This is Part II of my essay on why the Tea Party should remain small and localized to maintain its momentum, strength and impact.
If the Tea Party tries to go “national” it will collapse on its own weight like the Democratic and Republican parties are doing now. Except it will collapse faster and more easily because it is new and amateurish. And then it will be absorbed back into the three groups -- Dems, GOP and independents -- because people will be disillusioned, once again, by the political process that does not work, but keeps getting repeated. Doing the same thing gets the same results.
Scott Brown was not elected because of the Massachusetts Tea Party. He was elected because people wanted to say no to government’s socialist trend – specifically the movements to take over healthcare, automobiles and energy.
Currently history looks like it's going to be repeated with the Tea Party. It will be a paragraph in history books ten years from now. If we act now, it can still exist in ten years and continue to help keep this country on track. But it will take the same discipline the Tea Party movement is asking of our Congress -- to limit yourselves.
Desire to grow bigger is part of the problem. It is not the solution. People think "we must do more!" Not true. There is huge power and sense in doing nothing. Being "the party of 'No'" was the most powerful thing for the Republicans this past year. Refusing to buy in to the Left's panicked cry of "We Must Do Something!" was wonderful, and the right thing to do with “Comprehensive Healthcare” takeover and Cap n Trade (energy takeover) movements. Those campaigns were a jump off a political cliff into a new regulatory depth and power over individuals and private business that the government simply should not have. And it was stopped by saying no.
Limited government starts with the individual. And it’s time for the Tea Party to limit itself to a few basic tenets in small, localized groups, and keep itself more like states – not a federal government. Do not "go national". Don't try to be a party competiting with the Big Two. The Tea Party should limit its focus to rallying more and more people to make the system work again -- by getting more people to be active in politics – starting with the simplest of activities: VOTING.
Look for part 3 next week.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Right again RayH. The Tea Party must remain true to a simple set of ideals, those embodied in the Constitution. We must vocally back candidates and reforms* that take us back to a constitutional government.
ReplyDelete*reform is a bad word in that reforms would call for more legislation.
Well-identified and well-said, Ray. Anything large and unwieldy will collapse under the weight of its own absurdity. The most effective, long-reaching, long-lasting movements in human history were done by ordinary people doing ordinary things in the community around them, such as voting, supporting conservative candidates of whatever party, constantly contacting your congressmen and women, staying aware of what's going on, helping others stay aware (like this blog is doing). The worse thing the Tea Party could do is become it's own party, wrapped up in politics and power, just like the others. Let it continue to exist by the people for the people.
ReplyDelete