Let the Tea Packets Fall Where They May

New Jersey's Tea Parties are divided over whether to support presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney.

I’ll break it down for you, Save Jerseyans:

Two major tristate area Tea Party organizations, the Morristown Tea Party (out of North Jersey) and the Independence Hall Tea Party (in Philadephia with a strong South Jersey membership), have consistently backed Mitt Romney in the upcoming presidential election.

Four others – the Monmouth County Tea Party CoalitionOcean County Citizens For Freedom, the Bayshore Tea Party Group and Tea Party of Middlesex County – blasted out a joint, defiant email press release yesterday evening endorsing Rep. Ron Paul and decrying what they describe as Romney’s “record of left-leaning policies.”

Your Blogger-in-Chief only mentions this tea-on-tea violence because it has many of our regular readers excited, hot, and yeah, a little bothered too. Pro-Romney tea partiers can’t believe their compatriots could be so short-sighted as to waste a vote on someone (Paul) who has a better chance of being elected Bishop of Rome than President of the United States. Romney detractors can’t believe fellow tea parties could support an “establishment” darling who fails to rouse his audiences with spittle-ridden Agenda 21 rants.

My two cents as an outside observer? I can’t believe some of these folks take themselves so seriously!

A little history refresher might be instructive.

Tea Parties sprang up across America in 2009 and 2010 when concerned citizens sought to energize unengaged taxpayers. Their motivation? Barack Obama’s Democrat Party began pushing the federal government’s role in our lives to extremes that would’ve made FDR or LBJ blush. Some of these newly-minted “tea partiers” were well-versed in American History (hence the historical allusion to faux Mohawk Indians dumping tea crates into Boston Harbor). However, until that moment in time, these folks hadn’t dabbled in political activism for whatever reason. Many more instinctively felt something was wrong with America’s present direction and consequently endeavored to do something substantive about it.

Above all else, these self-styled “patriots” were united in disdain for what they correctly perceived as the arrogance of big government liberalism. Sure, they set out to make stuff happen! But the tea party also held pedagogical potential as a way to educate fellow citizens and grow the pro-Constitution, pro-liberty, pro-limited government movement in America.

So why are some tea party leaders arrogant enough to think their respective organizations’ missions revolve around passing judgment on other conservative’s adherence to founding principles?

Quite honestly, Mitt Romney fits the founding profile more closely than any other modern presidential candidate on either side of the ideological divide. Wealthy, aristocratic, enterprising, a little prudish and dogmatically pragmatic. Fundamentally, the American experiment began as one giant capital venture!  Mitt Romney is a natural successor to that tradition.

And I emphasize Mr. Romney’s private sector “pragmatism” for a reason, folks, and it’s the same reason why Thomas Paine wasn’t charged with drafting the U.S. Constitution, Save Jerseyans. In many respects, it was a blessing for our developing republic that two of the most ideological and politically divisive men of the age (Adams the Federalist and Jefferson the Democrat) were stationed overseas during the convention. The colonies may’ve been freed by firebrands, but it was framed by calculated compromise – driven and principled statesmen like James Madison who, in Federalist #10, specifically advocated for a layered governmental system capable of distilling citizens’ passions and preventing the rise of “factions” in American political life.

So hey, if it makes some tea party leaders happy to endorse a candidate who says much of what they’re thinking, red-faced and furious, instead of one who could actually beat Obama and save the country… more power to them. Let the tea packets fall where they may! I’m sure it’s emotionally satisfying to vote for a man who thinks America is primarily responsible for 9/11. Meanwhile, the vast majority of conservative voters (and virtually all “swing” voters) will make up their own minds.

I think ignorance is the enemy here, folks. Some of these tea partiers (though not all) are misreading history. The Framers hoped to avoid here in America what Europe ultimately transformed into – a patchwork of democracies handicapped by balkanized “party” systems wherein 15 different ideologically pure factions battled one another for political dominance.

The Tea Party movement was supposed to remain an organic, informed response to runaway government; a perfect harmony between enlightenment and activism rarely seen on the Left! Many groups have stayed true, but others have stayed. Big time. After all, the Tea Party movement was never supposed to mutate into a secular inquisition or, even worse, just another hyper-political forum for petty recriminations and artificial divisions among like-minded people who can hardly afford to be divided.

Pro-Paul orgs referenced earlier in this post have, at varying times, seen certain leading figures and vocal members back pretty much every GOP 2012 presidential hopeful in the field except Mitt Romney. Now that he is the presumptive nominee, the aforementioned joint press release declares their collective refusal to be “forced” into choosing between “the lesser of two evils.” Moreover, they say “We choose to stand by our principles rather than to sell our souls to the game of politics because this is what Ron Paul has done consistently his entire political life and we expect nothing less of ourselves.”

Even if we accept this “Mitt is a liberal” foolishness as gospel (which you know I don’t), isn’t our Framers’ system deliberately designed to create concensus rather than favor purity? Reagan would be too liberal for these folks! And who is forcing anyone to do anything? I haven’t heard reports of NJGOP paramilitary officers rounding up tea partiers and forcing them to put Romney bumper stickers on their cars. And aren’t endorsements, strong-worded releases and sniping at the only man who can defeat Barack Obama at this late stage a perfect example of the “game of politics” as we’ve come to know it? Some of the backbiting I’m witnessing on message boards and Facebook walls might even be a little rough for the Game of Thrones universe!

