The Tea Parties over the last year have been very effective in one aspect. They let concerned citizens know that they are not alone in their discontent for the direction our government is going. The problem is, no one in the government is loosing sleep over these protest. Certain politicians and legislature's may be unhappy and many in opposition are fighting back, but I seriously doubt there is any real fear in Washington over these Tea Parties. The reason no one is afraid of Tea Party participants is simple: First, politicians know that although it seems like a lot of people are participating, it is only a very small percentage of our population. Second, very few people, if any are willing to do more than wave signs or similar forms of protest.
In the latest and largest protest to date, on Sept. 12, 2009, it is estimated that between 1.5 and 2 million people marched on Washington. Some news media organizations say that it was not that large, others say it was. Regardless the number impresses as it is probably the largest protest against the government since Vietnam. In reality though, what does the number 2 million represent? Out of a nation of 300,000,000, less than 1% are upset enough to show up and protest in person. Not a very impressive number. On election day, voting for the president, we had approx. 120 million people vote. Less than 2% of voters showed up to protest.
I decided to do some internet searches to find out how many people are really interested in the Tea Parties. The idea being that people who are really interested in protesting our governments actions, will be actively doing searches to find out information about what is going on. The following is an example of searches conducted in the last month according to Webconfs as of 10-15-09:
- Tea Parties 9,240 searches
- Political Tea Parties 570
- Tea Party 25, 260
- Boston Tea Party 22,230
- Tea Party Express 13,230
- Glenn Beck 158,550
- Rush Limbaugh 131,490
- Sean Hannity 37,350
- Michael Savage 22,200
- pussy 3,026,790
- Taylor Swift 234,540
- Oprah 73,710
- Sons of Anarchy 58,620
- Jessica Simpson 228,120
- Drew Barrymore 59,160
Glenn Beck really did a great job of promoting the 9-12 Project and getting a lot of people motivated to participate in the Tea Party protest. Beck like most other prominent figures has been very careful to not advocate violence or any form of protest past marching and sign waving. I believe if this movement is going to continue and be effective, something more must be done. Having meetings and waving signs is great for motivating and bringing together like minded people. In order to change the direction of the government something more must be done. Despite all the protest, the government is getting ready to pass health care legislation. Nothing will stop this from happening. The Democrats want it, they control the entire federal government. It is that simple.
Over the last 100 years our government has gone from being supportive of individual liberty to one that is socialist. Did not happen just on Obama's watch, it has been happening on every Presidents watch since President Wilson. The 2010 or 2012 elections will not change this trend from continuing. It has not mattered for over a hundred years whether or not the Republicans or Democrats were in control. Most American now accept socialism as a way of life, all the while, denying that it exists.
For those that object to socialism and its further stranglehold on our nation, we must stop funding it. WE must stop doing business with organizations that are willing participants and advocates of socialism and we must stop funding a government that has turned its back on the Constitution, individual liberty and free market capitalism.
So my friends, in my humble opinion, until people are willing to take action further than simply waving signs, the Tea Parties will not have the desired effect and our government will continue in the direction they are currently headed.
Are we mice or are we men?
6 comments:
Well I'm not a mouse or a man, I'm a Mom. I agree with most of what you said and, as I've shared before, I beleive America's Independent Party has the solution.
Redefining our corrupt political process from being run by money & special interest groups to being run by the people. Check us out at
www.aipnews.com
The Tea Parties allow an emotional expression of frustration and, in some cases, draw attention to a level of dissatisfaction that might otherwise go unnoticed. In that regard, they serve a purpose.
Interestingly, you note that estimates of the recent march on Washington, D.C. varied widely. I heard estimates that ranged from 75,000 to 2,000,000. That’s quite a spread. Let’s assume for a moment that the recent Tea Party in Washington, D.C. attracted something in the middle … say 1,000,000 people. In 1995, the Million Man March was considered to have been of epic proportions and is taught to be of historical significance (apparently surviving the recent trend toward revisionist history in our public schools). Rather than dismissing 1,000,000 participants as a rather low turnout in comparison to our nation’s total population, I recommend that it be viewed within its proper context.
While there are 300,000,000 people in the United States, many of them are children who neither drive nor vote, so it’s tough to get them to march on Washington. Besides, they’re apparently conducting anatomical research on the Internet. Given that the average family size hovers around four; this means that there are about 150,000,000 adults in the United States (roughly speaking). If we pretend that half are conservatives (including independents who lean that way), we’re down to 75,000,000. So at least, we’ve broken the 1 percent barrier … “no more glass ceilings” as what’s-her-name likes to say.
