Those of us in the ground swell of the Tea Party movement know that it virtually is impossible to have a growing group of rallying citizens without some sort of discrediting issue. Whether individual(s) or the movement, it is striking the lack of any self-inflicted wound in excess of its one year existence would be so clear of any proof that malcontents usually associated with any large movement would sabotage it or fall under its own weight. Given a defeat of a core issue of Obamacare preceded by Stimulus packages and the heightened government regulations of the auto industries, one would think dejected Tea Partiers would head to the hills instead of Capitol Hill; that the bitterness from watching our unfolding nightmare would have us reach for the Tylenol Extra strength as we return home to deposit protest signs in the dumpster for trash pickup; that we would return to the couch position and find therapy in an “I Love Lucy” sitcom, or embrace anything that would distract us from our recently deflated passion of calling for less government, less spending, and less taxation. After all, look at the names we’ve been called by our representatives and media: astroturf, gun toting citizens, religious zealots, the fringe, racists, homophobes, wing-nuts, rightwing extremists and the angry mob. What must our neighbors, our co-workers, our church think of such a bunch of troublemakers who purportedly used spit, the ‘n’ word, troubling posters, objectionable town hall outbursts by a disrespectful fringe, clinging to its guns? Not since the slings and arrows against Ross Perot’s independent political party have such publically venomous attacks been waged warrantlessly against a large proportion of unorganized and leaderless U.S. citizens.
Yet, the once obscure Tea Party, largely media and politically ignored in early 2009, is blossoming a year later onto the political scene with enthusiastic sentiments of conservative populism that the two major dysfunctional parties could only wish for. But the Tea Party is not a political party nor cultists nor inconsequential. Few disagree today that it is grassroots, everyday housewives, men with conviction, and many elderly who have seen much since WWII, all of whom, as the ‘greatest generation’, underscore the need to stop the erosion and return to foundational principles of less government and more free enterprise. Constitutional verbiage is coming from the bottom up; a strange sight to see given our representatives were the ones sworn to uphold it. Even town hall attendees had more in-depth knowledge than our paid non-representing representatives. Once considered the ‘silent majority’ of the right of center, there is no soft underbelly of a weary consensus of ‘go along to get along’ inbred with a perverted political correctness. What we have is a reformation movement with a solution. Follow our founding documents.
It’s strength seems to be resilient for each time a dart is thrown, it becomes stronger. One protester had his finger cut off; others suffered unsupported racist attacks but were vindicated by dozens of cameras and audios as nonexistent, despite a $100,000.00 reward for such evidence. But Union members physically attacked a seller of political buttons and a recent Tea Party Express bus was pelted by eggs from supporters of the Union as video shows. Each time the Tea Party is baited with name calling, your average mom and pop neighbor gets more passionate and vindicated for their Ghandized nonviolent stance. Their signs were not put into the trash but were stuffed in their garage, or in their trunk, or under a bed; ready to be used to fight again another day. The current leadership of both houses and the presidency, have exacerbated wrongheaded DC. bubble solutions with both sides of the aisle entrenched with statism that leaves the only real ‘public option’; the ballot box. If the Tea Party can keep itself Teflon clean on the major issues and refuses to succumb to race baiters and corruptible compromises, perhaps we’ll see principle above party win the day.