Either way, I know this is all getting too silly for me to stomach, Save Jerseyans. There is, however, some upside potential. There almost always is, right? Two or three years into the movement’s history, we’re going to find out pretty soon which tea parties are (1) interested in saving the country by growing the movement and, on the other hand, which groups are (2) far more interested in fighting each other and reliving high school student council… probably because they couldn’t get elected the first time around!

Personally, this is why I subscribe to the late great William F. Buckley, Jr.’s “vote for the most electable conservative” approach. I’m voting for a president in 2012, Save Jerseyans – not the next pope of conservatism! Another sacred office which Ron Paul will (thankfully) never occupy.

 

Matt Rooney
About Matt Rooney 8403 Articles
MATT ROONEY is SaveJersey.com's founder and editor-in-chief, a practicing New Jersey attorney, and the host of 'The Matt Rooney Show' on 1210 WPHT every Sunday evening from 7-10PM EST.

70 Comments

  1. some one had to say it. glad it was you, mr. rooney. well put! hope they listen before obama gets himself another four years.

  2. West Jersey Tea Party understands the need to remove Obama from his current dictatorship. We hope to continue to educate the American people by enlightening them on issues important today. We strongly believe that conservative organizations need to have this same mission and to not focus on one another, not to criticize those trying to remove the same abscess from our great U S of A. There is enough hate spewed by the liberal left. The only outcome when turning on one another would be to convince people to stay home because there is no difference, thus providing Obama another 4 years to destroy our country. Please join us. Sign up at http://www.wjtp.org and help us educate American's NOT paying attention, before it is too late. Meetings are held in Medford, NJ.

  3. Governor Romney is a successful practical businessman. When the customer wants white, give him white. When he wants black, give him black. If he wants purple polka-dots, give the customer purple polka-dots.

    Those same qualities make Romney a totally untrustworthy politician. He’s “progressive” in one election cycle and “conservative” the next. He’s for a woman’s right to chose and then he’s pro-life. He supports climate change legislation and then he does not. We all know the litany.

    He sells what the market is buying and this year’s fashion is “conservative”. Who knows what next year’s style will be. All that we can be sure of is that whichever way the wind blows, Mitt will shift along with it.

    I think that we deserve a little more grounding in principle from our elected leaders. That’s why the above mentioned Tea Parties are supporting Dr. Paul. Non- principled, big government opportunists have given the Republican Party a bad name.

    Paul has been straight, true and consistent for nearly 40 years. And that’s why the youth are going for Paul. They were fooled by Obama and will not buy slick-Mitt. The Liberty Movement is the future of the Republican Party. If it isn’t, then there will no future for the party at all. The RP will be the DP-lite just as Romney is Obama-lite.

  4. Even if I were to accept your premise (which I do not) my response is simply: Would you rather have DP-lite or all of the calories and unhealthy awfulness of the full blown dems?

    We all have three choices now:

    1. Pick Mitt Romney

    2. Pick Barack Obama

    3. Let everyone else pick for you

    That is it.

  5. Jerzey people please do not cross the bridge or the tunnel and stay in nj watching jerzey shore. romney=obama nothing more. even snooki knows that we are in a debt crisis. Ron Paul will cut 1 trillion of gov spending in the first year alone. romneyobama cuts nothing. do you understand 2+2 people of nj? unsustainable debt + more debt = hyperinflation. please take a break from drinking,fighting,tanning and understand that. then go back and tell your boyz

  6. Well, Hank we may be best off with having a Republican Congress and Barry. They can spend another four years in stalemate until the Paulbots grow up and take charge.

    I don't see why anyone has to vote for a mediocrity like Romney and feel like he has done any good for America. Like, Bush, his neo-con policies will spend us further and further into bankruptcy.

    He likes the Fed. He like bailouts. He has no concrete proposal to cut budgets. He wants to ramp up military spending. And although he dodged serving in Viet Nam with his Mormon Mission, he can be counted upon to send American boys into harm's way.

    No, thank you.

  7. amen jrgunn

    thinking Romney is any different than Obama is a joke and your readers should know better

    Pro Romney tea partier is an oxymoron of the highest degree

    What tea party values does Romney espouse? NDAA? War with Iran? more debt? government HC takeover? TARP? he supported them all

    If you call yourself a Tea Partier and think that Romney can steer th ship away from the iceberg then you arent a tea partier at all…just a petty partisan politico who listens to Sean and Rush too often.

    They are both respective leaders of different wings of the big government party…one side likes entitlements and unions, the other likes wars. They both love corporatism and crony capitalism and subsidies.

    Ron Paul or Obamney…that is your choice for POTUS

  8. Never been a Romney fan, but Ron Paul is a lunatic and so are these self-appointed knuckleheads running "organizations" that call themselves Tea Party. Tea Parties were supposed to be events, not organizations. And while we're at it, how many people are in these organizations? I spoken at 3 tea parties back in 2009, and they were great – they were true grass roots meetings of people who were simply fed up.

    Tea party endorsements are a joke and these people have given the whole movement a bad name.

  9. Well then you & your buddies will be responsible for handing Obama another 4 years. Ron Paul is a polarizing, crazy man who is way too old to be president. Pull your head out of the sand before you sell us all down the river of "Denial."

