusing them of losing touch with those at the local level:
“It worked well when they communicated with us on the ground,” Patrick Bonnett, chairman of the Conservative Coalition of Nebraska, said of the Washington groups. “It breaks down when they unilaterally get involved in our local races, even if it’s in federal campaigns, and endorse and start spending money.”
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Initially, the national groups saw themselves as shepherds of a grass-roots Tea Party flock, but they have since taken on an electoral role, cultivating candidates and choosing sides. But they have struggled to come up with candidates at times, and some of their contenders have stumbled badly.
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