For years now, much has been done to mis-identify the Tea Party as an extreme, minority faction of the Republican Party; these past months are no exception. Hoping to present us as ill-informed and resentful, our detractors have had some success in their efforts to demand that their followers ignore our facts and concerns. Presenting themselves as middle-of-the road and intellectually-based, these distracters disguise their own extremism by demanding that Tea Party efforts be blocked in order to allow their agenda to (if you think about it) cure the very ills which it has so surely caused.
Despite these efforts, aided by a compliant press, Americans are increasingly realizing the Tea Party movement as the middle of the political room, a place in which conversations and solutions begin, not a place where self-governance is forbidden. Predictably, this realization has inspired a new level of attacks from those who demand that citizens not be allowed to self-govern. This is understandable. We, the Tea Party, represent a level of self-governance so feared by Washington that voices are being raised; demands are being lodged that the Tea Party must be censored (John Kerry, Paul Krugman), beaten (Jimmy Hoffa), and sent to hell (Maxine Waters).
We of the Tea Party have introduced to the political arena a spirit long defeated by a government which has evolved itself to a level of self-appointment. The government has successfully subdued or replaced parents, citizens, the press, and (forgive me) even God, Himself, “deeming” that Washington be allowed to determine truth, history, blame, and revenge. This construct of endless, immediate necessities has become a rickety framework which now promises to collapse under the weight of the countless promises, lies, and accusations required to protect its builders.
And the Tea Party? We will continue to ask everyone’s questions. This effort is increasingly recognized and admired by Americans from every demographic. As the White House, Progressives, media outlets, and self-labeled intellectuals use race and income to drive wedges between us as a people, the Tea Party is driving public discourse to a new level of true individual empowerment. Forcing them to defend their policies has driven them to the only cards they have available: decry, deny, defy, and move at a faster pace toward their desired end.
As much as we have accomplished, we must not accept that we have succeeded until we have, well, succeeded. November 2011 looms large, and November 2012 is a short fourteen months away. Please get involved with your local Tea Party, CoLA, or Patriot group to impact the direction of our Commonwealth and our nation. Stand Up, Step Up, and Sign Up; YOU are needed!
