The movement is the American Tea Party and I love it.
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Perhaps I should explain myself at this point before I lose anyone who is actually reading this (as you know, 'teabaggers' cannot read, so if you are reading this you do not agree with my last statement. Give me a minute).
I voted for Barack Obama in 2008. I still agree with much of the Democratic agenda, however I am not a declared member of any political party. Neither party gets everything correct and I prefer to be in my own independent camp so I can form my own opinions. Overall, my opinions trend Democratic.
The 'typical' self-proclaimed Tea Party loyalist is not a person who I would generally associate with. If you have seen coverage of any of the rallies or the convention, you know the people I am talking about (You can't miss them, they'll be the group with the misspelled 'Obama is Hilter' signs). Like any political movement, there will be those who embarrass the majority of the members. The main stated objective of the Tea Party is to oppose the fiscally irresponsible actions of the federal government (I will ignore perhaps the bigger objective which many point out is opposing the Obama presidency, I'm staying overly neutral here folks). The methods and propaganda the Tea Party organizers use is deplorable at time. I do not agree with how or why the party was started.
I do not agree with the Tea Party movement, but I love that it is gaining traction.
Obviously there is a disconnect here. Why would I support a movement which flies in the face of what I believe? The reason is that ever since I became interested in politics I have been disappointed in the two party system. Americans are given a choice of Republican or Democrat for any given office. You must choose the left leaning Democrat agenda or the right leaning Republican agenda when making your choices. Is this because we are too stupid to understand more than two viewpoints? Almost every other political system has more than two parties, we barely get two (if you think about it the differences are barely differences).
From Wikipedia, here is an incomplete list (if not inaccurate, but it works for the point here) of the political parties who have nominated candidates for office in recent history:
(The big one's who have nominated Presidential candidates)
- Constitution Party (1992)
- Green Party (1996)
- Libertarian Party (1971)
(And other, more fringe-y parties)
- American Party (1968)
- America First Party (2008)
- America's Independent Party (2008)
- Boston Tea Party (2006)
- Independence Party of America (2007)
- Moderate Party (2006)
- Modern Whig Party (2008)
- Objectivist Party (2008)
- Party for Socialism and Liberation (2004)
- Peace and Freedom Party (1967)
- Prohibition Party (1867)
- Reform Party of the United States of America (1995)
- Socialist Equality Party (2008)
- Socialist Party USA (1973)
- Socialist Workers Party (1938)
- Unity Party of America (2004)
- Workers World Party (1959)
- Working Families Party (1998)
Pretty impressive list, huh? I'm guessing you are familiar with the first three because they have had some (read: not much) success nationally or they have had a charismatic candidate (remember Chuck Baldwin, Cynthia McKinney and Bob Barr, I know I sure don't). But the thing which is troubling is that since the two party system truly became dominant (after the Millard Filmore Whig-presidency in 1853), the American political landscape has been a two-lane highway almost exclusively.
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More than four in 10, 41%, of respondents said they had a very or somewhat favorable view of the Tea Party movement, while 24% said they had a somewhat or very negative view of the group. The Tea Party movement gained notoriety over the summer following a series of protests in Washington, D.C. and other cities over government spending and other U.S. economic policies.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party, which controls both the White House and Congress, has a 35% positive rating compared with a 45% negative rating.
The Republican Party identifies closest to the Tea Party movement’s ideology, but the group has also caused splits within the GOP. Republicans currently hold a 28% favorability rating compared with a 43% negative one.
Yowza! Bet that caught you off guard.
Back to the Tea Party. Are they going to be challenging the Big Two in the 2012? Probably not. What they are succeeding in is raising awareness. They are taking issues which the public is already energized about and focusing attention in those areas. Say what you will about the movement, it has been well organized with a concerted effort to move into new media outlets. They are strong on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace (which if anyone was watching the previous Presidential campaign is pretty important now). They have a strong presence on 'old media' as well with all the major networks covering their rallies and organized meetings (not to mention Fox News being an unofficial sponsor). As scary as it may be, the Tea Party is extremely popular.
The terrifying numbers, courtesy of the Wall Street Journal:
More than four in 10, 41%, of respondents said they had a very or somewhat favorable view of the Tea Party movement, while 24% said they had a somewhat or very negative view of the group. The Tea Party movement gained notoriety over the summer following a series of protests in Washington, D.C. and other cities over government spending and other U.S. economic policies.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party, which controls both the White House and Congress, has a 35% positive rating compared with a 45% negative rating.
The Republican Party identifies closest to the Tea Party movement’s ideology, but the group has also caused splits within the GOP. Republicans currently hold a 28% favorability rating compared with a 43% negative one.
Yowza! Bet that caught you off guard.
Moving forward, I hope that the Tea Party never amounts to anything. I don't want a Tea Party candidate to win an election simply because I don't support their ideas. What I do hope is that they continue to make inroads into breaking down the walls of the two party system. My hope is that the Tea Party makes a valiant effort and provides a template for other parties to follow. If a 'crazy, racists' grassroots movement can reach the level of the Tea Party, then why couldn't a more level headed third option appear? Why not a fourth or fifth option?
Go 'teabaggers', go! You are like the foot soldiers of a revolution. We know you won't be the one's who actually enter the castle (they will be more like the ugly dudes in Lord of the Rings who initially try to storm the castle in Gondor only to be defeated by the thousands until their backup arrives), but the work you put in could provide the fundamental shift we need. Yes We Can!
GRM
