Trapped

<p>Now that main figures from the Republican Party are coming out openly urging members of the Tea Party to vote GOP in November a few things are becoming evident.  One is the talk from critics of the association between the GOP and the newly formed Tea Party and there being no real separation between the two seems somewhat less like speculation.  Initially we all heard Tea Party members claim they were an independent voice for disaffected conservatives.  They set out to prove conservatives meant business and though skeptical at first Americans came to view them as serious. </p>

<p>The Tea Party existed previous to the recent health care reform debate, but the sweeping legislation galvanized their focus towards a single issue.  The media played clips and images of them over and over until we were all familiar with their message.  Cable news networks promoted their rallies with varying degrees of blatancy.  Raucous imagery of town hall meeting on health care reform being interrupted by attendees carrying out planned protests played 24/7 on news outlets everywhere like a major highjacking or political assassination.  These were protests involving large proportions of people standing up and drowning out speakers who were often elected officials. </p>

<p>They also pushed around and drowned out other town hall attendees not participating in their protests.  They never took no for an answer and put all politicians on notice things were changing.  These were the green shoots of a grass roots conservative backlash against what was viewed as huge debts and a government takeover of everything in our lives as predicted by various pundits and popular conspiracy theorists.  To hear talk show hosts tell it, this was the second coming of the Third Reich who in WWII were determined to wipe out all non-Aryans and take over our the world if they got their way and health care reform was the first step.  The fact the leader of the supposed Jew hating, minority loathing Nazis was an African American who appointed a Jewish Chief of Staff was somehow irrelevant.  Some sales job. </p>

<p>The normal folks who followed the movement just didn’t like the direction of the country.  They weren’t going to allow either Democrats or Republicans tell them what to do.  These were true conservatives intent on staying put on an unbending foundation of core principles.  They didn’t care if it was either of the main parties or another.  They told us only people who would take up the conservative mantle and stick by it would get their support. </p>

<p>They even proved it by backing a third party candidate in a national election in New York almost winning.  Had they started their campaign sooner they would have swept that election.  In Massachusetts they prevailed with a Republican candidate. <p/>

<p>Odd facts began to emerge regarding close ties to the Republican Party.  For example The Tax Day Recess Rallies held to “make it known that we will not stand for socialized, government controlled healthcare” recently listed an interesting array of supporters. (http://recessrally.com/)  One was former speech writer for George W. Bush, regional field director Bush-Cheney 04 campaign and FOX News commentator Michelle Malkin.  Another is former House Majority Leader, engineer of the Republican takeover of the 1990’s and head of the Washington lobby firm FreedomWorks Dick Armey.  Another is Ned Ryun another former speech writer for George W. Bush, current President of American Majority and son of former Republican Congressman Jim Ryun of Kansas.  </p>

<p>There are many more.  But, this is nothing new, after all FOX News has covered Tea Party Rallies non-stop.  They even took out full page advertisements lambasting their cable news competition for not doing so as heartily.  Of course there is nothing wrong with people throwing their support behind whomever they wish, by the same token infiltration is usually the first step towards being divided and conquered. </p>

<p>Americans across the country began to believe there was actual credence to the claims of a true independent organization free from large party ties and corporate influence.  These were to be the people to show us what real conservatives were all about.  Yet now that picture is becoming muddied. </p>

<p>As the election season revs up Republicans closely aligned with the Tea Party, like Dick Armey, have come out on the record saying this independent voice has to vote Republican if it wants to be heard.  But, this would mean electing the same people who proved the party of family values was not that at all.  Those who gave us worse sex scandals then any Democrats could have dreamed over the last nine years would be back.  These same people who curried the Christian Conservative vote during the Bush Administration only to have it come out main administration figures found Christian Conservative leaders laughable in private would be passing the same old inside jokes. </p> 

<p>That would mean the party of T.A.R.P. goes back to the Hill to deregulate till too big to fail happens again.  That would mean the party of the inherited deficit of the past administration goes back again.  That means the party that made no moves to rectify the direction of the national economy until a couple of months before they left office is placed in the driver seat again.  That would mean the same conservative party who unanimously voted in the 2006 Republican health care reform be voted in to do the same saying as they always do “this time we’ll be better, forgive us, we won’t do it again.” </p>

<p>That isn’t to say they’re inherently bad or the other should get in.  It is to say there is ample evidence in many areas there can be people who run under the Tea Party banner who may get elected.  There is evidence to show only a real independent third party can do it right as true conservatives.  Whether we agree on the same things or not what it will show all America is we don’t have to settle for the same people who just aren’t able to break with the patterns of the past no matter how many “this time it’ll be different” contracts they hold out.  This can only happen if Tea Partiers stand firm and don’t allow themselves to bow and bend to moneyed interests and well heeled lobby firms sporting expensive ten gallon hats.  It will provide true conservatives a way to gain leverage on the right in Congress.  </p>

<p>Once a real independent conservative voice gets in they can say, “either negotiate with what the real right wants or else.”  Otherwise they will end up with the same people promising yet delivering on nothing real.  They saw that happen with what was thought would be a Tea Party candidate in the Republican they helped elect Scott Brown in Massachusetts.  Only months later and they were already feeling a sense of betrayal.  Get some real ones in.  Don’t fall for it again.</p>

<p>To read about my inspiration for this article go to <a href="http://www.lawsuitagainstuconn.com">www.lawsuitagainstuconn.com</a>.</p>