Neo-Conservatism Hijacking Tea Party Movement
Ron Rutherford
Today, politicians such as Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry are identified as members of the Tea Party Movement, but in its short history, this has not always been the case.
The very origins of the modern Tea Party Movement were based on fiscal conservatism, monetary reform, and most importantly, an end to warfare overseas, in what began as a truly grassroots movement by Ron Paul’s Libertarian supporters.
The main reason why many formerly traditional Republicans and Independents supported Ron Paul in the 2008 campaign, and why they do today, is because they are tired of the Federal Government’s ever-increasing power. This is represented by the ever-expanding role of the state, not only in our lives but in the lives of countless foreigners.
The very first Tea Party event was what Ron Paul’s grassroots organizers termed a “money bomb.” There would be a day announced a couple of months ahead of time, and supporters of Paul would wait until that day to all donate together. The hope was to garner media attention as well as higher amounts of campaign contributions.
The money bomb occurred on Dec. 16, 2007, which was the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. It worked, despite media attention being lackluster. Total contributions amounted to $6 million, breaking the record for most money ever raised in one day by a U.S. politician. The term Tea Party, in its modern form, was born.
Ron Paul and the candidates he shares the early GOP debates with have polar opposite views on the role of the state and the Federal Government’s authority under the Constitution, yet all are trying desperately to label themselves as the “Tea Party Candidate.” These people have little in common with the original Tea Party Movement, which has been completely hijacked by the GOP establishment, and the largest of these differences is foreign policy.
While Ron Paul from the very beginning has opposed military interventionism overseas, including Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, the other candidates support the failed neoconservative foreign policy of the Bush administration. They view it is America’s job to be the policeman of the world, even if that means preemptively attacking Iran with a tactical nuclear strike.
How these politicians can try and squeeze votes out of rhetoric and smaller governments, while wanting to increase the power of the government abroad, is nothing short of hilarious, it’s so absurd.
