THE 2012 ELECTION CHALLENGES
Now that the 2012 election is history, it is instructive for Tea Party people to consider what is next.
While most of the politicians who were elected were opposed to the Tea Party principles of Limited Government, Fiscal Responsibility, and Free Markets, this is not a time for the Tea Party to despair. After an appropriate period of licking our wounds and mourning a lost opportunity, we need to pick ourselves up and proceed to the next challenge.
The losing Presidential candidate did not have as one of his goals the restoration of the Constitutional Republic given to us by our Founding Fathers. Few people have that goal. One of our challenges is to increase the number that do so we get more attention from the decision makers.
We need to redouble our efforts to meet the challenges to give our children and grandchildren the country the 18th century colonists envisioned.
Some of the challenges are imbedded in the national culture and will require a long term effort to overcome.
Many citizens were deprived of the opportunity to understand the government our Founding Fathers gave us. They do not distinguish between a democracy and a republic. They do not appreciate many of the details of the Constitution. We will need an educational program to improve the citizens’ understanding of their government. We need to examine what is being taught in our schools, the adequacy of the textbooks, and the training of the teachers.
Other challenges are more short-term and will also require significant effort.
Conservative leaders who were elected this year need our support. We need to do all we can to help them in their efforts to help achieve Tea Party principles.
Less conservative leaders who were elected need to hear from us as they undertake their responsibilities and make decisions that will impact the type of government we have.
Legislation to move us closer to our objectives will need to be drafted and pursued.
And for the very short term, we need to be vigilant to protect against the damage a lame duck government might foist upon us.
And the next election in two years will be here too quickly. We need to find conservatives who are willing to serve and help them get elected. The earlier this process is started, the higher the probability of success.
With the most aggressive big-government, tax-and-spend, anti-capitalist President in the last half-century now reelected, we surely cannot rest.
The significant challenges standing in the way of the Tea Party reaching its goals must not deter us.