Posted on 02/05/2010 9:50:07 PM PST by dr_who
In recent months, the most influential political party in the country may not be the Republican Party or the Democratic Party, but the Tea Party. This murky, largely leaderless grassroots movement has been the driving force behind the derailment of President Barack Obama's dearest agenda items, notably health care reform and climate change legislation.
What are the goals of this movement? In part, that is the wrong question. The Tea Party effort rejects the notion that a politician or a pundit should define their movement. Rather, citizens themselves will tell us what the movement means.
As their name suggests, these citizens want to revive the ideas at the heart of the American Revolution: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. One chapter in Texas adopted these principles: limited government; fiscal responsibility; personal responsibility and the rule of law.
The quality that gives the Tea Party movement its legitimacy is that it is so fundamentally illegitimate.
Tea Party groups are conducting online polling and deliberations to determine the priorities of the movement. This process will create a "Contract from America" to serve as a template for reforms to come. The most popular ideas now include a flat tax, congressional term limits and abolishing the U.S. Department of Education.
Those ideals and policies sound like what the Republican Party once espoused but have not practiced for at least a decade.
Not surprisingly, establishment conservatives have recently tried to make hay of the Tea Party movement's apparent lack of a recognizable face or national headquarters. Grover Norquist, the Rasputin behind countless conservative organizing activities, has offered tips to Tea Party organizers. Old (and perhaps new again) Republican apparatchiks like Dick Armey and Newt Gingrich have proclaimed their oneness with the Tea Party faithful and essentially offered their services as the movement's leaders. No doubt many Republican leaders would like to direct the energy of the Tea Party against the Obama administration and to receive the votes of these idealists come November.
We pray thee, Tea Partiers: Do not go there.
The quality that gives the Tea Party movement its legitimacy is that it is so fundamentally illegitimate: outside the establishment, bereft of representation on K Street, and without an identifiable face to speak for it on Meet the Press. This is a movement that sprang deep from within the viscera of America, not from some political poll or focus group.
It is not Republican; it is not even conservative. It has no interest in debating the merits of No Child Left Behind, abstinence-only sex education or George W. Bush's rationale for going to Iraq. Replacing a "spend and borrow" Democrat with a "spend and borrow" Republican is not the goal of the Tea Party movement.
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John Samples is director of the Center for Representative Government at the Cato Institute, a libertarian research group in Washington, D.C., and the author of the forthcoming book The Struggle to Limit Government.
This movement is simply saying: "We are fine without you, Washington. Now for the love of God, go attend a reception somewhere, and stop making health care and entrepreneurship more expensive than they already are."
Machiavelli once said a republic stays healthy by returning to its first principles from time to time. The Tea Party movement is trying to get our nation back to its first principles to prevent our decline. For their trouble, they have been denounced by many in the media and the Obama administration.
But they will continue to fight. They still believe in the promise of America. That faith may spread as Election Day approaches in the second and perhaps final year of what is supposed to be the Age of Obama.
What began as angry town meetings and grew into a political movement may end as a third political party in 2012. Maybe then Washington will finally listen.
This is where all the Republicans are worried that a third party will split the vote, keeping the Dems in power...
Good. The time to threaten The Stupid Party with a third-party candidate is before the primaries.
A Tea Party Caucus would be a good idea. But the first thing is to stop Obama.
Well, they sure shouldn’t date the Liberaltarion, or any of those other off-beat, guaranteed to lose, fundless, leaderless and ineffective parties!!!
This is why I don’t trust Cato and I don’t trust libertarians. Republicans created the Tea Party movement. Disaffected Republicans. Republicans who are now in the process of seeing we get Rubio and not Chist, who are determined there will be no more Bob Dole or John Mccain nominees for President.
If there are not enough votes, not enough interest for Republicans to elect constitutionalists in the primaries, the third party the OP speaks of is DOA.
Good. The time to threaten The Stupid Party with a third-party candidate is before the primaries.