  10. The last thing you want to have happen is Barry stay in office with a Republican Congress. Nothing would get done in congress but ole Barry would have a free ride with all the Executive Orders. Obama remaining in office is not an option. It's evident you haven't been paying close enough attention to the destruction this man has done all on his own since the Republicans took the house.

  11. It is because exactly this that there is a huge Ron Paul R3volution. Haven't you heard? Tens of thousands of people attend RP rallies. Mitt couldn't pay people sandwiches to come to his rallies. Why? You can't buy truth. You can't buy integrity. You can't buy loyalty.

    Patriots vote for Dr. Ron Paul and NO ONE else. Do your own research before you repeat propaganda.

  12. Its funny. As a Paul supporter I feel quite confident that I am very well educated on the issues and that I can easily debate anyone on the merits of any of my positions. I don't necessarily agree with Paul on every last point but I do feel that the sum of the parts is greater than the whole. What I find amusing is the formalized idiocy of the opposition. We are labeled "knuckleheads", yet the person we support doesn't have a history of endorsing the same things that Obama has supported. Paul is a "lunatic" but never does the person saying this give any reasons. I DARE someone to give a solid argument describing how Paul is a lunatic. Even Reagan said that "Ron Paul is one of the outstanding leaders fighting for a stronger national defense. As a former Air Force officer, he knows well the needs of our armed forces, and he always puts them first. We need to keep him fighting for our country". Go ahead, argue with him.

    I also challenge the author to give examples of how Romney is different from Obama. From what I've heard him say Romney supports the Patriot Act, NDAA, the bailouts, indefinite detention, aggressive wars and increased Executive power. Sounds like Obama 2.0 to me.

  13. since they would not let me re-post it same as the above comment for you too. Plus quit crying.

  14. Dont call the constitution crazy. If your okay with it getting shredded then get the f out of america and go live somewhere where the govt takes care of you but you have no freedom. Thats where we r headed with ANY establishment president. Big banks own america and the politicians. Do some research learn from the past. And wtf does age have to do with anything. I agree a pres should be healthy like ron paul but age dont mean anything.

  15. Received some messages of people complaining that their comments were deleted. For those of you not familiar with out commenting system, our spam blocker is VERY sensitive. Someone goes in every few hours and attempts to pick the real comments out from the spam, but sometimes we miss one or two.

    So long as you do not verbally abuse anyone or make any defamatory statements your comment generally will be posted. If you comment somehow got lost in the fray, email someone and we will do our best to find it.

    Keep the discussion going everyone, clearly this topic has quite a few people rattled.

  16. Obammy will not get another term. The Ron Paul R3volution is on fire! Haven't you heard? Throw out the TV and get some real news.

  17. Crazy to you. A lot of people agree with some of Pal's policy ideas. If Romney gets the nomination, he better win – if not there will be hell to pay in the GOP. And it looks like the Libertarain wing is gaining ground. One day a POS writer like Rooney – obviously pro-Romney, but trying to unite (no thanks) will be writing glowing articles about liberty candidates.

  18. How old is too old to restore the Constitution? How young is young enough to destroy our Freedoms and Liberties. Remember those?

    Ron Paul is the Father of the original Tea Party.

  19. We will not be responsible for voting for a criminal and slave to Israeli interests. We will write in our candidate as is OUR right. If you are too lazy to understand the dangers of Romney then YOU are the one responsible FOR the next four years. Its as simple as that.

    A head in the sand = uninformed. Get informed or enjoy another four years of your president.

  20. Hi 🙂

    Nice piece you've written in here. To bad it has so many inaccuracies in it. I'll start from the top and then if I get to bored with it, I'll just stop.

    You try to set this up as not bashing Tea Parties. I think the term you used more than once was "Back Biting"?

    I guess you didn't think anyone would notice your under tones?

    "compatriots could be so short-sighted as to waste a vote on someone (Paul).. and you go on to some sort of name calling and bashing. Let me explain something to you and the readers. This is a primary not the general election. So therefore there is no waisted vote. But that said, I could easily come back and say that a vote for Romney is a waisted vote.

    "Romney detractors can’t believe fellow tea parties could support an “establishment” darling who fails to rouse his audiences with spittle-ridden Agenda 21 rants."

    I don't recall that type of language in the endorsement that your referring to, Perhaps you could point that out? The second part of that statement bothers me as well. Would you like to talk about Agenda 21? I get the feeling your one of those that are either so blind, to lazy or prefer to hide that fact that AG 21 does exist. But that, for another time.

    This is the part I been waiting to get to for hours ever since I first read this piece. Oh Goody! I get to talk about one of my favorite subjects.

    "A little history refresher might be instructive.

    Lets begin with your assumption that many who joined the Tea Party after Obama became President, weren't smart enough to know anything about their American Heritage. Do you realize that you just insulted about 90% of your readers saying that?

    "tea party also held pedagogical potential as a way to educate fellow citizens and grow the pro-Constitution, pro-liberty, pro-limited government movement in America."

    Let me ask you, is that what you think your doing in here? Educating? As we go down, we will discover that you have taught incorrectly about the Birth of our nation and our Founding fathers. I do hope your readers are paying attention, we wouldn't want them to leave here with bad information, would we?

