Is The Tea Party Just Republicans?
Recently, I was asked from one of our participants the following questions regarding our Tea Party’s real purpose:
Are all Tea Party groups really just Republicans? Would West Orange
Tea Party support a Democrat over a Republican? Does “Tea” really
stand for “Taxed Enough Already”? Is an Independent or Libertarian
out of touch with the Tea Party?Image may be NSFW.
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My reply was that the Tea Party is made up from all Party lines and that it is not just Republicans. Would our Tea Party support a Democrat? Absolutely, if they held the same values, but right now it appears most Democrats are far from our values. Most appear to embrace Socialism. Taxed Enough Already? That may be the motto for some but most people I have met realize taxes are necessary. Most participants simply reject the out of control spending and deficits that Washington is heaping on us and our children and grandchildren. Is an Independent or Libertarian out of touch with the Tea Party? I would say not and I would image we all share many of the same core values. Many Democrats today would agree that our spending is out of control.
The main reason the Tea Party exists today is that the majority of Americans feel that Washington has neglected their responsibility to serve the people. Government has a role in our society and most people disapprove of the job our elected officials are doing. The approval rating of Congress was recently as low as 20%. That means 4 out of 5 Americans are not happy. It crosses Party lines and Americans are tired of “politics as usual”. I have yet to meet a person who is happy with what is going on and what has been going on for years. My question to them is “how are you going to change things?”. They really have no answer. Our system is broken and the Tea Party is simply trying to wake everyone up to the reality that we face issues that have to be addressed.
We are tired of politicians getting elected only to fail and deliver on what we view as core fundamental values. The deficits and spending programs in this country are out of control and no one in Washington is listening or doing anything about it. Almost nine years after the terrorist attacks, our border is still unsecure. Our government has failed to do their job of securing our borders and is not enforcing existing federal laws. Why? Why is LA boycotting Arizona? Is following the rule of law unAmerican?
Our government is in charge of the rules and regulations regarding offshore drilling. It appears they have failed to supervise the oil companies and now we have a disaster that could destroy the lives of millions. The government is in charge of overseeing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Our government designed programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. All of these programs the US government was responsible for overseeing and they have failed miserably. And they want to run health care? Why? By the way, nearly every American agrees we have to fix health care. We just do not like the track record we are seeing and feel there might be a better way. Can someone offer a solution?
Our government has a vital role and for the last several decades, they have failed the American people in their responsibilities. How does a guy like Barney Frank(D-Ma) still have a job when he was in charge of the Financial Services Committee before, during, and after the meltdown? If he was in the private sector, he would have been fired three years ago. Where is the accountability? In the private sector, companies who run into trouble bring in a consulting firm to fix their problems. They have shareholders who demand accountability and if they fail, they get fired. What does our government do? They point fingers and blame their political opponents. Then they offer the “government” as the solution. Americans are tired of the blame game and want results, not excuses.
“Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.”
John F. Kennedy
The Tea Party has no allegiance to any political party and politicians are waking up to that fact. They know that the people are not happy with the job Washington is doing or has done for many years. Unfortunately, today we are basically a two party system, and of the two major parties, right now the Republicans get the message of the Tea Party. I believe the Democratic party is so far out of touch with mainstream America that they will lose big in the fall. My guess is that as the election nears, the Democrats will try and move more towards the center to keep their power. We are not pawns to either party.
As for Independents and Libertarians, I would suggest that maybe the two parties come together to agree on some basic principles and unite. Maybe the Tea Party will join you in 2012 if the nothing gets done in the next two years. We want our problems solved and expect those who we support in November to be held accountable.
Ron McCoy – West Orlando Tea Party
www.westorlandoteaparty.org