Yeah, H. Ross Perot did a pretty good job of that, too... and we got Clinton... LOL...
I don't think anyone got any smarter as a result of that... :-)
The Democrats are going to love you -- giving them permanent control of the House, the Senate and the Presidency ... for many elections to come... what a Democrat wet dream come true... LOL...
1994.
YOU are the ones the RATS love. They fear people like me. As do Republicans.
Which is the way it should be.
I'm with you.
In fact, I don't trust anyone who cowardly flees from the label "social conservative."
No, no, no, and no!
I thought the guys at the Cato Institute were supposed to be the bright bulbs on our side.
Do they really think that we're stupid enough to repeat 1992?
Sheeesh....!
No one fears you. Obama enablers are 12 year olds trying their best to be adults.
Oh, you wacky Specter Republicans. You are the witty ones.
too bad. republicans can straighten up if they want my vote. most of the trash in DC is unfit for office..we and the country deserve better..something betther than criminals.
T party members do not have to date the GOP. If they get their names on the primary ballot for committeeman (aka committee captain), they can take over the GOP.
Only ELECTED captains can vote for party leadership. The captains influence the party platform. They get to endorse candidates. The people they endorse often carry their precincts. It only takes 10 signatures to get on the ballot.
There are many open seats where you could run unopposed. Your duties would only take about 3 hours per month.(Plenty of time for your additional activities).
T party Democrats can do the same in their party if they don’t want to join GOP. Independents can pick a party, or convince a conservative friend to run. If your precinct already has a great precinct captain, get to know them, help them, and influence them.
If we do this every year with out let up we will be successful in returning our country to what it should be, and shrinking the bloated federal bureaucracy.
Specter is your guy, another Obama enabler
The Tea Party has created greaater fear with the DemonRATs. Their only way to counter what the Tea Party is doing is to somehow turn it into a third party. This tactic will prove to be wishful thinking. The Tea Party will take over the apparatus of the Republican Party and use it to save this nation from absolute destruction. No need to create a third party. The machine is standing by all ready warmed up.
The Tea Party has successfully appealed to the uncommitted independent who, because of the failure they see with the Obama regime, are very fearful and frustrated. Through the Tea Party Movement, independents are being transformed by the conservative message. Independents are finding out it is all right to stand up for their convictions and give up their get along Charley philosophy. They are finding out that if they do nothing, the government will take it from them.
Rush spoke about this transformation last week. The Tea Party is causing independents to vote Republican. It has brought new life into the Republican Party. And the Republican Party everyone thought was road kill has now been brought back to life. How? The conservative message seemed before to be just empty words that spoke about political theories that did not relate to reality. However, with the events brought forth by the Obama regime, the conservative message has taken on a reality that people can relate to. The Obama regime is the embodiment of everything the conservative message opposes. The Tea Party Movement has provided that incubator in which the conservative message can grow in the minds of new believers. The Republican Party will also be transformed by the insurgents of this revitalized conservatism and, with their energy, become a machine that will transform the political landscape.
They fear people like me. As do Republicans.
Ahhh..., there's nothing better than to be a "legend in one's own mind"... LOL...
That’s working out really good these days, isn’t it... LOL...
I wouldn’t go that far. Libertarians and conservatives are involved in this movement. Disaffected Republicans, Independents and even some Democrat’s. None agree on every position but common ground has been found and as long as the movement sticks to pursing the issues we DO agree on it will grow and become even more powerful. I don’t distrust libertarians involved. I only distrust those on either side that would try to hijack this movement into something it wasn’t intended to be.
Now as to where it would go? the more intriguing idea I heard was that we shouldn’t limit it. Some have suggested third party. Some co-opt the Republican party. I’ve not been hostile to the third party but favored co-opted the GOP. However, the latest idea kicked around in a few circles is to take over both parties. Sponser primary challenges for Democrats and Republicans. I’m leaning towards this idea.
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