This past year has been one of great achievement for the Tea Party movement both nationally and locally. In less than one year, we have become a major political force. In 2010, we hope to leverage the Tea Party brand to become a major influencer in policy-making, working to reverse the spending frenzy of our government that threatens to destroy our economy and our way of life.
Our influence is not just a matter of personal opinion. Recent polls indicate that the Tea Party movement is popular and may have profound impact in 2010. A Rasmussen poll reported on December 7 indicated that in a three-way race between the Democrats, Republicans and a Tea Party candidate, the Tea Party candidate beats the GOP (23% Tea Party, 18% GOP.) Among populists, the same poll indicates that Tea Party candidate beats both the Dems and the GOP (31% Tea Party, 26% GOP, 19% Dem, and 24% Undecided).
According to a Gallup poll reported on October 26, more Americans describe themselves as conservatives than liberals or even moderates. Forty-percent of Americans describe their political views as conservative, 36% as moderate, and 20% as liberal. While there are differences among conservatives and Tea Party participants, (not all Tea Party participants identify themselves as conservatives) we all agree that government spending is unsustainable and we are united in our belief in limited government, a cornerstone principle of the Tea Party movement.
Not even the local Bozeman Daily Chronicle can afford to ignore our new movement. In their review of the top ten stories of 2009, the Bozeman Tea Party made the list at number 10, were mentioned in number 2 (Obama visits Bozeman) and in number 8 (Baucus influences health care debate). Even though the Chronicle gave us a back-handed compliment, the point is—they had to account for us.
WorldNet Daily, an online conservative journal selected as its Person of the Year, the one who marches for the future of America—the Tea Party participant. We beat out Sarah Palin, Hannah Giles and James O’Keefe who exposed ACORN, the Climategate hacker and Rush Limbaugh. We are further honored by having a photo of our Bozeman April 15 Tax Day Tea Party in the actual online article. You can tell it’s us because you’ll see in the photo the yellow ribbon that hangs on the Gallatin County Court House and, of course, by reading the caption. You may remember that was our inaugural Tea Party event. More than 700 people showed up in blizzard conditions. The spirit of freedom was strong and felt by many who attended. We caught our opponents off-guard but after that initial event, they hammered us in the media with mean-spirited attacks. This too worked to our advantage because the harder our opponents and the media attacked us, the stronger we got and the more support we received.
As WorldNet Daily reported, we are the ones who march for the future of America and in 2010, it is time for us to work together and reclaim Montana and America.
Our challenges are formidable. The national liabilities including social security, and Medicaid is calculated in 2008 is greater than $54 trillion, according to David Walker, the former U.S. Comptroller General and head of the US General Accountability Office. Our deficit is greater than $12 trillion or approximately $40,000 for every man, woman and child in America. Opponents of freedom dominate The White House, Congress, bureaucracy, lobbyists, banking industry and media. We’ve seen our federal government take control over the banking industry, the insurance industry and the auto industry. They are chomping at the bit to take over the healthcare industry despite our majority and vocal opposition. We have marched, we have written letters, flooded the Capital switchboard with phone calls, endured the barbs and criticism of our opponents and yet our ship of state continues to sail in a radically wrong direction. However, the die is not quite cast on health care reform: it has to go through conference and ultimately face Constitutional challenges. The process exposed the utter corruption of the Senate, many of whom have had their votes bought with multi-million dollar bribes. Now we know clearly who are our friends and who are the enemies of the Republic.
Damocles sword in the form of massive federal budget deficits faces the nation and looms over our state. In Montana, projections of a $300 million surplus back in spring of 2008 have dwindled to a projected $17 million by the end of 2011, according to Terry Johnson, lead analyst of Montana’s Legislative Fiscal Division. Revenues have dwindled each month and will continue to dwindle. Before the end of year we are more than likely to be in a deficit. These figures don’t even include the nearly $2 billion in unfunded liabilities the state is obligated to pay its employees for their pensions.
2010 will be year of more marches and protests. It’ll be a turning point year because the 2010 elections can transform the balance of power in Congress and can also alter the balance of power in the Montana House and Senate.
Some of us as individuals have expressed strong interest in running for office or in helping good candidates win in both the primaries and the general election. They believe that getting a majority of good candidates who adhere to the principles of the Tea Party movement of limited government, reduced spending, lower taxes, personal liberty and the restoration of a Constitutional Republic is the best way we can reclaim Montana and the country.
We must continue to be vigilant, mark our achievements, and prepare for more battles in the 2010.
Those forces who are entrenched in positions of power in Helena, Washington, D.C. and elsewhere are counting on us to give up, to engage in petty battles among ourselves and to self-destruct. They may be in power, they may have more funding and they may have more paid professionals but we have more heart, we have more passion and we still have the freedom and liberty to act. In 2009, we were awakened and we learned just how many of us there are and what kind of impact we can have: in 2010, we have to direct that passion into effective action.
____________________________________________________________________________ Henry Kriegel is a board member of the Bozeman Tea Party, and a marketing professional and a guest Thursday mornings on KMMS-AM 1450.
Ken Champion is chairman of the Bozeman Tea Party, and a small business owner.
