The Tea Party Movement, The GOP & Making It Work

Only the most partisan and/or politically ignorant among us would fail to recognize the magnitude, importance and the consequences of the Tea Party Movement. To be certain, it is a force to be reckoned with. But, as with the science of storms, there is a danger when two forces compete to occupy the same space. We of the Right side of the aisle must recognize this danger and insist that actions are taken, definitions are designated and roles are recognized, lest we turn an important moment in time into catastrophic history.

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The Tea Party Movement

The first thing we have to do is to recognize and understand exactly what the Tea Party Movement is, where it came from and why. Many in the political world have erroneously identified the Tea Party Movement as a political group not unlike the Democrats, Libertarians or Republicans. In fact, this couldn't be further from the truth. Proof to this reality is in the fact that people who have embraced the Tea Party Movement come from every flavor of politics. When over a million people descended on Washington in the name of the Tea Party Movement last Fall, the crowd was comprised of people from every political party – sans the Progressives, every social background, every religion and every race. To say that it is dominated by any one political party is to make a huge mistake. The Tea Party Movement – and the name itself is symbolic rather than manufactured – is, in reality, the re-awakening of the American people to their obligation to civic responsibility; to governmental oversight. This is nothing new or revolutionary, as was the original Boston Tea Party of 1773. This re-awakening is actually a return to the obligation of citizenry as envisioned by the Founders and Framers. People like Jefferson, Adams, Washington, Franklin and Madison took for granted that the citizenry would understand their role in government: that of the overseer. The Founders and Framers believed that we would be vigilant in providing governmental oversight, in understanding just who we were electing to office and in holding them accountable for their actions. In short, they believed we, as citizens, would do our part by paying attention to government. More...