Things are getting tough.
In the last week the Northern Colorado Tea Party was criticized for inviting then dis-inviting Representative Steve King from Iowa to speak at their “Remember November” event. Some remarks he made just a few days before made him too hot a property from them and for the campaign of Republican Cory Gardner. I heard him speak at the Elbert County Tea Party and I think he was great. Regardless, the NoCo Tea Party had a great event and have done a lot of good–and will continue to.
A rookie mistake? I think so, but I could be wrong. It may well have been the right thing to do. The point is that the Tea Party movement is not a unified movement and not a political party. It’s leaders are all volunteers. We’re learning as we go. I know the people who invited King to speak and those who declined. They are all good, honest people of integrity. They don’t agree on all things.
That’s because we are conservatives of every stripe as well as libertarians, disaffected Democrats, unaffiliated and even unregistered. Many if not most of us are active in the political process for the first time. What unites us is a love of country, its founding documents and the Founders themselves. At least, that’s my perception based on all the people I talk to and interact with.
Lockstep belief and action are for the leftists–we’re individualists willing to work together for common goals. Those are–minimally–fiscal conservatism, limited Constitutional government, and free markets.
We get lots of advice both from within and outside of the movement. Rep. Mike Pence recently said morality should be added to the list. Others lobby for issues like gun rights, pro-life, and legal immigration. In my view those issues become clear when measured against the three principles. There is ample room for divergent opinion.
Things are going to get tougher.
The Democrats are setting up fake tea parties and trying to paint the tea parties as extremists; establishment Republicans aren’t going down without a fight. Sen DeMint reports dirty tricks being played against Utah grassroots favorite Mike Lee. We’ve only seen the beginning. Politics, it is said, is a contact sport. In a variation on Aristotle, I say that politics is the price we pay for living with other people. Gandhi is reported to have said
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
I think we’ve been through the first two stages and we’re in the third. Here’s my advice to advance to the fourth stage: Keep the faith. Know who your friends are. Don’t make enemies unnecessarily. Have a servant heart.
Be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves.
Leave a Reply