IMHO, the tea party is still more of an independent movement than a "conservative" movement.
Most of the people I've met in the tea party are independent thinkers. Many are people who would have been (or were) treated as pariahs by the conservatives of the Bush years.
In writing this post, I wish to emphasize that there's more than one definition of "conservative" on the book.
There are some definitions of "conservative" that line up well with my personal beliefs. In this world that values paradox over rationality, there are some definitions that are diametrically opposed to my views.
From one point of view, conservative is simply a partisan view in the infamous left/right split of the French Revolution. The partisan conservative simply reacts to the actions of the progressives.
I hate the label "conservative." For that matter, I think one of the primary reasons we are losing our freedoms is that the defenders of liberty have accepted this confusing label.
I realize that many of the people who embrace the term "conservative" have a firmly defined set of ideas in their minds when they use the term.
However, I have studied in detail the tricks of the left. The most destructive technique in their bag is the muddling of terms. To the majority of people on this planet, the term conservative is simply a partisan position.
The great strength of the tea party is its independence. The tea party has produced a number of candidates who are considered pariahs by conservatives of a few years past.
As America enters the final days of the midterm elections, I hope people re-emphasize the independence of the tea party movement and stop trying to equate it with conservatism.
Yes, if conservative is defined as such and such, then the tea party is conservative. But if one uses the dictionary or other common definitions of "conservative" then the tea party is better described as an independent movement.
The left knows how to tear about a nation by manipulating definitions. It is foolish to surrender a major share of the independent vote to progressives simply because conservatives fail to realize that there's more than one definition of conservative in public discourse.
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