America – A Conservative Nation

The Tea Party Leads the Way

by Tina Grazier

The last election cycle featured certain media types, left wing opinion columnists and pundits, bloggers, party mouthpieces , and Democrat politicians disparaging the Tea Party as a fringe right-wing element of racists and extremists. This ugly labeling of those who cannot be refuted on merit is not an unusual tactic and it has served the extreme left well in many past elections. But it did not work this election cycle. The leftist lablers were not only wrong they were ineffective. The Tea Party had a strong influence on both the Republican and Democrat party candidates.

The Tea Party is a group of ordinary Americans with strong patriotic views and a dedication that springs from their love of American values and principles. Their mission for the election was to express these values and principles politically and influence the outcome of the election. In this they succeeded mightily. Ultimately the message is that America is a conservative nation with strong patriotic roots. George Washington made clear the calling of these American patriots at his innauguration:

“The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” America’s role in the world is to preserve and to spread, by example and by action, the “sacred fire of liberty.” – George Washington

The Tea Party represents a groundswell of Americanism. Its individual members and supporters stand together to solidify and make manifest the principles of our founding for today’s world. They favor limited government, free market capitalism, private property rights, and the rule of law. They share a belief that freedom makes it possible for anyone of any race or creed to achieve and succeed. They share the pioneering spirit of neighbor helping neighbor to achieve great results. This is the conservatism of average Americans and their allegiance is to the foundational principles that make America the land of opportunity. The American people are not unique as human beings but our system of government is unique among nations. The Tea Party wants to ensure that this country thrives again and continues to be a beacon of hope for all freedom loving people around the world.

Tony Blair understands the American heart and the heart of the American Tea Party movement:

“American is great for a reason. It is looked up to, despite all the criticism, for a reason. There is a nobility in the American character that has been developed over the centuries, derived in part no doubt from the frontier spirit, from the waves of immigration that form the stock, from the circumstances of independence, from the civil war, from a myriad of historical facts and coincidences. But there it is. . .

That nobility isn’t about being nicer, better or more successful than anyone else. It is a feeling about the country. It is a devotion to the American ideal that at a certain point transcends class, race, religion or upbringing. That ideal is about values; freedom, the rule of law, democracy. It is also about the way you achieve, by your own efforts and hard work. But it is, most of all, that in striving for and protecting the ideal, you as an individual take second place to the interests of the nation as a whole.” – Tony Blair

A recent Gallup Poll found that 48% of voters self-identified as conservative, 32% self-described as moderate, and only 20% identified as liberal. If there is a fringe group of extreme thought in America it resides in that 20% group of left leaning liberal progressives. They claim to be the center of American political thought. They get away with it because they have been active for decades pushing the progressive agenda in education, media, the law and politics. Meanwhile, the conservative majority in America remained uninvolved or compromising, foolishly believing America could survive this persistent assault without their exercising due diligence.

The progressive fringe is well-represented in our nation’s most influential institutions. They continue to hold powerful positions in education, the courts, and media as they have for decades. The 2006 election gave the left a super majority position in Congress and 2008 the presidency. Believing they finally had a mandate to complete the transformation of America, they overstepped and showed their true radical colors. This made the Tea party message all the more compelling.

The concentration of liberal power in America represents a continuing challenge for those of us, both conservative and moderate, who live in main stream America. Voting for more conservative representation is but one way to reverse the relentless march toward a Marxist/fascist model that progressives promote. The long game involves transforming the institutions dominated by liberal power and thought.

We are a conservative nation in distress. It is not up to the politicians alone to fix what has gone wrong. It is up to all of us, the American people, to lead the way in our homes and in our communities. It is up to us to make certain that our values are reflected in the higher institutions that govern, serve, and educate for future generations. We have won a single battle in this war of ideas but the victory will be fleeting and unmemorable if we fail to stay the course. The commitment to restore America for future generations will require dedication for a lifetime. Just as the founders of this nation did over 200 years ago, we must remain resolute and fight the good fight for our individual freedom, our individual rights, and the land we call the United States of America.

My source for the George Washington quote is an excellent
Heritage Foundation article; I highly recommend it for your Sunday evening reading.