    You go on to mumble something about someone "founding fathers" were Democrats. You insinuated that it was a plan to have Jefferson out of country in France and Adams in England in order for compromise. You stress COMPROMISE but I'll get back to that later.

    Humm.. The truth? The fact is that, most of the Founding Fathers were Libertarians. Off hand the only one I can think of that would have been considered a Democrat "at that time the parties were called something other than they are today, such as Wigs". This would have been Hamilton. I stress this because you make claim that everyone was a "Democrat" and they ran Jefferson and Adams off so they could compromise and get something done AKA the drafting of the Constitution. Now, besides Hamilton being what we would consider a Democrat, also who could have fell in that category was Madison. Madison is the man who originally drafted what eventually would become our Constitution after all the Libertarians hammered out many of the restrictions that Madison had wrote into it. You should have also told your readers that Much of what Madison knew, came from many of the very books that Jefferson had read and sent to Madison from France. This and along with notes of suggestions pertaining to the construction.

    Oh one other thing. With all due respect, your comparing Romney to the Founders because of his and their supposed elitism, makes you sound like someone from the left. The fact of this matter is that there were Lawyers, statesman, farmers and all types of other men among the Constructionists. Adams for instance was so poor that when he was called to go to Philadelphia, the towns people all chipped in money to see to it the man had a suit to wear. He was among the poorest of his town, having failed in business more than once. But yet he still believed in our Liberties and Freedoms. He was a man of deep faith. As was all of them were.

    So lets move on shall we :)Your next statement that bothers me. And you typed this in BIG BOLD LETTERS.

    "So why are some tea party leaders arrogant enough to think their respective organizations’ missions revolve around passing judgment on other conservative’s adherence to founding principles?"

    Again, I never read that in the announcement to support RP. Could you point that out to me? I must have some how over looked it "lol". Did anyone else read that in the statement? No, I don't think so. But yet you make the claim that they are passing judgment, when you in here are doing that very thing. Oh your such a naughty person, I think you should go to the corner for a time out.

    Shall we?

    "if it makes some tea party leaders happy to endorse a candidate who says much of what they’re thinking, red-faced and furious, instead of one who could actually beat Obama and save the country…".

    Evidently you haven't watched much of Ron Paul. Does he get flustered on an occasion? Perhaps. Angry? Never. As for "One who could beat Obama", the poles actually show something other than your claim. During the early stages of the debate when all candidates were in, Paul was at the top for most likely to defeat Obama. I don't know what the poles say no but probably because the Main Stream media and FOX never want to talk about the polls between Mitt and Ron. Did you know that RP brings more Independents to the Republican side that Romney ever has during this campaign? Did you know that Ron Paul actually brings Democrats to his side? So, you'd probably come back with "who cares about the Democrats. Or, see there, he draws the Democrats we don't stand for anything the Democrats stand for." But oh yes you do. There are JFK Democrats still alive out their both old and young. Not all of them are Socialists. Some do believe in economic freedoms. They do believe in their personal Liberties and Freedoms.

    So let me see if I got this right. Ron Paul draws more Independents and Democrats than Romney and has practically all of the Republican youth vote as well as many more middle aged and the middle class of this country than many would want to admit. Humm… Has the media been blowing smoke up our …

    Tell ya what, here's one that really bugs the $hit out of me coming from you. I've been trying to be nice but you drew the line you little twit.

    "I think ignorance is the enemy here, folks. Some of these tea partiers (though not all) are misreading history."

    Many of them know the history of this countries founding much better than the BS you just wrote in here to your followers. But any of them that believe what you have written should go and verify it. Because either you have no clue, or your lying to them. That's right I said your Full Of It "lol"

    More fun now shall we?

    "Even if we accept this “Mitt is a liberal” foolishness"

    Whats so foolish about that? One only needs to look at his record and can see he's Obama light "lol" I think your plucking dead rabbits out of your hat.

    "Two or three years into the movement’s history, we’re going to find out pretty soon which tea parties are

    (1) interested in saving the country by growing the movement and, on the other hand, which groups are (2) far more interested in fighting each other and reliving high school student council… probably because they couldn’t get elected the first time around!"

    First with #1, I think everyone who belongs to any Tea Party is interested in saving the country. As for growing the movement, I think everyone wants that as well. The question is, in what direction? Yours? One, of leading right back into the fold of the GOP? Or the Grass Roots? The true defenders of Liberty? The ones with a simple message of Freedom. Not of continued lies and big government conspiracies against the people. Oh yes, both sides of the isle are working against us.

    Your number 2 point, "more interested in fighting each other". You've already done that when you wrote and published this piece.

    People, I ask you. Do you really know who Ron Paul is? Or are you just going on what the media says and guys like this say about him. If Ron Paul is so ineffective then why does the media and even his own Party bash him so much? This is the question you should ask yourself. Why? In short, he will bring them all down to their knees, he will open the flood gates to a better future. One that was created in the past by the men we know as the Founders. This country of ours is nothing like the founders had intended. Nothing at all resembles it today. We have an out of Control administration and as well an out of control congress and with them half the Justice system is corrupt and or unconstitutional! W#e have un-named bureaucrats governing us from the dark halls of the EPA and the corrupt Federal Education system along with all those other Alphabet Soup agencies that they have created and are unconstitutional. This is not my America! This is not your America! But if you continue on the path of the same ole and continue to follow the Good ole Boys by clinging to Mitt Romney who won't even bring up the relationship between Obama and Reverend Wright! Well then, we lose. McCain did it and Romney will do it. They are one in the same. They are close to the Progressive party they just approach it a bit different. It's your choice. Pray on it that you make it the right choice.

