The Tea Party Patriots (TPP) is probably the biggest, best organized remaining remnant of the original Tea Party. I am a member, but I feel a huge lack of ideas in the leadership of this group. There is an unwillingness to step outside the big-money, two-party, power politics morass that has dominated the U.S. politics and government for so long . . . and will eventually be the ruin of our nation.
The Tea Party Patriots bombard me with incessant emails screaming for me to send money, NOW! They seem to have dead-lines to get this-or-that candidate elected, or to pass or defeat a particular proposition in Congress.
The emails careen from one hot-button disaster to the next, and it’s usually, “The sky is falling, the sky is falling, send money . . . now”. Not a very inspirational plea, I think, and in my opinion seldom, if ever, effective in solving long-term problems.
It would be nice if they would show me their plan to fix the problems, or something I could help with, or feel like I am a part of it, or at least, intellectually buy-in to. But, it’s always just send the money.
I was an “original tea partier”. Washington, DC, local meetings, rallies, etc. We were about trying to fix the “government” back then, not just get some smooth talking pseudo conservative Republican elected. We already have a lot of those, and they are a big part of the problem.
Replacing a Republican with another Republican is an exercise in futility. It simply results in Republican incompetence and corruption along-side Democratic incompetence and corruption. It’s power politics as usual and it fixes nothing.
So, I think, if you want my money, you’re going to have to show me how my money will help change the government, not just swap politicians. Think long term, not just to the next election. Think decades out, what would a strong, well organized, third party movement do? Would it frighten them into self-reform, like the Ross Perot effort did in 1992? Maybe so. I could support that kind of effort.
Or, what if we worked to elect conservative Democrats as well as Republicans? Would that light a fire under the Republicans? Would they fear the Democrats might claim some of the their “conservative” territory? Would they respond with a better offer?
We need to do something different if we are to make a difference. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting government to change is not working . . . and everyone knows there is a “word” that describes that sort of repetitive action.
No thanks, I have no interest in contributing my money to such futility. So, please stop asking unless you can come up with a much, much better, long term strategy.