2011
A few thoughts on the Tea Party:
Let me begin by stating that I am not a member of The Tea Party, and have never attended one of their gatherings. However, like many other Americans, this hasn’t prevented me from forming opinions about this movement which is clearly impacting the current political debate that is so critical to our future. I do not think anybody can deny that they have been effective in generating consistent dialog that has affected the way our elected leaders debate. They have not only gotten many new Republicans elected, they have actually managed to keep the majority of them committed to the movement’s principles afterwards. While they have not accomplished anything toward reaching helpful compromises, they have certainly drawn a line in the sand that appears to be mainly labeled…no more spending and no more taxes. While many in the media and the opposition, and even neutral bystanders, are critical of this rigidity in thinking…it has at least forced all politicians to at least acknowledge that our debt challenges must be faced, and now! Of course many believe that for them to primarily focus on debt without the added context of our untenable unemployment challenges is a mistake.
To me as an outsider they appear to have a fairly simple platform. It is to make sure that we are governed under a strict interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, particularly its limits on the size and scope of government. And I have heard them state that any who argue with that intent should remember that all federal office holders take an oath to do just that. As good as that idea sounds; I truly believe that their intentions will never come to full fruition as long as they are perceived to be a movement of only the Republican Party. They strongly deny this fact and will point out that this is a movement of ordinary people from all facets of our political spectrum. They also point out that this “Republican only” perception is fueled by a mainly liberal media and opponents to limited government principles. However, not one Democrat was sponsored or supported by the Tea Party during the last election cycle. To this charge the Tea party leaders respond that not one Democratic Party linked candidate identified themselves as supporting limited government. Here’s my radical suggestion for the Tea Party; Ask all current Tea Party supporters to re-register as Independents, or Unaffiliated as it is called in North Carolina. This would offer the opportunity for any who are currently registered as Democrats or Independents to more easily consider supporting the positions that the Tea Party espouses without being forced to re-label or think of themselves as just Republicans. If the leadership is truly as non-partisan and unbiased as they claim this should be an easily adoptable strategy. If the Tea party truly does represent a broad spectrum of Americans…wouldn’t this move be quite easy to make? As long as the perception exists that the Tea Party is only a Republican movement, those who believe in the values of the opposite party will never be able support most of their ideas. Thus this partisan battle between the two parties will only continue the “politics as usual” that has so blocked the compromises that must be found. To continue to be perceived as a part of the Republican Party but with a more rigid set of principles simply does not appear to me to allow much if any improvement in the current stalemate. I also wish the Tea Party could provide more concrete solutions instead of simply no spending and no taxes. How about campaign reform, balanced budget, and term limit amendments to our Constitution that they so favor in governing us? To my way of thinking, these stated objectives could then help in making sure that those elected to represent we the people do exactly that instead of the dangerous path that their following the powerful lobbies has us on today. If our federal congress refuses to sponsor these amendments for the states to vote on, then the Tea Party could lead the process from the states side. I’m sure there are other even better ideas for a possible specific platform for the highly energized Tea Party? I think that they will have to become more broadly unifying and specific with regard to ideas, actions, and processes in order to encourage more citizens to support this movement. We desperately need a unifying movement driven by we the people because it is clear that we cannot trust our elected leaders to take on these responsibilities.
As usual, these are my opinions. What do you think?
Please visit:
Citizens Against Politics As Usual
http://capau.org
Lee's Political Opinion
http://leespoliticalopinion.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment