--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Make no mistake about it. These are not…" description: "\"Make no mistake about it. These are not 'kookie' birds. Right now the greatest player, the big tent on the political scene in America, is called the Te..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/982/dick-armey-16265_america_make-no-mistake-about-it-these-are-not-k_2355430.jpg" --- # Make no mistake about it. These are not 'kookie' birds… ![“Make no mistake about it. These are not 'kookie' birds. Right now the greatest player, the big tent on the political scene in America, is called the Tea Party movement.” quote by Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/982/dick-armey-16265_america_make-no-mistake-about-it-these-are-not-k_2355430.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/982/dick-armey-16265_america_make-no-mistake-about-it-these-are-not-k_2355430.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/982/dick-armey-16265_america_make-no-mistake-about-it-these-are-not-k_2355430.jpg) > “Make no mistake about it. These are not 'kookie' birds. Right now the greatest player, the big tent on the political scene in America, is called the Tea Party movement.” [Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Tea Party represents a dominant force in current U.S. politics, despite being labeled negatively. **In simple terms:** Tea Party is a major political force. Key Takeaway Recognize its influence in political strategy. Themes politics movement power Mood critical analytical Type political observational When to use this quote - election campaigns - policy debates - media coverage Key Concepts grassroots activism conservative ideology Questions to Reflect On - What impact does the Tea Party have on legislation? - How does media framing affect public perception? A Different Perspective Labeling can oversimplify complex movements. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) [Called Tea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-tea-1039605/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) [Party Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party-movement-312274/) [Player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/player/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political Scene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-scene-2436063/) [Right now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-now/) [Scene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scene/) [Tea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tea/) [Tea party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tea-party/) [Tea party movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tea-party-movement/) [Tent Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tent-political-5749047/) [Tents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tents/) ## Related quotes > [The tea party movement and its passion arose in response to trillion dollar deficits as far as the eye can see and out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-fleischer/the-tea-party-movement-and-its-passion-arose-in-response-to-trillion/) [Ari Fleischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-fleischer/) > [It is not an overstatement to say that Obamacare was the single most important catalyst leading to the tea party movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-limbaugh/it-is-not-an-overstatement-to-say-that-obamacare-was-the-single-most/) [David Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-limbaugh/) > [I think that's what activates the Tea Party Movement. What they see is the government interfering with their lives and with the inheritance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharron-angle/i-think-that-s-what-activates-the-tea-party-movement-what-they-see-is/) [Sharron Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharron-angle/) > [The Republican Party would be really smart to absorb as much of the Tea Party movement as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-palin/the-republican-party-would-be-really-smart-to-absorb-as-much-of-the/) [Sarah Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-palin/) > [The Tea Party movement itself is maybe 15, 20 percent of the electorate. It's relatively affluent, white, nativist. You know, it has rather traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-tea-party-movement-itself-is-maybe-15-20-percent-of-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The Tea Party movement as I perceive it is all about recognizing the difference between state and federal powers. And that there are limits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-lee/the-tea-party-movement-as-i-perceive-it-is-all-about-recognizing-the/) [Mike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-lee/) > [The Tea Party movement is we the people who have been taxed enough already. I think that folks forget that this is not an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharron-angle/the-tea-party-movement-is-we-the-people-who-have-been-taxed-enough/) [Sharron Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharron-angle/) > [My political views have since I was a kid someway or another reflected the concerns of Tea Party movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-lee/my-political-views-have-since-i-was-a-kid-someway-or-another/) [Mike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-lee/) > [The tea party movement has challenged the GOP to get back on track or risk losing its grip on the right wing. It's reminded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-loesch/the-tea-party-movement-has-challenged-the-gop-to-get-back-on-track-or/) [Dana Loesch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-loesch/) > [People ask me if I'm the father of the Tea Party movement... I was the spark... that started it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santelli/people-ask-me-if-i-m-the-father-of-the-tea-party-movement-i-was-the/) [Rick Santelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santelli/) > [I think the Tea Party movement is great. I think anybody who has been frustrated over the last few years with the Republicans and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-quayle/i-think-the-tea-party-movement-is-great-i-think-anybody-who-has-been/) [Ben Quayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-quayle/) > [The Tea Party movement is a wide and diverse group. It will hurt the Republican Party if some elements of the Tea Party decide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-rove/the-tea-party-movement-is-a-wide-and-diverse-group-it-will-hurt-the/) [Karl Rove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-rove/) > [If you look underneath the surface of the Tea Party movement, on the other hand, you will find that it is not sophisticated. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-rove/if-you-look-underneath-the-surface-of-the-tea-party-movement-on-the/) [Karl Rove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-rove/) > [But I think the - what the tea party movement demonstrates, and I think the, the, the enthusiasm that we're seeing from independents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornyn/but-i-think-the-what-the-tea-party-movement-demonstrates-and-i-think/) [John Cornyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cornyn/) > [The Tea Party movement started in late 2008 as a rejection of President George W. Bush's bailout of the auto industry and Obama's excessive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-pavlich/the-tea-party-movement-started-in-late-2008-as-a-rejection-of/) [Katie Pavlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-pavlich/) ## More by Dick Armey > [ \[T\]he tax code has been piling up, year after year, a symbol of everything gone wrong in America, of arrogant rulers and lost freedom,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-armey/t-he-tax-code-has-been-piling-up-year-after-year-a-symbol-of/) [Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/) > [I don't believe America will justifiably make an unprovoked attack on another nation. It would not be consistent with what we have been as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-armey/i-don-t-believe-america-will-justifiably-make-an-unprovoked-attack-on/) [Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/) > [America's Christian conservative movement is confronted with this divide: small-government advocates who want to practice their faith independent of heavy-handed government versus big-government sympathizers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-armey/america-s-christian-conservative-movement-is-confronted-with-this/) [Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/) > [In my view, immigrants today aren't any different from immigrants who have come to America throughout our nation's history. They bring new ideas, an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-armey/in-my-view-immigrants-today-aren-t-any-different-from-immigrants-who/) [Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/) > [Because the American people champion liberty, more people in the world live free today than at any time in history. Yet, there is more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-armey/because-the-american-people-champion-liberty-more-people-in-the-world/) [Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/) > [My own view would be to let Saddam bluster, let him rant and rave all he wants. As long as he behaves himself within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-armey/my-own-view-would-be-to-let-saddam-bluster-let-him-rant-and-rave-all/) [Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/) > [Virtually all bad ideas come from universities, bad ideas that only survive when insulated from reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-armey/virtually-all-bad-ideas-come-from-universities-bad-ideas-that-only/) [Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/) > [I would be looking up from a pool of blood and hearing my wife ask 'How do I reload this thing'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-armey/i-would-be-looking-up-from-a-pool-of-blood-and-hearing-my-wife-ask/) [Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/) > [Politics will sooner or later make fools of everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-armey/politics-will-sooner-or-later-make-fools-of-everybody/) [Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/) > [We're going to have a tax cut. Today's American family is overtaxed at all levels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-armey/we-re-going-to-have-a-tax-cut-today-s-american-family-is-overtaxed-at/) [Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/) > [Programs that pay farmers not to farm often devastate rural areas. The reductions hurt everyone from fertilizer companies to tractor salesmen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-armey/programs-that-pay-farmers-not-to-farm-often-devastate-rural-areas-the/) [Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/) > [The average family pays more in taxes than it spends on food, clothing, and shelter combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-armey/the-average-family-pays-more-in-taxes-than-it-spends-on-food-clothing/) [Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/) > [The arrangement was simply FreedomWorks paid Glenn Beck money and Glenn Beck said nice things about FreedomWorks on the air. I saw that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-armey/the-arrangement-was-simply-freedomworks-paid-glenn-beck-money-and/) [Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/) > [The reason families need two incomes today is not to support themselves but to support the government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-armey/the-reason-families-need-two-incomes-today-is-not-to-support/) [Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/) > [You can't get ahead while getting even.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-armey/you-can-t-get-ahead-while-getting-even/) [Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/) [Explore all 40 Dick Armey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Make no mistake about it. These are not 'kookie' birds. 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