  21. I would say three out of four comments for me. Well I do not believe it was an accident, so you can delete this one too, if it makes you feel better. Your campaign is weak, you candidate is weak and the free world knows it. I Romney was all that and you were serious about your strength you would show up and take the delegates from us, however it is obvious you don't have the numbers and that is why you got smeared, game set match, and what do you do about it you cry like a little baby. These were not foreign invaders they were your brethren from right there in New Jersey and you cannot accept it. Face, it Romney is a joke, your campaign is a joke, and you got owned. The truth is that if we did it over again nothing would change. You were losers before the convention. The only difference now is the world now knows you are a bunch of cry baby losers. You like your candidate have no class, if you did you would lose graciously, at least then the rest of the world would have semblance of respect for you. Me myself I have none, YOU GOT OWNED LIVE WITH IT WHINER. Mooney

  22. Wow dude, your 'tea party history' is so wrong that it discredited the rest of your article… so I didn't keep reading. I attended a tea party rally for a Ron Paul money-bomb in Knoxville, TN back in 2007.

  23. Dr. Ron Paul is an HONEST AMERICAN as well as an HONEST Politican. He isn't "owned" by Goldman Sachs (top Obama and top Romney contributors) or any of the other banks.

    He doesn't do lobbiests. He doesn't take government hand-outs (over-bloated pensions and perks at YOUR expense)

    He has a REAL budget available to help get the U.S. back on track.

    Even in the debates there were NUMEROUS times when Dr. Ron Paul would answer a question so precisely and eloquently that ALL the other candidates HAD to agree with him. (I have a video of that if you'd like to see it)

    He has written BOOKS on the issues of the Federal Reserve, the collapse of the real estate industry, etc.

    He is a U.S. Veteran who has served his county during war-time. He was a successful, independant business man, a DOCTOR (doesn't everyone in NJ aspire to be a doctor, lawyer or mad scientist in pharmacuticals?)

    He has stood by the same principles, the principles of the U.S. Constitution – not voting for self-serving laws and policies.

    I honestly do not understand how ANY RATIONAL, THINKING PERSON could NOT vote for Dr. Ron Paul.

    Dr. Paul places higher against Obama than Mitt does and Mitt is steadily placing lower and lower against Obama.

    The Mittster AND Obama agree on all the same MAJOR issues: NDAA, TSA, Invasion of and war with Iran, Corporatism in politics ("corporations are people too" – Mitt Romney 2012) — I could go on and on and on.

    Mitt Romney's agenda is the same ole same ole and the MACHINE (meaning the professional politicans and wealthy who pull the puppet strings) will CONTINUE under Romney they same way they'll continue under Obama.

    There is ONE snake with 2 heads these days, called the Democrats and Republicans. At the end of the day, whatever both heads devour go down the same portal and are "$hit" out the same hole.

    VOTE DR. RON PAUL 2012 – an Honest American FOR America

  24. WHat a load of garbage! Ron Paul supporters founded the modern day Tea Party. Mitt Romney doesn't even believe in the Constitution.

  25. So you think you know Ronald Reagan. The "I would never trade guns for hostages," then claimed he slept through it Ronald Reagan? You know they claimed towards the end he had Alzheimer's disease. I think that anyone who seriously thought he was a good president had Alzheimer's disease.

    I would take a thousand Ron Paul's over anybody you could name. The Last great president was Kennedy and the people you are protecting killed him.

  26. Sorry but whatever you attended in 2007 was not called a Tea Party rally. Just because it may have been a similar make up of individuals or have a similar theme to what we know as the Tea Party today does not change how the Tea Party as we know it began.

    Rick Santelli did not go on his famous rant until Feb. 2009 and most people credit that moment as the spark that put organization in motion.

  27. Romney supporters are going to hand Obama a 2nd term. It drives me nuts. The polls prove time and time again that while Mitt ties Obama head-to-head, Paul beats him, even beyond the margin of error.

    I can't believe that you Romney supporters are going to keep pushing for the guy (Romney) who lost against the guy (McCain) who lost against Obama in 2008.

    And you call us delusional!!! What am I missing?!???

  28. LOL Jrgunn. Now we just need to get the Bennies fighting the Piney's! What a yahoo that will be!

    AMEN to the Monmouth County Tea Party Coalition,(my home county) Ocean County Citizens For Freedom,(my former home county) the Bayshore Tea Party Group and Tea Party of Middlesex County for making the RIGHT choice.

    Kudos Guys.

  29. Joe, kindly explain why Dr. Ron Paul is a "lunatic". In a rational, calm, thinking way, please.

    Inquiring minds of the rational, thinking populations want to know.

  30. Ah, excuse me, I forgot that you were with me in Knoxville during that time. Oh wait… you weren't…

    Yes, it was advertised as a Tea Party rally. I attended what was a coordinated effort by Ron Paul grassroots supporters.

    I was there, saw it, and participated in it… therefore I am a witness. You were not, and therefore your credibility is totally shot. Oh, and if you need more witnesses for further proof, I went with a bunch of friends from my university that I still keep in touch with.

