Eger, William Edmond

William Edmond Eger is currently attending the University of Pennsylvania. His book; “Analyzing the Divisions in the Tea Party Movement: The Varieties of American Political Passion” won the 2012 Thomas T. Hoopes Prize from Harvard University.

Analyzing the Divisions in the Tea Party Movement. The Varieties of American Political Passion

2012 0-7734-3065-2
In doing field work and observing Tea Party rallies, Eger discovered that the majority of its members were fiscally conservative, but socially liberal. This caused many divisions and splintering amongst its members, because its agenda was divided between social conservatives and progressives. This explains the rapid decline of its prominence since 2010. Even though the mainstream media (especially Fox News) wants to depict it as socially conservative, the biggest factions tend to be more liberal in the ‘culture war’ areas. This also shows just how out of touch the media usually is with grassroots organizers.