A tea party party?

I call myself a Tea Party activist and try to attend as many of the local gatherings that my busy schedule will allow. Most everyone I have met at these tea parties are serious people who believe in a government that is operated in a conservative manner. The question the Tea Party followers have always asked themselves is “How do we make an impact in elections?”
A Rasmussen Reports poll conducted December 4th and 5th had a surprising result. Although Republicans beat Democrats 43% to 39% in a generic poll, they would actually lose an election if there were a Tea Party candidate. The final tally was the Democrat receiving 36%, the Tea Party Candidate 23% and the Republican 18% with 22% undecided (1). The results of this poll have some people wondering if this is the time for a third political party.
The truth is a third political party may never win a Presidential election. The federal election laws and rules were created by Democrats and Republicans to benefit themselves and to exclude or limit third party challengers. An excellent example of this is Ross Perot who launched the Reform Party. Mr. Perot had the correct message and the money to self finance his campaign but he was limited by the election rules, debate organizers and ballot requirements.
Followers of the Tea Party movement must understand they do have a voice and now have sufficient numbers to affect national politics. What the movement followers lack is a national organization. The two national parties have had a century to grow, develop and create an organization with state, county and local offices in every region of the country. The Tea Party movement just does not have the time required to build an organization that will have the immediate impact they desire.
Some people believe there is no difference between the two major parties. There is a difference but it is not the elected officials representing the two parties, it is the party platforms. The Republican Party platform is really a conservative platform that most Tea Party followers agree with. The Republican Party’s shortcoming is not their platform, it is their elected membership. The Tea Party followers need to begin to infiltrate the Republican Party and begin to influence decisions, campaigns and platforms.

The 2010 elections are now only 11 months away. Tea Party followers should begin to get involved in local elections. They should seek out and endorse true conservative candidates. Whenever possible they should volunteer to help in campaigns for candidates that believe in a conservative government. If necessary they should encourage conservative people to running for office or even consider campaigning for themselves.
This is not the time for a third party but it is the time to demonstrate to Republicans they can no longer campaign as a conservative and then govern differently. When the time comes to step into the booth and pull the voting lever each of us will have to decide what type of government we want. We will have to choose someone to represent us. I know I will vote for the most conservative candidate even if it that person is a third party candidate. I will do this even if I know the result will be a Democrat victory. My vote is how I will move the Republican Party back to conservatism.

Carl Goodson can be contacted at conservativeCarl@gmail.com OR conservativeCarl.blogspot.com. Carl’s Book “Letters to the editor: What is your government doing to you?” is available at amazon.com.

(1) www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/december_2009/tea_party_tops_gop_on_three_way_generic_ballot