    #winning

    PS. Unless you know "most people," which you do not, the claim is empty. If however you mean "most neocons," you still probably don't know most of them, but your point is taken.

    Here is the truth for you: The Tea Party movement began with Ron Paul grassroots campaigning efforts. The neoconservative R's loved the branding, and since the Tea Party has no "leader," per se, they took it and began touting it as their own.

  31. No Anne, you and YOUR buddies will be responsible for 4 more years of Obummer.

    Mitt failed miserably in 2008 against Obama and his numbers are already TANKING in 2012.

    If the GOP was smart, they'd tell Mitt, "sorry dude, we know we promised you the nomination in 2008 for 2012, but it just isn't working out the way we expected. Maybe 2020 will be 'your' time".

    But of course, we are talking the GOP MACHINE, that doesn't really want CHANGE, just a different face for Pincocchio this time around.

    NJ may be a wealthy state, but it's also a very HIGH welfare state. How much longer do you want to be working to support not only your own family, but 2 or 3 others as well?

    Time to BREAK the cycle and move in a new direction of balanced budgets, ACCOUNTABLE politicans, a renewed Global respect for the U.S. and a stable USD.

    Let Mitt go back to the business of creating and destroying business, taking care of his family and working towards Morman sainthood. We don't need him in politics anymore.

  32. Having an event on December 16th called a "Tea Party" with the purpose of raising money for Ron Paul does not mean that event was what we would call a Tea Party event today. The Tea Party we know today started after post-Obama's election.That is just the way it happened. But if it makes you feel better to act like you were pioneering something in college then by all means don't let me take that away from you.

    Also, saying that you have to personally know "most people" in order to cite conventional wisdom or widely accepted information is one of the lamest rhetorical tools one could utilize.

    And to everyone else:
    This is a great example of just what Matt is talking about in the post. People who would otherwise be good conservatives getting along and working together are too busy bitching about who started the Tea Party to see an opportunity to take this country back from progressives and liberals. Democrats had super-majorities for decades in this country. Refusing to compromise and form alliances in the struggle to undo their damage will be the reason we never succeed. So keep blathering on about your "principles" that no candidate will ever fully meet and let me know when your taxes go down and the government finally gets off your backs.

  33. Well Brian, at least you'd have a contributor who hasn't sold out and drunk the Kool-aid too many times.

    TRUTH is both scary and refreshing, isn't it???

  34. Ron Paul is the only one worthy of nomination! …the only honest politician! Ron Paul is fighting the good fight …anyone that can't see that is a fool!

  35. Well it doesn't take long to wrote crap and that is what the article was and that is what your whole argument is about NOTHING. Live with it cry baby, so your Mooney's rag man now. I was hoping to get a rise out of the piece of dung that wrote this article, but apparently like Romney and his supporters, you all run away when faced with superior intellect.

  36. Well it doesn’t take long to write crap and that is what the article was and that is what your whole argument is about NOTHING but crap. Live with it cry baby. So your Mooney’s rag man now? I was hoping to get a rise out of the piece of dung that wrote this article, but apparently like Romney and his supporters, you all run away when faced with superior intellect.

  37. Actually, if you google it, there are multiple opinons on "who" started the Modern Day Tea Party.

    Everyone has claims, including http://www.shtfplan.com

    What's funny is that certain "tea partiers" have decided they "own" it. Really Brian, "The tea party WE know?" Who is the presumtive "we"?

    How can one own a movement and not just "a" movement, but a FREEDOM movement???

    "Oh, you must be 'that' Tea Party!" Really?

    So basically I am to understand that some Tea Parties are just the same Republicans who want the same agendas as always – per se, wolves in sheep's clothing? My Tea Party is better than your Tea Party?

    I'll move past the labels and just call myself a TRUE AMERICAN – since that is, exactly what and who I am.

  38. Dear Misguided author,

    Everything the Tea Party should stand for emulates Ron Paul.

    The mere fact that they would support Romney should get those individuals kicked out of the Tea Party. Romney is against the right to bear arms,he's for indefinite incarceration of American citizens which is a blatant disgrace of the constitution. Which if you are an American should repulse you. Mittens is for big business, lobbyist and money money money. Ron Paul is none of these things. He is an honest man who stands,speaks and has never voted against our constitution. Not once never taken lobbyst money. Romney is back by the same people (banks who back Obama) gee I wonder why. So they can continue to devalue our dollar causing prices to rise. All tea parties should back Ron Paul if they don't they should not consider themselves tea partiers period.

    I will not vote for Romney I'd rather vote for my cat. My vote will for Ron Paul , because I could never look in my Childs eyes and have to explain to her that I let her god given rights go down the drain BC I had to vote for the lesser of two evils.

  39. The Tea Party has already forgotten why it started in the first place! The original rallying cry was RINO's. And you are now supporting the biggest RINO of them all.

    God you people are so gullible. I hear people call Ron Paul crazy, lunatic, fringe, kook. Get off your ass and find out what he is really about instead of parroting Fox News.

  40. Well, in the specific usage of the word "we" that you cite from my comment, "we" literally meant myself and the person I was responding to.

    Also, for the record, I am not a Tea Partier, nor am I claiming to be one.

