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Tea Party Credited With Giving Brown A Winning Boost

Published January 22, 2010  UPDATED 6:21 PM
Scott Brown's campaign was able to create an energy and enthusiasm that Democrat Martha Coakley could not match. Above, Brown supporters react to his victory Tuesday in Boston. (AP)

Republican Scott Brown was able to create an energy and enthusiasm in his Senate campaign that Democrat Martha Coakley could not match. Above, Brown supporters react to his victory Tuesday in Boston. (AP)

BOSTON — Before the Republican upset on Tuesday, you might not have heard of the Greater Boston Tea Party, once described by its founder as “a loosely affiliated group of right-wing extremists.”

Now the local chapter of a national grassroots movement gets credit for helping build Scott Brown’s unstoppable momentum in the U.S. Senate race.

Christen Varley, the chapter’s founder, said the “right-wing extremists” part was a joke, by the way.

“What we have is a group that is pretty representative of the demographics in Massachusetts,” she said to WBUR’s Bob Oakes in an interview this week. “A majority of us are un-enrolled, some of us are registered Republicans, like myself, and some are registered Democrats.”

While the Tea Party did not endorse any candidate, Varley said the group’s members were inspired by Brown’s shared vision of smaller government. (“I guess if people want to characterize that as right-wing, that’s fine to me.”) She recalls meeting the candidate at a fundraiser in November.

“His eyes lit up, and he’s like, ‘Wow, you guys are an interesting bunch. I’d like to hear more about that,’ ” Varley said.

In the final weeks of the campaign, Brown’s campaign became a nationwide phenomenon, celebrated on conservative talk radio but largely ignored by the mainstream media. Word spread to the national Tea Party Patriots, which pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into television ads for the pickup-driving populist.

Brown’s Democratic rival, on the other hand, barely campaigned after winning her party’s primary election. Only at the last minute, when polls showed her losing ground, did Coakley bring in her party’s heavyweights to campaign.

“Maybe there’s a little bit of credit (we can take) in terms of spreading the word, because I know our members could not wait to get talking to friends and family and neighbors, spreading the word,” Varley said. “Scott said to us, ‘If you like my ideas and you like what I want to do, I need you to help me’ — and our members went out and did that.”

Varley said the Greater Boston Tea Party is not a partisan organization, and Republican candidates will get the same scrutiny as Democrats. In the upcoming race for Massachusetts governor, Varley said she would extend an invitation to meet all candidates.

“I truly believe that the people of our organization are more than fit to look at those principles that they feel strongly about — and then identify for themselves the candidate that fits the bill and then go out and support that candidate.”

Benjamin Swasey contributed to this report.

WBUR Topics: Boston   Politics   Sprint To The Senate  
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  • [...] Read more on WBUR Boston [...]

  • Doc
    Some people do and some just talk about it.
    Plymouth Tea Party.

    Posted by Howiewho on January 25, 2010, at 9:38 AM
  • jeffe
    My lot doesn’t want to control any ideology. “WE the people” are Americans “Democracy” not “socialism” like your lot.

    Posted by Howiewho on January 25, 2010, at 9:34 AM
  • Extremists have become so loud, they’re deafening. And because they shout in perfect sound bites, the media birddog their every rant, however irresponsible or outrageous.

    But we believe the political tide’s about to turn with a vengeance. No matter their party affiliation or lack thereof, Americans are disgusted with those who harass to harass, obstruct to obstruct, tear down to tear down. Compromise, consensus, bridge-building, and respect for differing viewpoints have been the hallmarks of American life as long as there’s been an America. We’re certain they will be again.

    Please read: The Rest of U.S. – Who We Are and What We Stand For

    http://newcentristera.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/the-rest-of-u-s-who-we-are-and-what-we-stand-for/

    If you like it, please circulate to your family, friends, and colleagues. Or perhaps to your favorite extremist!

    Posted by Dr. Ellen Brandt on January 25, 2010, at 4:39 AM
  • democrat, thank you for making my point.

    Posted by jim on January 23, 2010, at 6:04 PM
  • Re : Jim on independents ….

    Jim , I spoke to some of those so called independents and they were clueless to
    the fact Scott Brown record showed he had voted 96% percent of the time with his Republican base. Now that’s some independence in my book. Indeed, he is just part of the same Republican establishment that created this whole mess to begin with.

    I imagine the people in New Orleans can testify to the fact nothing trickled down to
    down in the last decade from Republican economics and tax give aways to the rich except the water that forced them onto their rooftops and some of their neighbors down stream. Their cries to fix aging infrastructure and levelies all went unanswer-
    ed. (They should have lost their public service badges over this a long time ago.)

