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We are the Tea Party
Delaware GOP Senate nominee Christine O'Donnell this weekend attended the annual conservative Values Voters summit in Washington, DC. There, she emphasized that although she is backed by the Tea Party, she is also a politician who "toiled for years in the values movement," alluding to her longtime work as a Christian activist.
What is the Tea Party? Is it "a recession-era version of the religious right?" Is it something else? And if the Tea Party is not a religious movement, why is it raising up candidates like O'Donnell who has a strong background of religious activism?
Americans have never been fond of taxes: ask the British. Parliament passed a tiny tax on tea and touched off a titanic tax rebellion. Americans may like some government social programs, but they don't like paying for them. Ronald Reagan once summed up our attitude by saying: "Don't tax you, don't tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree."
Americans are not unique in this attitude. High taxes inspired legends of Robin Hood, a man who robbed from the government to give to the poor. The New Testament summed up the attitude of the ancient populace when it lumped together "tax collectors and sinners." Jesus tried to save both groups from their evil ways.
Americans are right to be suspicious of big government. Big anything, government or business, often tramples on the values and lives of the "little people" that get in the way. Big government has a particularly bad track record, because it combines huge financial resources with police power. Many suspect that big business often uses big government to squash competition from smaller businesses through regulatory growth.
Both political parties have members exhibiting a sordid desire to enrich their friends and allies from tax money. This graft is particularly odious when collected in the name of national defense or to help the poor. In the days of Robin Hood, government taxed to enrich the lives of the leaders, today it is the same but done in the name of the poor.
These modern day hoods rob from the rich and the rest of us to give to their cronies. Bipartisan support for Wall Street bailouts sickens Americans who see the economic pirates who brought on the recession rewarded for their private larceny with further public loot. One party natters about small government while increasing the size of government. The other party bawls about the poor while increasing the number of poor in America and bailing out bankers. Both political parties are unpopular, because the leadership of both parties has been tainted by these crimes.
Current leadership in the Republican Party may not get this yet, but the primary voters are busy finding new leadership. The "old guard" earned our distrust and so the folks are getting rid of them. The "old boys" of the Grand Old Party have partied on our dime and have left our nation in a grand mess.
The Tea Party exists to give a vehicle for real choice in the primaries. The GOP leadership has felt electoral pain in the primaries, but new Republicans will be in place in November. The Democratic Party has put off their suffering, having been able to hide from angry voters, but that will likely come to an end in November.
A common mistake is to think the Tea Party goers and movement are "conservative," but this is not true. They are not the product of the official conservative movement. Many conservative feel betrayed by their leaders who tell them one thing at home, but say something else in Washington. They are busy creating new leaders to replace old institutions that exist only to raise money to go on existing.
The Tea Party crowd will be religious and have traditional values, because most Americans are religious and have traditional values. Small government and strong private morality have always gone together in America. Just because an act is legal, does not make it beneficial or right. The Tea Party folk know their own temptation to ask for handouts or to misuse power, but thanks to leaders like Glenn Beck their focus has been on small government and strong families.
The Tea Partiers have taken a political Hippocratic Oath: asking government to do no harm to their private lives.
If old generals refight the last war, old pundits relive the last campaign. Both the generals and the pundits are in awe of their own hard won experience and fail to see the change around them. The stale category "religious right" must be retired. America is overwhelmingly religious and most of us don't fit neat ideological categories: especially ones designed for the last political generation.
Americans want to be good, but see an educational system that assaults their values, a graft ridden government, and a toxic popular culture. We know that we are responsible in great part for these problems. We have tolerated cads, crooks or weathercocks if they were cads, crooks or weathercocks in our party.
No nation pretending either Newt Gingrich or Barney Frank is a statesman should be complacent.
American knows that turning to our schools will not help. Graduates of our best universities looted our economy for their own profit and have looted our tax money. Our best schools may produce brilliant workers who make nifty products, but they are failing to produce men and women of character.
