A Tea Party Taxonomy; that is what the September 27, 2010 issue of Newsweek titled its article about the Tea Party movement. A taxonomy is a study of general principles and is usually associated with a scientific endeavor. It usually requires research and, if possible, the use of primary sources. This piece by Jacob Weisberg is not scientific and offers only Mr. Weisberg’s opinion which is clearly one-sided and misinformed.
In the article, under the heading of Politics/Anger, Mr. Weisberg states, “What’s distinctive about the Tea Party is its anarchist streak – its antagonism toward any authority, its belligerent self-expression, and its lack of any coherent program or alternative to the politics it condemns.” The audacity of the author is only surpassed by the fallacy of his words. Let’s address these comments one at a time.
“Antagonism toward any authority.” The Tea Party movement has as one of its prime values the supreme authority of the U.S. Constitution. This is a far cry from “antagonism toward any authority.” Standing against government violation of the Constitution is, in fact, defending its authority. Tea Party people do not break the law. They abide by and promote the concept of “the rule of law” as embodied in the U.S. Constitution. Their criticism comes when others violate that authority.
“Belligerent self-expression.” Exactly what is this? When liberals riot in protest, they are said to be expressing their First Amendment rights. Is that belligerent self-expression? “Belligerent” is the operative word. It means hostile or aggressive. Although many groups of political activists within our country are hostile and aggressive, I do not believe it is a “distinctive” characteristic of the Tea Party movement. Beyond that, if one compares the conduct of a Tea Party rally with that of many liberal or progressive groups, one will find that the Tea Party participants are distinctly more well-behaved and respectful of other individuals and their property.
“Lack of any coherent program or alternative to the policies it condemns.” First, The Tea Party is not and has not claimed to be a cohesive, unified group or “party.” Because it is a grassroots movement, it should not be expected to have a single unified plan for putting the country back on a more responsible and constitutionally legal path. It does, however, promote some very simple values as guiding principles for our political representatives. These include, smaller, more fiscally responsible government, and the promotion rather than the curtailment of individual liberty and the personal responsibility that goes with it.
Mr. Weisberg also states that the Tea Party “looks backward to a capitalist – constitutional paradise.” This phrase does not define the Tea Party movement; however, the progressive movement does, in fact, look forward to a socialist, paradise, without God and with government elitists making the decisions that will free the people from the burden of individual liberty and responsibility. My goodness! The United States has never been and will never by a capitalist – constitutional paradise. But, it can, once again, be the land of equal opportunity and liberty.
Finally, Mr. Weisberg says, “The Tea Party is fundamentally about venting anger at change it doesn’t like, not about fixing what’s broken.” This is only partially correct. Although the Tea Party movement has many people who are angry, it is not what it is fundamentally about! It is composed for the most part of people who have not been politically active in the past. These people have been busy working, paying their mortgages, paying taxes and rearing responsible children. However, the excesses of government in recent years (by both political parties) have aroused the sleeping tiger. Tea Party people are upset, annoyed, outraged and angry about a government running rampant over their God given, inalienable rights guaranteed by our Constitution. Do they have an answer? Do they know how to fix what’s broken? Yes, they do and the election of November 2010 will be the start point.
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