Tea Parties: We Have Elections, Not Coup d’Ètats

If you’ve been discouraged about your country lately, I suggest you overdose today on Internet news reports about yesterday’s Tea Parties. Every conservative website has reports and pictures from numerous protests. While the mass media outlets continue to be dismissive, there is no doubt that the grass roots movement was successful in registering dismay at the way the country is moving.

If politicians prefer to believe rigged poll results to yesterday’s spontaneous expression regarding politics and political culture, they do so at their peril. I expect many will be drummed out of office in 2010.

While many hope that the movement will die down or that the number attending has been exaggerated, I believe that a sleeping giant has been awakened.

The people who showed up are people who do not have the time to show up because they stay busy with work, family, and community affairs. They did take time to phone or email their representatives regarding the recent spending bills, only to discover that phones were taken off the hook, emails ignored, and votes that opposed their convictions. The tea party movement will give them an opportunity to make an impact after being disregarded. I find it hard to believe they will just sit down and shut up now.