Tea Party People vs. The Ruling Elite

Back in 2006 many voters either voted against the Republicans or stayed home, delivering both the House and the Senate to the Democrats. A large number of these voters had earlier railed against the steadily increased spending and the ever growing federal government under Bush that continually encroached on their private freedoms. They thought they would just teach the Republicans a lesson for using them to get elected, then ignoring them when governing. More and more began to agree with George Wallace’s evaluation that “there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between the two parties.”

Blinded by their own prejudices, the Democrats and the media interpreted their victory as a demand for their Big Government approach to all problems. Obama’s election in 2008 furthered this illusion, especially for those who view the whole world only through the Democrat/Republican lens. No one bothered to check with Middle America and they scoffed at the spontaneous uprising of Tea Parties on April 15.

This week, some Republican politicians, encouraged by the likes of James Carville, began encouraging Republicans to move faster down the road to Democrat Light, while the Tea Party people stare in disbelief. They had “punished” the Republicans for moving to the left and now these same Republicans suggest moving farther to the left faster.

Tea Party People have a visceral opposition to a big government, especially one that eagerly takes over private sector entities and activities. Throughout the twentieth century they have read about and watched big governments become totalitarian governments that spread death and misery to millions of people. They know that every tax and every government program is an intrusion into their personal lives and a diminution of their freedom. They may fail at reforming the Republicans or at forming a successful third party. But they will not willingly let Washington politicians or the media change the country into something it was never meant to be.