Thursday, March 22, 2012

Tea Party Express Runs Over Tea Party

The smallest minority in any given population is the individual. The Tea Party in specific and grassroots politics in general, came out of the woodwork to protect that minority. They rose up to defend the individual’s right to speak out, to bear arms. They continue to rise up to defend the individual’s right to not pay for someone else’s laziness, healthcare, or birth control. The Tea Party, thus, is a disorganized but passionate group of individuals rather than a top-down organization with a central leader.
Today the Tea Party Express (which is NOT “The Tea Party,” though some see it as such) threw individuals under the wheels of its very own well-intentioned tour bus. They came to Missouri to endorse Sarah Steelman for the Missouri Senate. This is not to say that Sarah Steelman is not qualified for the position or even to say that I personally dislike her, because neither of those things are true. The problem here is that the Tea Party Express is doing that which the Tea Party writ large detests: telling individuals who should be the winners and losers before the race begins in earnest. If effect, they have subsidized Solyndra before validating the technology.
What do I mean by that?
First, filing for the Missouri Senate race has not closed yet. While it may be safe to assume that no one will enter the race in the five days remaining to do so, it is in the same way that it is safe to assume that you might get to the zoo before it rains on a partly cloudy day in St. Louis. The point is NOT whether or not someone will get into the race in the eleventh hour. Rather, the point is that the Tea Party Express has chosen a winner before giving anyone that chance.
Second, there are two other legitimate conservatives already in that race, and the Tea Party Express has decided that they have the authority to decide which of the three contestants are relevant. They have decided that John Brunner is not relevant, even though his excellent business record, strong debate skills and no history of Washington corruption make him the kind of candidate that Tea Party activists love to (individually) rally behind. They have also deemed Todd Akin unworthy of their time, despite the fact that he is currently a member of the Tea Party Caucus in Congress, he is one of the most conservative congressmen to ever serve a day in Washington, and he even went toe to toe with George W. Bush over TARP.
The Tea Party Express, though in some cases it acts in accordance with the Tea Party, has in this case acted prematurely. It has steam-rolled right over the individual the Tea Party rose up to protect, taking on the role of the dreaded “establishment” and anointing candidates who have yet to rally the support of the individuals who make up their base.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Breitbart, the human Lorax

Last night, during a mildly successful attempt at a (virtual) Irish wake for our friend and fellow patriot Andrew Breitbart, several of us attempted to describe the man with one word. Most of us failed. The list follows:

Righteously indignant
Warrior for the Good
Rock Star
Relentless
Fearless

And then this morning, I got an email from my husband. He referenced Dr. Suess (who fittingly has a birthday today) and the book "The Lorax," and said that the best word to describe Andrew Breitbart was "UNLESS."

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that he was absolutely correct.
Unless at least one person cares.
Unless at least one person continues to fight for the cause.
Unless at least one person continues to shout the truth.
Unless at least one person continues to expose the enemies of truth.
Unless at least one person has the courage to lift the standard and stand under it, unafraid.
Unless we do these things, the Republic is lost.

Andrew understood that. And unless at least one of us understands it and takes that next step, the risk is immeasurable.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Remembering Breitbart

Today we sit in stunned silence, unable to fathom or calculate the measure of the loss we feel. With the passing of Andrew Breitbart early this morning, America as a collective has lost a true patriot, a warrior, and a passionate and unrelenting advocate of truth.

Tomorrow we will be asked to step into his shoes, a tall order if ever there was one, and take the torch from here. It will be up to us to continue the fight, to expose truth where it is hidden, and to shed light on the dark places that no one likes to talk about. We will be charged with finding our own voices in the continued struggle to protect and defend our own liberty. Much will be demanded of us in his absence, and we owe it to his memory to meet those demands head on.

236 years ago, Thomas Jefferson asked fellow patriots to pledge their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. Since then, few have lived up to that pledge. Andrew Breitbart was one of those few.

R.I.P. Andrew Breitbart. America has lost a dear friend and ally this day.