Tea Parties and Grandmas

Primary elections are here July 27! Yeah! Need to get serious about making my choices. I’m registered as a Republican so that I can participate in a primary. In the R-primary for governor, we have Mary Fallin and Randy Brogdon which interestingly enough serves to make one of the many points I’ve already tried to make on occasion.

Randy Brogdon was quoted in the national media as part of a frame-up story to portray the TEA party as a bunch of crazy, gun-toting, militia nut jobs. The story made it seem that he was part of or somehow represented the TEA party in Oklahoma and could speak on its behalf. I think he’s a two-bit state legislator from some backwoods place here in OK. After more research, he says his pro-state-militia quotes were taken out of context by the Associated Press, which could be a distinct possibility as well...

Then there’s Mary, who served as Lt. Gov. for 12 years, then went to DC as a freshman Representative, decided all those people “up there” were crazy and wanted to come home and make a run for guv. She is a very polished lady, strong-minded, with a clear anti-tax, fiscal responsibility stance. Almost 15 years ago, she was touched by controversy when the ex-husband accused her of an affair with a highway trooper, if I remember right…now she’s remarried, and if there was any truth to the matter, let’s hope older and wiser. Mary has ran a brilliant campaign (see previous posts), she gets my vote. And probably my volunteerism after the primary.

Now here’s the interesting part. Mary has received the endorsement of Sarah Palin (who is evolving into the cover girl for the TEA party) and has signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge sponsored by the Americans for Tax Reform. So whoever wins, is it a “victory” or a “defeat” for the TEA party in Oklahoma?

I’ll say it again, in case anyone missed it: The TEA party is a valid social movement still without formal structure, organization, or official representation. It is under attack in its infancy from crazy anti-government hate groups trying to hijack the movement to serve their purposes, the national media trying to whip up a story for the day, Republicans trying to defend and win back their base they’ve lost, and Democrats trying to discredit anyone who wants to stop funding their over-the-top social policies. When poll results are released in the media regarding anything TEA-related, ask yourselves, “Who the heck are they polling?” I’d like to join the TEA party, but I want to join the real one with a strong, national, official presence and message (that will eventually emerge), not one of the unprofessional splintered factions at the state level.

The TEA party is NOT an offshoot of the Republican party or the Democrat party, more of a crystallization of Libertarian sensibilities, if one feels they must assign parentage. The movement is still clarifying and pounding home its message and mission of anti-tax and fiscal responsibility. It is made up of former Rs and Ds, “whites”, and “blacks.” There is no “left” or “right,” more like “none of the above.” Its only goal is to stop the crazy-ass stuff going on with the money before our country spends itself into oblivion.

The last thing I would like to expound upon is: PLEASE VOTE. Our great-grandmothers starved and marched and protested, were beaten, imprisoned, and declared insane in their struggle for the vote. An email detailing their horrific treatment at the hands of Woodrow Wilson and his cronies circulated a few years back. Here’s a link to it on snopes.com, who has confirmed the details as TRUE.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/ballot/womenvote.asp

So, please do it for your great-granny.