Is the Tea Party sounding the death knell for the Political Elites?
By: Glenn Smith Jr.
Normally the mid-term election cycle is about as exciting as growing grass or watching paint dry. Usually all you have is a bunch of establishment hacks, who have been “anointed” by their party, running to either fill positions left open by retirement or to simply re-up positions unchallenged. Not this year. This year we are witnessing a political awakening in the American public like never seen before.
The 2008 presidential election season saw the liberal establishment gain momentum toward a progressive take-over of the US government. It was highlighted by the election of Barak Obama to the office of President of the United States in a perfect storm of angst on the left and apathy on the right. The end result has been a literal forced march of progressive ideals towards a completely socialist form of government. We have seen several major pieces for legislation passed AGAINST the general will of the people. There have been a number of instances where the constitutional process has either been violated or ignored for the sake of passing a law. When this was pointed out to our elected officials, people were told that they really are too stupid to have any idea what is actually good for them and that the bill had to be passed so that they could see what was in it. How well represented do you fell when you are told that your congressman or woman didn’t even read a bill before voting for it? Now we are left with thousands of new bureaucracies that operate outside of Congressional oversight with the authority to dictate policy that will perfect control over virtually every aspect of society. It is very frightening thing to consider when you realize just how much the balance of power set forth by the Constitution has been distorted in favor of the Executive Branch, which, by the way, controls the appointment of the Judicial Branch. Congress has almost completely legislated away its own share of power under the Constitution to administrative agencies with policing powers; thus the rise of the TEA Party Movement.
This new political movement is more than just another special interest group trying to assert its singular views on government; it is a TRUE GRASS ROOTS uprising of average people who would not normally attend the party, so to speak. It is made up of diverse racial and religious groups. There is actually representation from all of the political parties. In short, it is truly a composite of citizens from all over the United States; citizens who are tired of not being represented by the elected officials whom they chose to serve them. These people have come to realize that their (our) interests are no longer being served by EITHER the Democrats OR Republicans. As for me, I stand with these people.
For the elite political establishment, this is a death sentence. In the beginning, it looked like this was going to be mostly a Democrat Party problem but as things have developed; the Republican Party has show issues with it as well. The TEA Party Movement, as a whole, is a conglomeration of people with generally conservative values. They are asking for a smaller, less intrusive government that works within a well defined set of boundaries. This group of citizens wants to see the US enforce its laws in a proper manner and defend the rights of its citizens over the interests of foreign nationals who are here illegally. These people are mostly middle class folks who both own and work for businesses in the private sector. The main thing that is bringing fear and angst to both of the major political parties is that these people INSIST on actually choosing their own candidates, and are doing just that. From Alaska to Delaware, the voters are not following the elite establishment script and are actually voting for someone who represents THEM. When this has happened, those who would choose for us go berserk! And do not think that this is a Republican only problem, if you look at the primary results in several states, you will find Democratic establishment candidates losing too. In short, we the people are no longer interested in what the elite political establishment says. We will elect who we believe will best serve OUR interests, not theirs!
Just look at what is happening in Alaska. The people who are registered as Republicans voted for a man named Joe Miller to represent them in the general election. In a fair election, Lisa Murkowski LOST. This is how the system is supposed to work, the parties put up choices, the people choose, period! But this apparently isn’t how the elite party establishment views things. Their “choice” lost so instead of supporting the people’s choice, they have encouraged Lisa Murkowski to run a write-in campaign. This is an affront to ALL of the voters and especially to the system itself. Just because it was a close race isn’t a reason to then try to void the voice of the electorate. Out of the prideful need to remain relevant or just plain spite, the elite Republican establishment is pursuing a path that could possibly cost them any chance at retaining this seat in the Senate. Since when has it been the party leadership’s decision to “choose” who runs or not anyway? What is so surprising is the vitriol that is coming from the “moderate” Republican leadership as they are losing grip on power. Personally, I think that we should do away with the party primary system and go to an open system similar to the one used in the State of Washington. Have all of the candidates put up their best argument before the voters and let the voters choose the best two. Have a general election run-off to decide on the best one and send them off to do the job.
These losses have also served to expose what complete morons the Republicans have been when it comes to getting things done. For the last several years, all the Moderate Republican party has accomplished is to become the “whipping boys” of the liberal Democrats. The fact that people are choosing to vote for true conservatives is great by itself, but that they are also choosing regular people and not the establishment choices is even better. For a two party system to work properly there needs to be a clear distinction between them and their ideals. If all you have is two sides mirroring each other, all you are going to get is a jumble of meaningless drivel. This is generally benign, until one of the sides becomes powerful enough to take on a radical agenda.
It is a bad thing to have what is essentially a one party rule, such as we have now, as it eliminates any resistance to radical, overreaching agendas. Again, this is what has lead to the rise of the TEA party movement. As it stands right now, our constitution has been reduced to a collection of thoughts and ideas, but is no longer the rule of law. The progressive/liberal agenda of the extreme left wing of the Democratic Party has absconded with the power and is running unimpeded though the halls of government. It is this lack of resistance that has created the imbalance of power in our government and what needs to be addressed, immediately. This is why it is so important to elect true conservatives who will represent the people who actually love and cherish the US just the way it was designed to be. This is also why the political elites are now shaking in their boots.
As long as the majority of regular citizens stay out of the fray, the elites can have their way. As soon as you let ordinary people back into the discussion, the elites become irrelevant. This makes them furious as it also serves to expose them for the hypocrites and scoundrels they are. I don’t care if you are a Republican or a Democrat, if you enjoy your personal liberty, you must send these establishment elites into retirement. If you are one who distrusts the big corporations, you must get rid of their allies in Congress. Again, if you are tired of special interest groups dictating how you are to live your life, send these guys packing. The elite political establishment shares a common goal with corporate America and the special interest groups: complete control and power over you. If you are tired of being taxed to death as a result of unchecked spending, there must be a change. It is a personal opinion of mine that what we really need is a limitation of term that elected officials can serve in any one office. Buy since we do not have this safeguard in place to protect us from career politicians, we must exercise our power to vote more carefully.
The rise of the TEA Party Movement is just what the doctor ordered for we the people to regain control of government. The founding fathers were a mix of wealthy individuals with those of average means. Both groups worked together to create a system that was mutually beneficial to both. Within this system is the framework for ANYONE to succeed. This system was never meant to reward those who chose not to make any attempt to better themselves. It was never intended to be a welfare system. It was designed to benefit people who were willing to take risks and create wealth. It was designed to allow for people to enjoy a full range of individual freedoms. It was designed to allow ordinary people to work hand in hand with the rich and powerful, with an equal footing in government. What has emerged is another imbalance within the structure. Those with means have been able to manipulate the system in a way as to create an entrenchment of people who will do their bidding. When we fail to vote properly, we simply strengthen this problem.
What the TEA Party Movement represents is ordinary people regaining their voice at the table of ideas. This is what the elite political establishment fears the most. As long as regular people have the right to freely vote, they will have a voice. The greatest danger to the few who want to control everything, is regular people with power. This is why we are seeing both the Democrats AND Republicans freaking out by the results of these primary elections. Without their handpicked candidates in office, they will lose control. If the big money corporate or union donations aren’t represented, they lose control. If they lose the control back to ordinary people, the elite establishment will begin to fade and lose its relevance. With it goes the unions and much of the welfare state that they have helped to create. Can you hear the bells ringing?
Tags: Columnists, democrats, Elections, republicans, Taxes/Tea Party
Friday, September 24th, 2010 - 1:47 PM
Category: News/Crime/Media.
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