The real problem is, unlike their counterparts, conservatives tend to have jobs. So, it’s inherently more difficult to rally the conservative troops to pick up and leave for Washington. They’re simply too busy earning a living, raising their families and taking their responsibilities seriously. It’s far easier to find the time to protest when you’re on welfare.
Okay, enough tongue-in-cheek discussion (well almost). Do you really want to have an impact beyond the polling booth where you’re out-numbered by dead people, illegal immigrants and convicted felons? Then cast your vote EVERY day. I’m not talking about writing your Congressman or Senator who’s too distracted by their favorite lobbyist. I’m talking about casting a vote with your currency.
One of the reasons for the wide discrepancy in reporting the number of participant’s in Washington is because reporting the truth wouldn’t foster the political agendas of certain media outlets. So, if you believe the First Amendment still supports freedom of the press to report the truth, cast your dollar vote accordingly. Turn off those channels and stations that no longer report the news. Cancel your subscription to those newspapers that have devolved into journalistic pablum. As viewers, listeners and readers decline, the free market will take care of the problem … if you know what I mean. Or, if you want to be more proactive, continue to watch, listen or read what they publish; make a note of the companies that advertise … and discontinue using their products … or write letters to them of your discontent. Unlike your Congressmen and Senators, they do not have an alternate source of income other than revenue from sales. Lobbyists aren’t granting them honorariums.
Try this approach as an alternative to Tea Parties if you have a job and can’t attend. Do it now before your dollar vote is devalued by the coming inflation. Do it now before the government decides that these industries are “too big to fail” and need to be taken over as well.
I disagree. The tea parties are an outlet to express frustration in a safe and fun way. I also think they've united people. I see people of all shapes, sizes and colors at these meetings. Yes, the majorty are conservatives, but by no means not all.
We give each other strength and ideas at the events. It's like meeting with our own support group. It's hard to keep the motivation all on your own and meeting the thousands of other people who feel the same way I do gives me the strength to write and call my representatives.
I've also met a few of the candidates that plan to challenge our representatives up for reelection in 2010. That was great and would never have happened without these events.
And, I do think the politicans pay attention to the movement. They may end up passing healthcare but there's no doubt we slowed it down and they know they pass this monstrosity at their political peril.
I say "party on!"
Melissa
Michael,
I agree with some of what you said, but I disagree with your basic premise. Here in Georgia, several dozen new grassroots organizations have popped up recently. They have all been energized by the tea party movement. The promising development is that many people who were not active previously in politics are now. They are engaged, and tea party organizers are "institutionalizing" the movement. Georgia Tea Party, for instance, of which am a board member has incorporated and will file for tax-exempt status as an advocacy group. A year ago we didn't exist. We have meetings almost every week and this past Sunday we premiered the movie "Not Evil Just Wrong" at a local theater. We are connecting people with educational programs about the Constitution and getting them connected with resources that will make them effective citizen advocates. What you don't seem to recognize is that there is a new conservative movement in this nation and it is the result of Obama's actions which have fueled the development of the tea party movement. It is also helping to grow organizations such as the free-market advocacy group Americans for Prosperity, which has been energized and seen its membership grow, partly the result of the tea party movement.
I also disagree that Republicans and Democrats are all the same. SOME Republicans are not conservative and disregard the Constitution. But there is a realization among conservatives, especially in the House, that the GOP must return to its conservative roots, or face oblivion. George Bush did do some disappointing things, but most Republicans I know were angry when he did. He did not represent conservatism or constitutionalism. Some Republicans get the message, and we should stand behind them and support them when they do. Take a look at the House Republican Study Committee, for instance. There are about 100 of the 170 or so GOP House members that are RSC members. I think most of them "get it." We need more who do.
It is great to know that so many are getting involved and are concerned with the direction of our country. It is not my intention to belittle what is being done with the Tea Parties, but point out that much more must be done in order to be truly effective. I thought Newt Gingrich's Contract With America would bring about true change, but we all remember how that fizzled out with Republican politicians spending and driving the deficit up.
We have slowly become a socialist nation over the last 100 years. A few protest will not change that. This has to be a long term, serious effort. The leadership of the two parties have acted alike. If the Republican Party is going to be the party we move forward with, then those who have supported socialist legislation need to go. I suggest we need to start seriously working towards enacting term limits.
I think it is an error to assume that all Tea Party attendees are "conservatives." As with Ron Paul's supporters, who were composed of as many as 40% disaffected liberals, this is not about Left v. Right, Democrat v. Republicans, but rather about Man v. the State, about small v. large, about localism v. internationals, about small business v. corporatism, and so forth. To keep framing issues within the Left-Right paradigm only plays into the hands of those who have been using the divide and conquer strategy to set the American people against themselves for the better part of the last 100 years. We have to move past that.
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