Tea Party Nation: Of Palin, Progressives, New Deal, and party politics

Sarah Palin as she give the Keynote Speech to end the first political convention to recognize the Tea Party Movement - Tea Party Nation. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks from C-SPAN broadcast (2010)

Tea Party Nation: Of Palin, Progressives, New Deal, and party politics

Talking heads and news cast pundits are unanimous ... the Tea Party Movement needs, or has a leader in the visage of former Alaska State Governor, Sara Palin after her rather pointed keynote speech she delivered at the first, official convention put on by the Tea Party Nation organization (one of many grassroots organizations that have sprung up after seeing people gather in protest to this current Government's "progressive" expansion and spending agenda).

The truth about this Tea Party Movement is that it does not need a leader to follow, just a recognition of what many term American constitutional principles and American Culture. What has most people upset with our current political landscape is the direction embraced by politicians from both political parties. Simply stated, a progressive STATE-IST solution to all governance ... there is a governmental solution to all perceived problems in our society, culture, and process that effect our lives.

The problem with this view is that it does not match up with what is stated in the document that is the keel-board upon which our country was founded ... the United States Constitution.

We have had many attempts to turn this country into a fascist, socialist, "PROGRESSIVE" paradise starting at the turn of the last century, reaching major strength through the Herbert Hoover' 31st Presidency, through the Franklin Delano Roosevelt five terms as President (and the main reason why the elected office of President has been term limited to just two terms), and now with a one-party Democrat Congress (House of Representatives & Senate) and 44th Presidency of the politically radical Democrat Party Obama Administration.

Democrats, however, are not the only politicians who can lay claim to a progressive agenda, many recognized Republican Party standouts are very "Big, Bigger, Biggest Government" state-ist as well. Chief among them are George H.W. Bush, the 41st President, Geoprge W. Bush, the 43rd President, Colin Powell, former military Chief of Staff and one-time presidential hopeful, Charlie Crist, former Governor of Florida and Senate seat hopeful, the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, William Weld, former Governor of Massachusetts, and the jury is out on the politician and successful business mogul who replaced Weld as Governor and 2008 presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, and current United States Senators, John McCain (his progressive stand cost him the 2008 presidency), Lindsey Graham, Olympia Snowe, and Susan Collins.

The Tea Party Movement is not Republican, Democrat, or Independent registered voter driven or, for that matter, owned. That really is the issue here, the Tea Party Movement is about washing out Progressive politics and re-establishing a Constitutional Government that is smaller and attempts to be responsive -- to, for, and by the voting citizen!

Sarah Palin seemed very much in her element addressing the crowd of 1,100 conservative activists, who had each paid several hundred dollars to see the former governor deliver her most-anticipated speech since the 2008 campaign. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks from C-SPAN broadcast (2010)

This partial definition of the Tea Party Movement excerpted and edited from ABCNews-

Palin: 'America Is Ready for Another Revolution' Ex-V.P. Candidate Assails Obama at Convention, Fuels Acolytes' Passion
By STEVEN PORTNOY - NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 7, 2010

former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said the Tea Party movement is the "future of politics in America," and it's got Democrats "running scared."

Delivering the keynote address at the first-ever National Tea Party Convention, Palin brought the audience to its feet several times, taunting the Obama administration, mocking its supporters and warning Democrats that their agenda is "out of touch, out of date, and if Scott Brown is any indication, it's running out of time."

Referring to the Republican who won the late Ted Kennedy's Senate seat in the Bay State, Palin told activists, "If there's hope in Massachusetts, there's hope everywhere."
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"I caution against allowing this movement to be defined by any one leader or politician," Palin said, calling the conservative populist Tea Party "bigger than any king or queen."

"And it's a lot bigger than any charismatic guy with a teleprompter," Palin said, delivering her first of many swipes at President Obama and his administration.

Taunting those who voted for the Democratic ticket in 2008, Palin asked to laughs, "How is that 'hope-y, change-y stuff workin' out for ya'?" While criticizing the administration for its record of transparency on stimulus spending, and accusing Democrats of committing "generational theft" amid a sharp rise in deficit spending, Palin saved her strongest rhetorical fire for the president's handling of terrorism.

