While the tea party rally in Milwaukee was much milder than those making headlines, it did offer an interesting perspective of this social movement that is, according to Chairman Mark Williams, “sweeping” the nation.
Prior to 2010, the tea party protests had a narrow focus. In 2009 they protested the TARP Bailout Bill and mainly focused on taxation like that of the original Boston Tea Party. With the Obama Administration making broad changes, especially to health care, the rallies have become a place to vent about anything and everything that the Democrats are doing.
The main argument of the tea party movement is that our government is not strictly adhering to the Constitution (specifically by forcing the purchase of health insurance and ignoring legislative process to pass HCR in the “cover of darkness”). Several people interviewed after the rally in Milwaukee reiterated the same message that the Constitution, as the founding fathers wrote it, should be enforced.
Ironically, while most people who support the tea party agree with this ideal, they act as though Obama has no right his presidency. It seems as though the constitution is only worth following if Republicans are in office. How easily they forget that 53% of Americans voted for Obama using their constitutional rights to vote. The fact that his approval ratings have dipped does not cancel out that the majority of Americans chose him over McCain. (Do they not remember Bush’s approval ratings?)
As a group, tea partiers are angry about the way the country is being run, however they don’t offer any fixes. The speakers rile up the crowds with complaints about health care reform, taxes, abortion and government spending, but even Republicans in office know that if they don’t agree with the current fixes they must come up with alternative solutions.
This is why the tea party remains a fringe movement – the majority of these followers are not politically savvy, they are just tired of the economy and unhappy with the direction the government is taking. These protests give them a place to express their anxieties, while feeling as though they are taking proactive steps toward putting candidates with more conservative values back into office.
That being said, it is great to see people actively take a role in politics. The people at these protests honestly believe that they can change the government by using their voting power. The level of enthusiasm of the crowd rivals that of Obama’s campaign days.
So how seriously should we take the Tea Party? Is this nothing more than a social-protest movement or will these rowdy rallys have a substantial effect on November elections? At first glance, the movement seems far too extreme to gain and maintain a significant following. Throwing around words like “socialism” and using highly-divisive speakers like Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin will prevent them from gaining support from Independents. The real effectiveness of the tea party will be reflected in its influence on the Republican Party, whether positive or negative.
The tea party will play a substantial role in determining the direction of the GOP. Though many Republicans have distanced themselves from the movement Sarah Palin has advocated “absorbing” the tea party, a move that many are leery about.
The tea party demands ultra-conservative candidates, a far cry from the fairly moderate John McCain. A strong push to the right could make or break elections for Republicans in November, depending on the direction the country takes in the next few months. Recently, Republican candidates have been edging towards the right out of fear that they may not be seen as “conservative enough.”
On the other hand, if the Republicans choose to keep the tea party separate, it could end up splitting the conservative vote. Even chairman Mark Williams acknowledged that creating a new conservative party would be “political suicide.”
Though far from being considered a third political party, the tea party doesn’t seem to be backing down anytime soon. The creation of the National Tea Party Federation was announced on Thursday, a sign that the movement is becoming more and more organized. Recent Rasmussen polls have also suggested that tea party is going mainstream, with more Americans indentifying with the movement’s values than Obama’s views.
November elections may determine the future of the tea party. If Republicans retake the majority, the movement may fade quickly. If not, expect them to stick around until 2012, possibly with their own candidate.
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