Why I support the TEA Party

Recently I was asked why I don’t go all in with support for the Republican Party and their candidates because this is the party which more closely defines my values and that the TEA Party is not helping the cause.  They stated that the “purpose of political parties is to win elections.  Unless a political party can attract voters, it can not win.  In a multi-racial, and often bi-lingual society, winning usually requires some give and take.  Otherwise, it isn't a choice for governing, but for war”.  This assumes I support either of the established parties.  I don't, however, I truly believed that Mitt Romney was the right man for the Presidency at the right time in our history so I supported him and voted for him.  In 2008, I had no interest in seeing either of the established party candidates sitting in the WH so I didn't vote for either, opting instead for Ralph Nader who actually put up a platform I could support.

There does come a time when one has to stand up and be counted for their beliefs.  Standing up for a candidate just because he is the lesser of two evils is the reason why our two party political system is destroying the country, IMO.  The generational trend of having the government offer subsidies to the citizens in the form of entitlement programs and corporate donors in the form of tax benefits and huge government contracts has created a nation of dependency and it occurs through the acts of both established parties.

Ted Cruz stood up for principle.  The ObamaCare program is a travesty and he was right to stand up against it.  Was it the best way to proceed, I believe that it wasn't because it was an attempt to combine the cost of ObamaCare with the overall budget and the looming debt limit.  There were better ways to address the budgetary issues and not give Obama the upper hand, but at the time, Senator Cruz didn't know just how bad the ObamaCare rollout would be, so he was acting in good faith.

So now let’s address the issue of the TEA Party and it's growing pains.  Certainly there are mistakes being made, some of which have been outlined.  Having a group of idealistic citizens go up against the entrenched parties will always be met with resistance and having those citizens be marginalized is par for the course, in the short term. But I do believe that as the old saying goes, all politics is local and I honestly believe the majority of the citizens when it gets down to the local grassroots level, agree with Senator Cruz and the TEA Party platform.  I see it every day in the local coffee shops,in  the beer halls and at the local barber shops.  I see it with the college students I speak with when I return to my college campus for seminars and business support gatherings.  I witness it when I attend small business development conferences and conventions. Certainly there are naysayers, but when specifics are discussed, the majority agree with what the TEA Party represents.

Additionally, there is one more element which comes into play and is a real threat to the established parties.  This new element is the instantaneous communication afforded by access to the internet.  10 years ago, we could not use the FaceBook or the blogosphere to discuss our discontent, we could not Tweet the whereabouts of a TEA Party meeting in our local communities, we could not mount an instant effort to advise our "representatives" of the fact that we do not support a bill  they are willing to vote in favor of and most importantly, we could not immediately let them know that we were watching when they voted for that bill anyway and that as a result, we will be looking for someone else to support.

As we have seen over the past 3 national election cycles, the TEA Party candidates, although working through the Republican Party, are gaining ground and the quality of the candidates seeking office is showing dramatic improvement while the quality of the upcoming Democratic and incumbent Republican candidates remains incredibly self absorbed and dismal.   We as a nation need more of the self reliant American spirit to reach the surface and the TEA Party members bring the true ideals of the American spirit to the office. It may take some more time and it won't happen without additional scars and/or lost elections, but I do believe the TEA Party will become the dominant political party in our nation or the nation as we knew it will not survive. 

2012 ELECTION

Recently I have been asked to gauge the electability of the Republicrat candidates. I do keep my finger on the pulse somewhat and I also know that presidential politics is different than statewide legislative politics. I personally think a flying monkey should be able to beat Obama in November, but then I also believe in the inherent intellect of the American people and their ability to do the right thing. That hasn't done so well for me of late.

Our current political system, a system of symbiotic relationships between government and BIG business, totally screws "we the people". Today’s Democratic Republic, more closely resembles an Oligarchy than a democracy. Business promotes its interest by spending money on the politicians and the politicians accept the money agreeing to “go along to get along”. We the People, get screwed because we aren’t allowed into the game.

So, how do we solve this problem? In the past “we the people” used ingenuity and were part of a society which was willing to pull itself up through a strong work ethic and the value of a good education. Not everyone was treated fairly, but everyone still understood these core values and strived to attain them.

Unfortunately, in an attempt to right perceived wrongs and offer a helping hand in the name of benevolence, the evolving professional political class went overboard with the notion of equality for everyone. Unfortunately, this resulted in a lower standard for everyone rather than a higher standard. Attempting to right this mistake meant that the political class would just throw money at the problem in the dual hope that it would buy votes and then go away, at least as long as they were in office.

So, here we are, a national education system which is a disgrace, creating a middle class with a surprising percentage of people who don't understand how to write properly or add without a calculator. We have enabled a governing class which has stepped in to over regulate our lives to the extent that we are extremely limited in our capacity to effect any change. The scales of justice have tilted towards the “empowered” class of politicians and big business which panders to each other while trampling on the everyday American.

Back on point, here is my assessment of the Republicrat campaign:

1) The Republicrat nomination process will go through to at least the second ballot at the convention and probably longer before the nominee is decided. In my opinion this is a good thing because it will air the dirty laundry of all the candidates to the point it will be old news.

2) The debates will continue which will keep the Republicrat candidates in the limelight and enable them to outline their views of America, highlighting their differences from the Obama view in an unfettered manner.

3) The extended Republicrat campaign will shorten the time Obama will have to unleash a directed hate campaign against any of the candidates individually. This will undoubtedly occur and it will be biased, personal and fraught with half truths, accusations of racism and some downright lies, but it will be diminished the longer the Republicrat primaries continue.

4) Each and every one of the candidates on the Republicrat side has value to add to the country in a manner much improved over the Obama model so whoever wins the nomination will have a well prepared story to counter any of Obama's arguments.

5) There are about 8 swing states which went for Obama in 2008 and are in play during this cycle. The outcome of the election in these states will determine who are next president will be. These states are Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Iowa, Colorado and Nevada.

6) It will not be the Demopublicans or the Republicrats in these states who determine the outcome of this election but the growing body of independent voters. These voters, thoroughly disgusted with the professional political class, are looking for a solid plan which acknowledges the middle class and is willing to stand on principle to shake up the status quo within the Washington power structure.

7) From the indications I get, the independent voters across Pennsylvania, Virginia, Nevada and North Carolina harbor a real resentment towards Obama. Yet to date there is no consensus of interest in any of the Republicrat candidates. If the Republicrat candidate, regardless of who he may be, can reach them with a legitimate vision and a sense of passion, they will choose this candidate over Obama without reservation.

8) Finally, there is a true sense of malaise in the Demopublican core voter contingent this cycle. In 2008 there was real, palpable energy within the ranks of the Demopublicans. They were excited with the over the top Obama Rhetoric, they were excited about the concept of actually electing a black president and they were excited about the change he promised to bring. Today, this excitement has diminished to the point that the core Demopublican voter, while not willing to vote against Obama, will stay home rather than vote. This will have a real effect on the vote outcome of the election. I think Governor Perry had the best definition of these folk when he asked the question, "Are you better off today, with an additional 4 TRILLION DOLLARS of debt than you were when Obama was elected?"

This is why I so strongly support the TEA Party movement. Setting aside what the unknowing chattering class has to say, the TEA Party, although suffering from some understandable growing pains, really does have the best interests of the country as their highest priority and understands the need for financial and political reform at the core level. This is what America needs in order to go forward as a true light of Democracy for the Country and for the world.