Tea Parties, The Republican Party And The Future (Part 3)

In Part 1 of this post I discussed my relevant background and in Part 2 I gave some initial thoughts on the Tea Parties. Time to wrap it up here in Part 3.

Now that I've outlined my background and philosophy, which dovetails nicely with the Tea Parties, and talked about how inspired I am by the movement, the obvious question becomes - am I a Tea Partier? Simply put - No.

This isn't because there's something wrong the Tea Party. It isn't because of the narrative the media wants you to believe. Every organization, especially one that grows this organically, will have a few outliers and will go through some growing pains. Frankly, I'm surprised by how few we've seen from the Tea Parties.

The fact is, I'm not a Tea Partier because I believe this movement is too powerful and valuable to be co-opted by political parties. I believe this grassrooots movement (don't let anyone tell you it's not a grassroots movement) requires autonomy from party to be what it needs to be.

It has become clear to me over the last few years that the best way for me to influence political discussion and decisions is from within the Republican Party. On the flip side, the best way for the Tea Parties to do the same is to remain rabidly independent of the influences and restrictions placed on it by political parties.

I view the Republican Party and the Tea Party to be natural allies but they are not and cannot be one in the same. The Tea Party must remain independent so it can provide the external discipline that all politicians need. This may mean supporting Republicans, supporting third-party candidates, running their own candidates, or, as inconceivable as it may seem, supporting Democrats. They must retain the institutional independence to allow them to fulfill their mission.

The point of all of this is that I'm a big fan of the Tea Party movement but, unlike most Republicans, I do not want the Tea Party to simply become the vocal conservative wing of the Republican Party. And to you Tea Partiers reading this, you can believe that's exactly what the Republican Party wants. Fight this and do not let it happen. On the other hand, I do not agree with some Tea Parties who believe they should take over the Republican Party. This would hand you the Republican Party's historical baggage and would prevent you from being that which you're best at - a movement to hold ALL politicians accountable.

I believe the Republican Party remains the best political vehicle to fight for freedom, the Constitution, personal responsibility, etc. but our historic failures show us that we need an independent vehicle to insure accountability. It is for that reason that our shared mission can only be accomplished when we are both active, vibrant and independent.

At the risk of once again being overly dramatic - Tea Partiers and Republicans - embrace your shared goals but reject the natural pull to become one in the same. You need each other but you can only fulfill your goals by not being bound to each other. I believe that if we work together without becoming each other, the future of our politics, our Constitution and our country are strong.

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To the handful of people who actually read this blog, sorry that my little thought turned into a 3 Part rant. Just something that's been on my mind.