The Tea Party knows that this too is a failure of "we the people." We have allowed our tax dollars to support bloated educational institutions that have often lost sight of their mission. Instead of strengthening our republic, they undermine its values. Tea Party goers know that calls for a "new morality" on the left would lead to persecution of their home churches, if those churches do not conform. Tea Party goers realize that calls for a "new morality" on the Right would lead to a worship of "market values" that would ignore the human rights of the weak, the handicapped, and the unlucky.
Too often folk feel their choice has been limited to the values of Trotsky or Scrooge.
More than a few Tea Partiers in states like Ohio gave President Obama a chance. They believed, or hoped, his "new politics" were real and they guessed that John McCain was no real maverick. Sadly, they have seen him govern too often in the "Chicago way." If we unwisely hoped for a messiah, we got Rahm Emmanuel. President Obama is turning out to be just another politician and we don't have any more patience for a suit of clothes in the establishment.
Most Americans still believe in the Judeo-Christian values of a right to life, liberty, and human happiness. They know that human happiness comes when people can flourish: mentally, physically, and spiritually. Government can provide the atmosphere for such flourishing, but government cannot create the flourishing person by itself. Only strong families, religious groups, and culture with a supportive government can do so.
When government grows too large, it saps the strength of other parts of society.
High government spending and the taxes needed to pay for them are a moral issue. In the modern world, higher taxes are often sold to us by encouraging us to covet what our more fortunate neighbor has. If we take his stuff, then we will get free stuff. My home state of West Virginia has spent decades discovering that government help doesn't help or lead to clean governance.
When we borrow, we enslave the future to our decisions. Future generations will not bless us if we shackle them in the chains of our indulgence. The Tea Party wants to leave their children with choices and not a bill for their party.
The Tea Party is very imperfect as all populist movements are. Failure in leadership in both parties will tend to turn up new rogues and charlatans to fill the gap. Perhaps, however, there is reason for hope. When the two political parties failed in the 1850's, we found, by God's good grace, Abraham Lincoln. When the two political parties failed in the 1950's, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. led the people in a moral response to that failure.
Now we face another moral crisis from a failed leadership class and we can only hope the Tea Partiers will find a Lincoln or a King. In the meantime, the old ruling class will continue to demonize "we the people," because they fear the loss of their privileges and power.
The Tea Partiers should and will go on ignoring the advice of the nobility that has served us so badly.
By
John Mark Reynolds
|
September 21, 2010; 3:56 PM ET
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Posted by: jef4revive | September 30, 2010 10:53 PM
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Secret (opposite REVEALation):
The Reason for "Sodom n Gomorrah" is, ironicalty True (opposite MYTH). WHY?
Because, "Non-Straight"s, aka Gays (Sorry Parents) is that they are an "ARMY"! An Army Of Vile Human(s)! NOt like US straight HUUMATE(s)! Hence Why They Must Be STOPED! Not Destroyed in Thiese AquariUS times, Zero Pisces-age Times of Lores!
If ye/Yo Believe in Scripture, or some of the Truths therein, Then Ye/Yo Will Believe US EKLAH-t-iON's (zero OFF's), whom com'th to Save Ye/Yo's, justly fo a time via Holyi TiME! Behold: The REFRESHING!
Soo, If Ye/Yo con't see what WE[i] See'th or Warn'th, Then Death to yo/YE all [Pre-Apocalyptic-OFFs] MEMETiCs (Posterity)! Not US (Apocalyptic On's) on/of S.pace-S.hip Earth!!
Posted by: woodstock-41 | September 27, 2010 10:25 PM
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Ooopsa Daisy:
Do NO, NOt fix, What is NO, NOt-Broken Yo!
Posted by: woodstock-41 | September 27, 2010 9:43 PM
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Opps:
DO NOT Fis What
is NOt Broken!
Posted by: woodstock-41 | September 27, 2010 9:10 PM
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TO: Daniel HEiMBACH {Blocker of Posts] ; On; "WHY DADT must Stay" (09.27.10):
Dear Bredren, Brother, Bright.. (Note: Huggs n a Kiss's To allk da Sistrens, Sisters, SisStars.. too):
AMAZiNG, NO GRACE! iNteresting!
A little bit of a tangent. "DADT" intent/purpose is fo Non-Straights NOt to Advertise 'openly' their Sexual Preferences or Sexual Orientations [Similar] in Military or else where, aye!?
