The Tea Party: Turning pro

The Tea Party: Turning pro
- May 9, 2011
- David Meyer, sociology professor, is featured in Roll Call May 9, 2011
From Roll Call:
David Meyer, a sociology professor at the University of California, Irvine, who studies
grass-roots movements, said the tea party faces a "common dilemma" for activists.
"In order for a grass-roots movement to continue, you need paid staff in it - somebody
who gets up in the morning and doesn't have to think about anything else than how
well the tea party is going," he said. Movements on both ends of the political spectrum,
from environmentalists to anti-abortion activists, have relied on professional staff
to lobby lawmakers and keep grass-roots fervor up. "The obvious danger is that they
can become more interested in keeping the organization going than in the cause," he
added. "The people they are hiring are thinking about the movement for sure, but they
are also thinking, 'This is my job.' They know if this movement goes belly up, they've
got to do something else, which may be another job in Washington."
For the full story, please visit http://www.rollcall.com/issues/56_118/Tea-Party-Turning-Pro-With-Paid-Jo....
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