Political Blogs, News & Views

Someone’s Having a Party

I’m not a frequent visitor to The Huffington Post. Much of the reporting and blogging being done there is top rate, but I tend to get put off by the majority of the commenting that takes place by the community. I’m just not into the bickering and finger pointing that many of my political junky peers enjoy. I think it’s counter-productive and ultimately only serves to weaken our nation.

We are supposed to be the United States after all, and while we don’t have to see eye to eye on every idea or issue, and in-fact it’s better that we don’t, we should be able to debate and discuss our moral and principal differences with civility and respect towards one another. At-least, that’s what I believe.

But I did come across a piece by Ryan Grim over at HuffPo today that I really enjoyed and thought was worth commenting on briefly. It’s a well written piece that looks at how the Tea Party movement is being (mistakenly?) viewed as a danger by some members of the GOP. Original story link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/02/cornyn-teabaggers-forming_n_446417.html

As the report shows, it is evident that some members of the GOP fear the Tea Party movement. We democrats can understand that fear, we held the same over the Green Party’s rise.

The fact is, any new organized party will build it’s membership from the rank and file of other parties. Sure, some members of a new party will have been registered Independents, but many will have been republicans and possibly even democrats; so a new party’s growth must come from membership depletion of the established parties. But is that really a bad thing?

Are we the “Partisan” or “United” States?

Or maybe the real question should be worded: “which do we want to be, the Partisan or United States?”

At the end of the day, political parties do very little to help enrich or improve the lives of Americans. In-fact, in many ways they weaken the strength of “We the People”, and give false strength and authority to a select few individuals who often use it to protect their own positions rather than to better the positions of their constituents.

And the worst condition is when only two strong parties exist, because it allows them to keep We the People at odds, focused on ideological battles, and not watchful over what our elected officials are really getting away with.

So, from time to time when a group of folks decides that the “main” two parties aren’t serving their needs in Washington and they get a little momentum going to organize a new party which can challenge the entrenched power of the established, you always see the republicans and democrats act in the same way.

They circle the wagons and look for every opportunity to block that momentum and assimilate the unhappy back into their folds. And they do it for one single purpose, to protect their locked hold of power in America.

“I think it’s important that we try to channel these relative newcomers to the political process through our primaries so that they can have an impact on who’s nominated. And hopefully they’ll unite behind that nominee after the primary,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), talking to reporters in the Capitol about the Tea Party movement.

Those very words sum up my point. Cornyn isn’t asking why so many people might feel unrepresented by the established republican party, or how republicans could be doing better to serve the needs of all Americans…No, he just wants to get those activist voters into the republican folds to strengthen his party’s status quo.

Democrats made the same mistakes in the earliest days of the Green Party’s rise as well. There was a window of opportunity for democrats then, to reflect on their own short comings and ask how they could be better, and they missed it–just as republicans are missing it now with the Tea Party movement.

But maybe that’s really a good thing

Or, maybe I’m really just an anarchist at heart, but I like to see organized challenges to the established status quo rise up like this. It gives voice to important beliefs and ideas that have been long ignored in Washington, and it fuels more engagement by We the People in what our elected officials are actually doing with their time and our money.

So, while I disagree with almost everything I’ve ever heard anyone from the Tea Party movement say, I fully support their efforts and encourage them to stand strong on their principals and beliefs against the established party powers–and defend against all attempts to quell their political rebellion.