Where’s the Fear and Respect?

Opinion

Where’s the Fear and Respect?

Some controversy has arisen over a single presentation made at the quarterly meeting of the North Georgia Tea Party Alliance recently, that smacks of heresy and witchcraft. The “z-politics”  headline stated “North Ga. Tea Party forms a plan to take over the legislature” in terms of staging a political coup against Georgia’s Republican leadership. I don’t know from where that headline could have originated.

The article suggested that the only way the Tea Party could see its way to achieve conservative political power was to “hatch an elaborate scheme to overthrow the state’s Republican legislative leadership.” For our district that would be our own Mr. David Ralston, Speaker of the Georgia Assembly. I don’t think so. Conspiracies like that are not in conservative Tea Party’s DNA. Outrage, anger and complaining are in its DNA, and venting is good.  Another path must be found.

I was present at that gathering and the featured speaker, Mr. Kevin Harris, a complete and total conservative Republican acolyte, former Republican 9th CD Chairman and active campaign consultant to conservative candidates, started the meeting with a excellent presentation on the whole nitty gritty of the normally squalid election process. He spoke pure Republicanism.

Mr. Harris was followed by a speaker I have never heard of before but who turns out to be a Mike Scupin, founder of the Lanier Tea Party. I am told a he is/was a former College Professor, which means he is probably educated to some degree and articulate in some manner.

He regaled us with a really well prepared power-point presentation and a scripted lesson plan on how to take power. We’ve heard the points before but, until Mr. Scupin said that we (republicans) should even consider electing a democrat, if necessary, to make our point against RiNO republicans, he held the floor. It would only be for two years, he said, and another change could then be made. Say What? I trust that about as much as I trust a Brian Williams “I was there” war story.

Mr. Kevin Harris, who sat next to me, impulsively stated, under his breath, “that was BS.”

What he did say that was important is that without grass roots power, that only an organized group can produce, nothing will change in the halls of government. With that power comes fear which is necessary to make them listen to the voters.

The North Ga.Tea Party Alliance meeting was a full house of nearly fifty people from all across the 9th Congressional District. There was an audible gasp at Mr. Scupin suggestion and then the presentation went on for another ten minutes or so, without challenge. I was shocked at the suggestion, Mr. Harris left and the atmosphere turned decidedly quiet for awhile until Mr. Scupin finished, packed up his road show and disappeared.

The idea of substituting a democrat for a RiNO fell on deaf ears but, the idea that the Tea Parties lacked power to affect needed changes did not. Hatching an “elaborate plan to overthrow leadership” is also not in the cards.” Tea Party members are volunteers and recognizing they lack a powerful source of funds to finance such a ”coup”, and that word was never used, they visited the need for all tea parties to organize with a convention, prepare a single message and then campaign on that message. If it’s one thing Tea partiers can do, and do well, it’s campaign.

Throughout the country, in past election cycles, Tea Parties have been very effective in supporting conservative candidates who “win”. Tea Parties that have effected change through the power of their organizational skills command fear and respect. They deserve it. It’s the interim periods between elections where individual enthusiasm of the volunteer force abates. In the meantime, Republican incumbents lose their fear of the conservative base that has supported them and returns to its comfortable, age old level of cronyism. It’s ruining our state and our country.  Remember, freedom is the goal, the Constitution is the way. Now, go get ‘em! (31 July 2015)

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