So, Earlier on On 'onfaith' {the Greatest Blog On Earth, ya ya] that Mr. Gustav Niebuhr wrote, entitled,; "DADT [Gays] & Church [of England], r Ahead of the Politico/a [U.S.] (similar said.Soo
i[WE] Eklaht-i-ON's or Apocalyptic-ON's (not Apocalyptic-Offs), or simply HUUMATE(s) of S.S. Earth argue THAT
WE[i] Huumates (NOt Humans) or APOCALYPTARiANS (Not PRE-Apocalyptarians) If it becomes O.K. to Openly for None-Straights Advertise ones SEXual Desires, on a Same Sex Basis: that, THEN The Military should make a special Rule/Provision for OPENLY ANTi-Xristians, Anti-Ju's, Anyi-Mormons, Anti-Ishlami's, Anti-Hindus/Seiks/Jains & Anti Buddhist folk in da Military! Note: SEX IS NOt LOVE: KLiFE IS! Soo then,
Think of a Don't Ask Don't Speak-out Against Pre-Apocalyptic Human's and their Religio-Preferences or Religious-Orientations question, aye!!??
Example: If I told Me Captain, Adjadent, Seargant, Generla etc.. that "i Dislike JU's, or Dislike Xrstians, or Hate Muslims. or any raggggg-hheads..lala O-P-E-N-L-Y, then what will ye yo Do to i[WE] US????
So, under the "EQUAL PROTECTiON" of our Holyi U.S. CONSTITUTION (born/made via Miracle: a Holy Holy Truth) that if Ye Yo's allow da Gay to Be OPEN about SEX (prefrences/Orientation) THEN WE[i] Eklahtions, aka Apocalyptarian Nationals sahould be Able to Be Open about OUR "Religious" Prefrences/ or Orientaions. aye Boss!????
Bottom Line: VOTE: Do-Not, i[WE[ repeat, NO-Repeal DADT et al!!!!!
Secret (opposite Revealation): Foreign Agents can Compromise and infiltrate the Pentagon et al institutions;
2nd Secret: Fact: Those folks behind Exposing The Classified Military Documents/pages recently of the U.S. War Effort (a great Embarrassment & Danger to our Coalitions straught-Guys & straight Gals [Bless them] was and is spread'd via GAYS! GAYS! within da Military!!!! via Non-Straights!@ aka Commy Finkle Fagarino's!! O' QUEEEERS! TROUBLE MAKERS! Pleazza, Better Suckk on Lolli-Poppis! Oye! Oye!
So: GAY to GAY "HONEY-TRAPS" {for Espionage Activities etc.. via none-Straights is a THREAT To U.S. (includes Other Nations) NATIiONAL SECURITY+!}
Posted by: woodstock-41 | September 27, 2010 9:09 PM
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John Mark,
No one thought Rahm Emanuel would be a messiah, John, which you know. What he was and is is a kingmaker. Let us never forget that he was not chosen by Obama. Rather, Emanuel chose Obama.
Moreover, it was Obama who many allowed themselves to see as a Messiah, so why hedge? Duplicity does not become you.
And it was the greatest campaign in history, a PR coup now studied in colleges throughout, America's election of "The One."
As a Dem, I voted for him. As a nonMoron, I did not think him the One.
As a nonMoron, I also do not think of myself as represented by the Tea Party.
What I do not get John is (a) you are not a moron, (b) you write impressive books, and (c)you post insanity.
These three do not go together.
Sincerely,
Farnaz
Posted by: FarnazMansouri2 | September 24, 2010 3:31 PM
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the *over whelming* majority is not always right,
what about if the over whelming majority are delusional and misguided?
its not the over whelming majority but the over whelming truth.
remember,
jesus son of marry was one man and he carried the truth to the over whelming ignorant majority ,
jesus son of marry not only carried the overwhelming truth but he started from the bottom to the top, not from top to the bottom,
in other words jesus didnot ask nor solicited the majority to put him the governer of the state or the king of the empire in order to establish truth and guidance.
it start at the individual not at the gov
and it would not even survive period if its not the truth and none but the truth.
truth will dig and sail her way thru this life with no help and no support but the truth.
joining the over whelming majority would not help nor survive an impotent delusional false theology and ideology,
this is the constitution of life,
life of the free home of the natural constitution.
