We All Know Who Lost, But Who Won?

There is little dispute that the left lost, yet a swirl of conjecture of who won and why rages on. The economy was no doubt a factor but in sea of federal despotism there are many issues on the table.


Most of the pundits along with the current administration blame joblessness that created a profound but predictable pendulum swing to the right. Meanwhile, the Republicans are still wrangling with the newly elected members versus the old guard in the party for priorities.

It was not just “the economy, stupid.” Nor was it a normal “wave” election born out of disgruntlement by an electorate suffering typical impatience with Washington.

Perhaps Frank Luntz who has spent endless days involved in focus groups across the country and engaged voter opinions more directly than a distant phone poll, could lend assistance.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/05/AR2010110503054_2.html?sid=ST2010110505496tml?sid=ST201011050549610503054_2.html?sid=ST2010110505496

The Tea Party Movement is a name taken from our history books that marks an historic mindset of Americans who equally lived in hardship while being dictated by autocracy.


Was it just the imposed tax on tea by the king that resulted in an act of defiance to tyranny? Or were there a series of despotic acts that culminated in revolt.

The Stamp Act of 1765 was more the spark that ignited the flame of the colonist’s indignation over dictatorial rule. It was the genesis of the well known American phrase “taxation without representation” in colonial America. It was repealed by the British Parliament but replaced by the Declaratory Act of 1766.


The Declaratory Act was a bigger slap in the face to colonists as it declared that the British Parliament had the absolute power and right to rule over the colonies regardless of representation in that legislative body.

The Townshend Revenue Act of 1767 taxed imported goods among them tea. There were boycotts and protests throughout the colonies and three years later in 1770 all was repealed in the Townshend Act except for the tax on tea. The reaction, during this three year period by the colonists was to smuggle tea and imposed a non-importation ban among merchants as a protest to importing and drinking British tea.

Boston however, had been one of the few ports still importing tea during this time. Now with the new Tea Act in May of 1773, it allowed the East India Company to undersell the tea smugglers.


When the ships Dartmouth, Eleanor and the Beaver arrived at Boston’s harbor they were not allowed to leave port without the colonists paying the import fees. This standoff with English law leads to the defiant dumping of tea or the Boston Tea Party revolt of December 16, 1773.
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Boston_Tea_Partyston_Tea_Party

Was it about tea? Was it about taxes? Is today’s Tea Party Movement about taxes? Is it about the economy?

The Bailouts, the Stimulus the Healthcare Bill and the circumvention of the Constitution by Reconciliation are as onerous to Americans today as the Stamp Act, Declaratory Act and the Townshend Acts were yesterday.

Then and now the answer is a resounding NO. It was not about tea and taxes back then but about freedom from the king. It is not about taxes and the economy now but about freedom from federal authoritarian rule.


“Taxation without representation” could be coined to fit the modern ire “representatives not representing!” Americans across the country are clamoring for a change in Washington.

There are those talking heads proclaiming that the electorate failed to rid the Senate of the incumbent Democrats and therefore their bite is not as powerful as their bark. I guess they would have also diminished the protest effect of the tea being dumped in the harbor as an ineffectual symbolic gesture? History would prove otherwise.

Did you forget that this was an off year election? Did you forget that the Movement is still gathering in membership? Did you forget that many years of cynicism has soured voter participation? Did you forget that big money and special interest bribery has corrupted our electoral system? Perhaps you have an equally distorted view that every colonist was supportive of the revolution and there were no English loyalists?

We in the Tea Party Movement are still growing as we reach out to voters still watching on the sidelines wondering if we are this “wacko” group so wrongfully disparaged by all our elitist opponents. Yet, when they get close and look for themselves, and listen to what the Tea Party Movement stands for we are not scary, loony or crazy. Moreover, they understand our message is not radical, irrational or unreasonable.

To the political commentators, the Democrats, and to the President this election was a “shellacking” of the policies of your administration but equally a first electoral shot over the ship of state. We are not finished speaking our minds. We will not be content with words of concession alone. We will not be appeased by window dressing (re-instate Bush tax cuts, rid Healthcare of 1099 provision).

We will be even more engaged while we continue to recruit millions of American voters to join us as traditional Americans seeking to save their country’s roots, values and core principles.

Who won this first political battle against freedom crushing dictatorship?

We
(the people) won!

The average American won this election battle and we understand it will be a long political war to restore constitutional integrity to our Republic!