The “Tea Party Convention” held in Nashville this weekend was nothing more than an attempt to co-opt the sentiments of millions of Americans fed up with the corrupt political status quo. Although it was adorned with all the trappings of a political party convention, it was not. A convention is for the purpose of selecting candidates; this was merely a gathering orchestrated by people and politicians to cash in on the distant beat of drums heard throughout the land.
There is no such thing as a “Tea Party”. There is a Democratic Party, and a Republican Party. The “Tea Party” does not exist.
However, Tea Partiers do exist. This diverse group is a melting pot (gasp!) of hard working Americans who are mad as hell at the current state of affairs. They are a sleeping giant, roused by unemployment, blatant corruption, and government malfeasance. They’ve trusted the politicians and self-appointed “elites” to steer the ship of state, and now that ship is floundering in the shallows. What’s more, while ordinary Americans have been busy raising their families and working hard, the ship has been slowly running aground for decades.
Tea Partiers will not go away, nor will they be sucked in by attempts to lasso their numbers into one party or the other. Tea Partiers realize that both political parties are steeped in corruption and lies, and are rotten to the core.
John Adams wrote in June of 1775 “…the cancer [of corruption] is too deeply rooted and too far spread to be cured by anything short of cutting it out entire.” We are once again standing at that crossroads: reconcile, or fight.
I really appreciate you writing this, lady red! My Dad about gasped over Thanksgiving, "You're not one of THOSE people, are you?" And I hear the derogatory comments constantly in the media and from people that I thought respected the fact that I don't come to conclusions by the seat of my pants.
ReplyDeleteI don't belong to a "Tea Party" (for one, I can't remember where the stupid fork is supposed to go, and also I don't like wearing hats), but there are things in the grass roots tea party movement that strike a chord with me.
Are there yahoos trying to coopt it? Yes. But there are yahoos leading both major political parties in the US, so I hardly think the tea party movement has a monopoly on idiots. But I am very glad that someone was able to say those things that I've been trying to shout for years loud enough that Washington finally started listening.
And enough already with the price of convention tickets! I think that everyone who mentions the stupid ticket price (which I wouldn't have paid, anyway) needs to add in the same breath a mention of the multi-thousand dollar per ticket fundraisers that major politicians love to throw.
Because if President Obama is so much more in tune with the thoughts of regular Americans than the tea party movement, his fundraisers do a good job of hiding it. (and that goes ditto for most of the politicians on both darn sides)
Thanks AFW! This is my feeble attempt at writing a column. :P
ReplyDeleteI think you did a better job than any of the "media" pundits I've read. I'm one who finds Palin to be a self-anointed elite, and fraud, which of course reflects my bias against her. Deep seated and visceral. If her support base takes over the independent movment, it's toast...if she gets in to management of the RNC, they're toast. Perhaps these angry Independents can actually not put up the lowest common denominator this time. We'll see won't we?
ReplyDeleteAww, thanks aridog. I appreciate the kind words. :)
ReplyDelete"We are once again standing at that crossroads: reconcile, or fight."
ReplyDeleteI know you mean at the ballot box, and fight we should. A cliché, but I want a vote check box for 'none of the above', one which counts as much as yes or no. In a way that's sort of like not voting, I guess, but it's different really. It's saying I want a new slate of candidates. These aren't good enough.
Feeble and Lady Red doesn't make sense. Doesn't go together at all.
Wonderful writing, lady red! I'm just now getting the time to read all these great posts.
ReplyDeleteI think you hit the nail on the head. The tea partiers have struck a chord with so many of us who were VERY unhappy with the state of the govt. but felt powerless to do anything about it. I remember emailing and calling Frist when A. Spectre was up for Judiciary Committee's chairmanship. Whole hell of a lot of good that did and look how it turned out.
I think they are listening now - some of them. Particularly the ones up for reelection this year.