"We can't spin our way out of this threat," Palin said, referring to Obama's reticence to call the effort against al Qaeda a "war on terror."

"To win that war," Palin said, "we need a commander in chief, not a professor of law standing at the lecturn." The line brought her another standing ovation, and some of the biggest applause of the night.
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The Tea Party movement, Palin argued, is "about the people. Who can argue with a movement that is about the people and for the people?"
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Palin took questions submitted in advance to the Web site of Tea Party Nation, the group that organized the event at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center.
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Palin urged a return to fiscal restraint, an expansion of domestic oil exploration, and for leaders to not be "afraid to kind of go back to some of our roots as a God-fearing nation."

"It would be wise of us to start seeking some divine intervention again in this country, so that we can be safe and secure and prosperous again," Palin said.
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Addressing the notion that the Tea Party should become the nation's third major political party, Palin instead said, "The Republican Party would be really smart to absorb as much of the Tea Party as possible."
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Palin urged fellow conservative politicians to "plow right on through" attacks by the "irrelevant, lamestream media."

"The political potshots that they want to take at you for standing up and saying what you believe in and proclaiming the patriotic love that you have for country -- a lot of those in the 'lamestream' media, they don't want to hear that."

But, Palin said, "At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter what they have to say about you, because I really believe that there are more of us than they want us to believe."
Reference Here>>

Q & A with Sara Palin after Tea Party Nation convention Keynote Address. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks from C-SPAN broadcast (2010)

Jay Carroll Jenks, a gentleman who resided on North La Brea Avenue in Hollywood, California and lived through the last great expansion of Progressive Government in the FDR era and suffered through "The New Deal" as an independent letter-set printer (and my Grandfather) left notes describing his frustration copeing with a control, over personal freedom approach tucked in an envelope titled on the front "PET PEEVES ... thru 1938"

Here is a sample of what was written in his own hand:

PET PEEVES against the NEW DEAL from start to and through 1938

F.D.R. and Mrs. F.D.R. -- Too much GAB

Roosevelt Family -- Too much GRAB

CAPITALISTS -- Although blamed for Retrenching - who wouldn't with unsound Democratic Principles being involked every week, and no encouragement to plan for the future

EXCESSIVE TAXES -- in Higher Brackets - discouraging to Big Business, with no incentive to make Sky the Limit

REORGANIZATION THREAT -- Another retarder of Big Business

RELIEF -- Too easy to start with - then too much Politics mixed in

RADIO and SCREEN -- overflowing with Propaganda and Soft Soap

Nat. LABOR BOARD -- Too Much POWER - Too Much C.I.O. [Congress of Industrial Organizations] - Too Much MEDDLING / All Reaching for Regimentation
POWER -- Too Much given to all Federal Bureaus and Agencies - Usurping States Rights
TARRIFFFF -- Too Hard to keep out (too low) Forign Goods which are produced much cheaper than possible in U.S.A.

AGRICULTURAL CONTROL -- Killing Hogs. Restricting Production, etc. Killing the "Land of Plenty" and creating a "Land of Scarcity"

CONGRESS -- Rubber Stampers. Thinking more of Vote Baiting than of the Needs and Welfare of their constituents

PURGE -- what a Mess of Tripe. What the Beginning of the End of all of the above (I HOPE)
OBSERVATION -- HITLER obtained a "SEEMING" Victory. I don't believe it! The English are noted for their DIPLOMACY and the eventual result (in Time) will prove that the "Chess Play" of Chamberlain, et al, was "premeditated" to the Nth degree

--END OF LETTER--

We all know what happened after 1938 ... the World became involved in a bloody world war, the second of the century, and the progressive policies that preceeded WWII were eclipised with the purge of McCarthyism and a free enterprise flood of pent up demand and creativity.

The Tea Party Movement is a response to many of the same type of reflections our country is going through right now ... as if it were 1938. The more things change ... they remain the same.

Let us all get back to the Constitution and the pursuit of happiness.