  41. "because I could never look in my Childs eyes and have to explain to her that I let her god given rights go down the drain BC I had to vote for the lesser of two evils." Stephanie nailed it right here.

  42. Let me see if I have this right

    ( Romney = 50 feet of water )

    ( Obama = 100 feet of water )

    Your basically telling me these are my choices –

    To drown in 50 feet or 100 feet

    Pick the D or the R

    A or B

    Left or Right

    Up or Down

    … then I have to be happy I pick 50 feet of water to drown in because by some odd type of logic

    drowning in 50 feet of water is better then drowning in

    100 feet of water !!!

    WOW …

    How about a 3rd Choice ~ One where I don't DROWN in DEBT !!!

    Ron Paul … For Liberty

  43. This article contains some of the most illogical drivel I have ever read. Mitt Romney is NOT a conservative first of all. Secondly our founding fathers were LIBERTARIAN hence the US Constitution and its Bill of Rights.

    Do you not have access to YouTube? You mustn't because watching 30 minutes of Mitt Romney footage would lead one to be a staunch Romney opponent. At the very least it would remove this veiled cloud of deception from your eyes.

    People like you (author) want to be deceived. You are a victim of normalcy bias–the same thing that gripped the Jews in Germany and Europe in the 1930's. Even though the writing was on the wall they refused to accept reality and elected not to leave Nazi territory.

    The measure of a man is not defined by his business acumen. It is integrity, and above all others Ron Paul stands like a beacon of hope in a dark sea of filth and corruption. Mitt Romney is a corporate puppet who will bend to the will of his masters. If Romney is this genius financier than how can he propose a budget that cuts NOTHING!? Ironic how during the Florida debates he said that he'd fire someone who presented him with a plan to spend corporate money on a moon colony. He should then have been asked "Well would you also fire that person if they proposed a budget that did nothing to decrease spending and only increased debt when it currently stands at 16 trillion?"

    Obama and Romney are two corporate puppets controlled by the same puppeteers. Do you honestly believe that two people who share the same largest donor–Goldman Sachs–will operate differently? Do you really think that the person responsible for the pre-cursor to Obamacare is the best person to undo Obamacare? Romney and Obama are nearly identical on every major point of substance:

    Government Power

    Government Spending

    Corporate Welfare (Corporations are people too my friend!)

    Bailouts

    The Federal Reserve (A PRIVATELY OWNED Banking cartel)

    The destruction of national sovereignty (UN, CFR)

    NDAA

    PATRIOT ACT

    Destruction of Civil Liberties

    WAR

    Failed War on Drugs

    Inflation.

    It is people like you and the masses of sheep who support the status quo ruling elite who are to blame for this. It is your fault for continuing to settle for the lesser of two evils. You would rather go head long into the abyss than stop sending billions to Israel while sending even more to her sworn enemies. Only a brainwashed neocon warmonger and religious sycophant thinks that Americans should be forcibly made to pay taxes to support foreign nations while our own citizens suffer.

  44. Thats like saying you are going to choose to stop eating and will adopt the process of photosynthesis from now on. Its an option not available to you (taking all of your premises on Romney and Obama as true).

    You people do not seem to understand that Ron Paul is not going to be the GOP nominee, and if he does run as an independent he will not win. This is why "paulbots" are ridiculed, because they refuse to operate within the confines of reality during any sort of discussion.

    It is perfectly fine to believe that Ron Paul is the best candidate out there and the savior of our nation. Hell, it might even be true! It's even ok to really really really want Paul to become President this year. But it is not ok to truly believe that he going to be elected President in 2012, because at this point that is an impossibility.

    Finally, by refusing to accept this reality, you are essentially voting for President Obama to be reelected when you sit on your hands and pout come November.

    Paul could have a significant role at the convention this year and in the forming of the party platform. The GOP no doubt sees tremendous value in the voter contact information his campaign has developed in addition to their ability to fundraise and rally support. Paul supporter's efforts would be better spent ensuring direct influence on the platform and process moving forward rather than some insane dream of a 76 year old libertarian in the White House in 2012.

  45. If I had a penny for every time I heard this garbage response I'd be a millionaire. First of all it is not impossible for Ron Paul to be President, but people like you facilitate a self-fulfilling prophecy. By continually saying "he can't win" you can sway public opinion. It is more likely that Romney will be nominated, but that is all. In any case if the media actually cared about presenting all the information truthfully and let the people decide for themselves we "Paulbots" wouldn't be so ticked off.

    For you to say that a vote for Paul is a vote for Obama is one the most ignorant statements a person can make and requires the intellect of a 5 year old. First of all it is false on its face. A vote for Ron Paul is a vote for Ron Paul and no one else. So by your logic if I root for the Cleveland Indians to beat the Boston Red Sox in the American League Division series then I am really rooting for the New York Yankees? Since in your opinion the Indians are less likely to beat the Yankees than the Red Sox I should root for the Red Sox? You would say that is insane, and it is.

    You remind me of the Tories who stood in support of the enslavement of the King in the 1770's while a minority wished for American Independence from The Crown. You actually think a man who commands crowds of 5-10k at every campaign stop is doing all this at his age to give some speech to 2500 people in Tampa, FL??????