    Not to mention their unnecessary war on Iraq and the bloodbath it created daily
    and how this all contributed to jacking up the US debt from 6 trillion dollars to 12
    trillion dollars in the last decade and I never heard any of them talking about fiscal
    responsibility or fears about passing their debts along to future generations.

    (So all this ranting and raving by Republican officials and the Tea Party Crowd is a smokescreen for their outright obstructionism towards democratic policies.)

    In the process they not only short changed the poor but the working people of this country and totally ignored over 46 million Americans who have no health insurance or those who couldn’t get treatment for their conditions as they were deemed pre-existing by greed driven Insurance companies.

    Did you know over 40,000 Americans die yearly because this sick business model is
    allowed to fester like a cancer in the US and take the precious lives of our people?

    Plus, they try to derail the stimulus package to help those living on the edge and workers thrown out of their jobs and many out of their homes when the markets failed and had some of their governors and senators stating they were refusing stimulus monies and extending unemployments to such workers in their states.

    It was all so insane and so uncaring…

    At this point I suggesting they turn in their public service badages as they are harm-ful to the people they serve by further allowing predatory companies to poison the air we breath due to their failure to mandate reduced emissions from industry. Not-ing the cost to their bottom lines and profit margin….

    What bologne! This is beyond shameful and it has nothing to do with being a de-mocrat but rather a responsible and caring government. A democrat

    Posted by a democrat on January 23, 2010, at 12:20 PM
  • Wayne, Browns campaign started recruiting Volunteers on BrownBrigade.ning early. Tea party is individuals, not some army. He did raise 1.3 mil at 75$ each. internet=WMD watch out Machine.

    Posted by Howiewho on January 23, 2010, at 11:26 AM
  • jeffe the AD law does mean something, Democracy! A few years back when political party’s controlled,they were somewhat effective.Did you watch Haiti last night? I got a book and read, already gave my 10$. The internet is WMD now. you can run but you can’t hide. The TEA Party is growing and we are independents not libertarians.

    Posted by Howie Anderson on January 23, 2010, at 11:14 AM
  • democrat, you are obviously “not dealing with reality” on what is going on. You care more about your little political party than you do the country, state and citizens.
    That is what drives independents away.
    And you have the audacity to call others fanatical!

    Stop caring about what is good just for your party and start caring what is good for the country, state and all people. Then maybe you will get respect from independent and open minded thinkers.

    Posted by jim on January 23, 2010, at 10:06 AM
  • “Now the local chapter of a national grassroots movement gets credit for helping build Scott Brown’s unstoppable momentum in the U.S. Senate race.”

    Anyone who believes this is not dealing with reality. 80,000 fewer voters cast their
    ballots in Boston in this special election compared with the election of Obama in
    2008 and although the figures were higher in some surrounding red towns with
    some blue towns with independent voters joining in- the overall democratic and
    independent turnout was quite low in comparison. So the above statement is
    lost in its own fiction.

    Democratic candidates should play their hand to their base and a get out the vote campagin and look to include a sizeable independent majority to carry the day and stop being sonewalled by the fanatics in the Tea Party movement. Indeed, ask your electorate to help make them history and spare us all!

    Posted by a democrat on January 23, 2010, at 9:17 AM
  • What do you mean you don’t listen to AD’s?
    Are you saying that laws mean nothing?

    If your lot gain power what will you do to control people who oppose you’re ideology?

    Posted by jeffe on January 23, 2010, at 8:44 AM
  • Another thing I’d like to point out is that the Tea Party folks arose from Ron Paul’s libertarian campaign in 08.
    Kennedy, not Brown, was the libertarian candidate here.

    The support from Tea party folk, as I understand it, came only after Brown’s campaign had gathered its critical momentum, starting with emails in December, but no TParty representatives sent until January.

    OK, I’ll stop there, thanks!

    Posted by wayne on January 22, 2010, at 10:40 PM
  • I volunteered for Brown. I was never political. I knew our country is in trouble.We, His workers were not assoc. with anyone. A lot were tea parties, worked on his campaign. He did not have a lot of money, only 10 paid were employed.We are now a Hugh force. As far as the ruling on Corp. donations. We don’t listen to AD’s, We can’t be brain washed, so the court ruling means nothing to real Americans.We will work for the best person for America, unpaid. We are not prostitutes. In MA I would think barney Frank is done.
    1/22/2010 6:28:31

    Posted by Howie Anderson on January 22, 2010, at 7:38 PM
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