For the past few weeks, I've been hearing a lot of conservatives talk about the threat that Tea Party candidates pose to Republicans in races across the fruited plain. They make the argument that, "what we need to do as TRUE CONSERVATIVES, is take control of the Republican Party and reform it". If I remember correctly, we DID that once. Look what it got us.
After the 1994 mid-term election, conservatives cheered the hostile takeover of the House and Senate, thanks, in my opinion, to 2 factors, the Contract with America, and, (ironically enough) a president who had tried to take over health care.
Sound familiar?
Did we net a smaller government for our effort? I know, we did see some promising activity for a while, but politicians being what they are, before long, we had the same kind of overspending, just on different things. More government, not less, and when the Dems took over in 2008, we were no closer to a Constitutional government, than we were in 1993, and even farther in debt.
For the record, I'm not a Tea Party member, and have never been to a Tea Party rally. This is not to say I disagree with them. I most definitely DO agree with them, for the most part. Just letting you know I'm not an apologist. I have no desire to see the formation of a third major party. My goal is to see the two major parties we have, become obsolete. Party politics is how we got in the mess we're in.
When Republicans recognized the threat the Tea Party represents, the leadership began to suggest that the Tea Party movement become a part of the GOP. After all, if GOP candidates are splitting votes with Tea Party, or Constitution Party, or Libertarian Party, or (like myself) TRULY INDEPENDENT candidates, that will deliver seats into the hands of the Dems, and that would be "bad for the country".
Anyone notice that the GOP never suggests that THEY give way to the best interest of the country? Anybody heard, Michael Steele say anything like, "Wow that independent, (or any minor party), candidate has really nailed it. His ideas will move us back toward a constitutional government, without crashing us along the way. I think the Republican Party needs to endorse him, and get out of the way"?
What the GOP is doing, seems to be the same thing the Dems are doing. After Scott Brown, the Dems have moved to the center a bit, attempting to give the impression that they've "learned their lesson". After 2008 the GOP moved to the right a bit, giving the impression they've learned THEIR lesson. Well, everyone will have to come to there own conclusion. I agree the GOP seems to have moved to the right a bit. But the issue isn't RIGHT or LEFT. It's CONSTITUTIONAL government, or BIG government.
As for me... the saying comes to mind, "fool me once, shame on YOU. Fool me TWICE, shame on ME".
I'll get back to ya...