    Romney and Obama are so similar it is scary. The whole concept of a primary season is to nominate someone with better and DIFFERENT ideals than the sitting President. If Romney is nominated and loses to Obama then no one else is to blame but the GOP for not getting behind the best candidate. Period. End of discussion.

  46. No Brian, The Ron Paul movement WAS the Tea Party and is the truth voice of freedom. TeaParty'07 held a Money bomb on December 16, 2007 ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE BOSTON TEAPARTY and raised 6 million dollars for Ron Paul.

    In case you have trouble reading calendars that was a year before Obama was elected. The Tea Party than was hijacked and commandeered by Right wing NEOCONS and Faux conservatives like Sarah Palin.

  47. So you'd vote for Satan if he ran against Obama? If Romney and Obongo are the same, which they are, then I'll take 4 more years. At least in 2016 there would be no incumbent.

  48. Are you implying that Satan would be a better President than President Obama? This makes no sense. Satan is not on the ballot, but if he were I would probably vote for Obama. This is what I am talking about. Please reattach yourself to reality before attempting a discussion.

  49. 1. Baseball is not politics. You don't vote for teams to beat other teams. Next time you wish to say something completely irrelevant use less words.

    2. Ok sure, Ron Paul could become President this year. There might be a 1% chance of that happening. I'll give that to you. Now that you've got your 1% chance do you feel better? It's still not going to happen.

    3. If Romney loses to Obama it does not necessarily mean that the GOP did not pick the best candidate…it just means more people voted for Obama than Romney. If Ron Paul appealed to more Republicans, he would have gotten more votes in the primaries around the country. I'll admit I am somewhat impressed by the delegate strategy they have employed, but working the process to your advantage doesn't give you anymore of the popular vote. The fact is that Republicans around the country chose Mitt Romney. Period. End of discussion.

  50. The GOP is trying to diversify the party…. Yet I heard crickets when I peaked into California's RNC "minority" conservative forum room during the state convention. Yes, it truly was a minority…because outside hundreds and hundreds of people were rallying for Ron Paul. Young, middle aged, old…white, black, brown…bearing signs and chanting the rally cry of fiscal conservatism, constitutionalism, freedom, LIBERTY! Go figure. And the stodgy RNC just scratched their confused little heads and snarled.

    Uneffinbelievable…totally clueless. They have eyes, but do not see.

    Onward! Freedom and Liberty, 2012! Ron Paul 2012!!!

  51. Any suspicions I've harbored re: Paul supporters have been affirmed by the strange (to put it mildly) comments on this thread. They deserve a post unto themselves… LOL.

  52. Rooney, you prove my point…clueless. (LOL)

    Out of the way, we're trying to save our Constitutional Republic.

  53. Why do tea partiers continue to carp about the constitution as some kind of pragmatic document?

    Those who have even a basic understanding of the events that lead to its ratification know that the document was, at best, a political comprise between those who wanted virtually unlimited government (Hamilton and yes, Madison) and those who viewed the constitution as nothing more than a big government takeover. Not to mention it had to be rammed through by the political elite over the overwhelming opposition of the public.

    One would think that the 200+ years of our history with the federal government would be enough to show how flawed the constitution was and is. The greatest fears of the anti-federalist have come true. Nightmares really. History has been unkind to Constitutionalists and has thoroughly vindicated those who opposed the constitution.

  54. Matt, Matt, Matt…..sigh. The only thing I'm hoping for with a Romney nomination is we get him surrounded with real conservatives to help him and not a bunch of RINOs. The presidency is not a one man show.

    There is a strong conservative movement in place trying to bring our beloved party back from the left leaning progressive side, to the conservative side. Romney and the progressive GOP'ers will have a serious problem this election if they try to ignore them.

    The groups you are mentioning are a serious voice and they are getting louder…they are a vote and they are becoming many….they are only a few years old and are getting stronger. These conservatives are here for a reason – they did not appear out of thin air one day. It's because they, and I, believe our party has been hijacked by progressives wearing a Republican coat.

    Mr. Romney and the GOP'ers choice of VP will be a make or break for him this election. He needs to reach out and connect with this part of the party so they don't stay home planning to grow and win the next battle….and if you don't believe this then you are fooling yourself. We can NOT afford to miss on single vote this election….we are not that good.

    Cathy

  55. Many tea party groups are worth talking to. Other groups just want to fight. You can't paint the whole movement with one brush, and we're going to find out in 2012 which groups can actually help GROW the conservative movement versus pick the largest amount of fights possible. That's my major theme in this post, and I respectfully think it's a hard point with which to disagree!

  56. Hey hey hey…. that's not fair. I guess this is why "tea leaves" end up fighting each other. Why can't we all just get along? I say if people want to be on team Paul it's all good, we can still be friends. Isn't sticking to your guns what the tea party all about? So, if these guys want to stick to their guns… lets not "tea bag" them for doing so. The tea party looses credibility when they start attacking people that are on the same team. Just saying…

  57. How on earth can ANYONE from the Tea party movement support this guy? He just as bad as you know who. He not going to cut spending, he not going to cut the debt, he going to push it up, just like RR did in the 80s. No one has also explained why USA spends 15% of GDP on health care, and has very little to show for it. How about cutting 5% from that, instead of paying off the health companies. How about cutting budget for the Defence and paying off debt, instead off more TAX cuts paid for by Credit cards. If Mitt gets in it will do nothing for the GO pto change its ways.

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