Posted by: mono1 | September 24, 2010 9:16 AM
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And, yes, Mr. Reynolds, maybe whoever you represent *is* 'The Tea Party' ...But the Tea Party is nothing but denial, hatred, and an inability to accept that what you voted for in Dubya *screwed us up, no matter who you blame.*
You want to heap it on Obama, but won't let him *do* anything,
Your own elected people filibuster *everything* and then you claim 'Government doesn't work! Control sex with God and pray more!
Yah, yah.
Fact is, you're to blame. You and all of you who've been begging for this.
You're the ones who atacked the very idea of 'Hope and change' when we most needed to embrace it.
And now you want to sacrifice our dearest liberties to your mad idea of your apocalyptic God. Want to say, 'Let's elect pretty faces who getsnippy about sex! Call it morals!
You, Mr. Reynolds... May be the 'Tea Party' but you sure haven't shown us anything good.
Posted by: APaganplace | September 23, 2010 7:14 PM
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""Now we face another moral crisis from a failed leadership class and we can only hope the Tea Partiers will find a Lincoln or a King.""
Pardon if I think they're unlikely to find one from among 'Born-again' underwear-models, weather-readers, and 'anti-masturbation activists' stirring up Christianists against a government the people they *voted for* won't allow to function.
This is *BS.*
This is not America, or civil government, this is people wasting time we don't have to continue in the same old denial.
It's just the same rich-people-serving unreason repackaged. Yet again.
These are not the times for this, sir.
Posted by: APaganplace | September 23, 2010 7:09 PM
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The 'Tea Party' is intolerance dressed up as a 'tax protest' ....angry about what bush did but screaming for more Bible quotes and scapegoating to be stuck on 'more of the same.'
Screaming 'Government doesn't work' while the GOP *has filibustered absolutely everything* since Obama's been in office.
Posted by: APaganplace | September 23, 2010 4:03 PM
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John, we need your values here in Oz. we have an Atheist female Prime Minister with a live in lover. we have a Lesbian Finance Minister(mind you she says she is a christian, but you know that can't be right can it John).These sort of wicked values means that we don't execute enough sinners (well none actually)which causes us to go out and murder a fraction of the people that you values people do, oh the wickedness of our ways.We are so wicked we provide health care for all,(we know that the indolent poor should be left to die or beg for christian charity). We even have a gay leader of that satanic party "The Greens" who , would you believe it, thinks we should care about the environment instead of leaving it up to god ( you knows there is no point anyway seeing that the rapture is coming)he even wants us to give the poor more.I have to confess that my own atheistic lack of values has led me to bring up children that do not hate anyone(not even gay people)and their lack of values has caused them to use the many degrees they obtained to work in not for profit organisations instead of getting filthy rich as they should do(believe it or not they don't even mind paying tax!!!)
well John I would love to be a Christian but I read JCs work and all he seemed to be was a liberal woos
Posted by: aussiebarry | September 23, 2010 12:50 AM
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There is just so many misguided and misinformed theological and historical facts in this piece that I don't even know where to begin. Let me just discuss three.
1. John, you make the common mistake almost every Tea Party member and Republican since Ronald Reagan has: You misunderstand why American colonists disliked taxes. It was NOT because they thought taxes were inherently evil or a slap to "liberty." What they fought against was the British King imposing taxes without their say -- that's "taxation without representation." Sound familiar? In other words, they had no say in what to tax, how much to tax and what the tax proceeds would be spent on. That's called colonialism. Last time I checked, We The People decide how to tax ourselves, how much to tax and how to spend the proceeds. I believe that's called a republic.
2. Simply put, Christ wanted nothing to do with nations and political movements. "Render unto Caesar . . . ." To defend a political movement like the Tea Party with references to Christianity and Judeo-Christian values does an egregious injustice to your your professed love of the Bible. Christ was on Earth to teach one thing: love thy God and love thy neighbor, which by the way he said were the two greatest commandments. That's it. But I do not see the word "love" in your 1,337-word treatise. I do see a lot of defense of intolerance and veiled anger.
