Where the Tea Parties Should Go From Here

The power of the movement is its independence from Democrats and the GOP.

So writes Karl Rove in the Wall Street Journal:

There has been a lot of talk about combining the tea party movement with the Republican Party. And on a small scale, that seemed to happen last week in South Carolina after state GOP representatives agreed to create a "Tea Party Republicans" group to coordinate activities with tea partiers in Greenville and Spartanburg.

This week, however, those arrangements fell apart as some tea party groups dissented from the decision. Other attempts to draw tea party groups into formal alliances are running into similar difficulties. That is a good thing. The tea party movement will be more effective than it otherwise would be if it refuses to allow itself to become an appendage of either major political party.

The tea partiers have made an important splash because they are not yet another auxiliary to the Democratic or Republican parties. Like the pro-life and Second Amendment movements before it, the tea party movement will have a bigger impact if it holds the feet of politicians in both parties to its fire. Each party must know it can win or lose swing tea party voters.

My advice to them is to keep their distance from any single party and instead influence both parties on debt, spending and an over-reaching federal government. (my emphasis-SP)

Good advice, in my humble opinion.  The attempt to  use the excitement and motivation that has been generated, for the benefit of a party has already begun, even here in Jackson County.  And that's OK.  But we as an organization (We The People) must not be pulled into endorsing or supporting any one candidate.  If there are those of us who want to support a particular candidate - GREAT!, that's what the movement is about - getting people involved in the system.  But, as an organization, we  must maintain our independence and hold ALL candidates to the principles that we espouse.  We will have a much greater impact if we do that. -SP