3. Finally, would you please define what you mean by "strong families;" you mention it twice. What exactly is a strong family in your eyes? And what do you mean by "values," as in "Americans want to be good, but see an educational system that assaults their values . . . ." What exactly are these values? We all have values, but mine are most definitely different than yours, but no less legitimate. In fact, I bet most liberals could defend their values using biblical scripture and sound theology and philosophical references. What exactly has the education system assaulted? You never define your terms. You commit the same rhetorical error of assuming your meanings for such code words as "values" are uniform, uncontestable definitions. "They just are." Are the family values you speak of are to teach religious bigotry, threats of violence, homophobia, the distrust of science and facts, and a fear of masturbation -- just to name a few that come to mind when you see Tea Partyers invoking God on the National Mall?
All this just doesn't square, John.
Posted by: Leveler | September 22, 2010 11:16 PM
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This is a disingenuous piece, Rev. Those teabeggers – that’s right, beggers – are hypocrites. Notice please the signs they carry that say, Hands Off My Medicare.
Just where does the money come from to support Medicare? Hypocrites!
Posted by: darling_ailie | September 22, 2010 7:51 PM
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Since the Civil War, "states rights" has been a code word for something else. Now, the new code word is "small government."
Posted by: DanielintheLionsDen | September 22, 2010 7:18 PM
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Posted by: rcc_2000 | September 22, 2010 6:47 PM
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You're welcome to your religion, Reynolds. We do have a 1st Amendment still. But if you think that I will accept one iota of that religion in my life or my government, then you're very mistaken.
Personally I think your god is a sick sadistic, bully. And I regard as assault any attempt to ram that god down my throat.
Posted by: bigbrother1 | September 22, 2010 3:04 PM
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You're welcome to your religion, Reynolds. We do have a 1st Amendment, after all. But if you think I'm going to accept one iota of it in my life or in my government, you're very mistaken.
Personally, I find the god you worship to be a sick, sadistic bully. And I consider any attempt to to force that god down my throat to be assault.
Posted by: bigbrother1 | September 22, 2010 3:00 PM
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Sure, I believe you, the tea party wants smaller government, one that doesn't interfere in our private lives... sure, I believe you.
Of course the tea party christians want all of the government that does exist to be run by and for christians only.
I pay close attention to the small government and fiscal responsibility claims of the tea party advocates. I really want to believe that's what they want. But I can see the dominionist monsters trying to take over this movement the same way they tried to take over the republican party.
Turns out the republicans are just a bunch of politicians, just like the democrats. You couldn't get any further with your theocracy through them and you realized it.
I know a few tea party libertarians. They're watching people like you Reynolds, trying to take them over. I wait for the coming turf war, and I hope the libertarians throw you scum out.
Posted by: eezmamata | September 22, 2010 1:28 PM
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"The Tea Partiers have taken a political Hippocratic Oath: asking government to do no harm to their private lives."
Your crock runneth over.
Teabaggers want government to pry into private lives to exclude, discriminate and deny Constitutional rights to gay, Mexican and Muslim citizens.
They are made up of the mostly white, Republican, intolerant "religious right" and you are one of their poster boys..
Posted by: areyousaying | September 22, 2010 8:47 AM
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Less Jesus, more jobs, please.
Posted by: mkries2 | September 21, 2010 9:47 PM
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First let me excuse all of us who believe that the Bible says what it means. “Values” have only one real source, the “Word” of God, revealed in the Bible and in the person of Jesus. The commentary is very balanced and does not excuse the failures of the electorate. It paints a completely dismal picture of the leadership of both parties. But it keeps coming back to the strengths that made our country great. To me, however, the commentary falls short on two counts. One, we can’t afford the deficits that grow at a higher rate with each new Administration. We can’t cut taxes (although strategic tax cuts do create additional revenue) without a plan to shrink government. And the second is when is the Tea Party and Ron Paul going to wake up to the fact that the only viable channel for their platform is the Constitution Party? As for the comments that have already been posted on this commentary – did you all even read past the words “Tea Party”???
http://www.revive-america.us.