by Kevin Ritter
One of the early lessons I learned from my parents and grandparents alike was that “unless I had a proposed solution to a problem, I was welcome to keep my complaints to myself.” I think the country has benefitted from the advent of the Tea Party in that this large group of concerned and engaged citizens has been especially adept at identifying the problems in our society……..too much spending at all levels, too little respect for the individual, too little character in our elected leaders, to heavy a government hand in our daily lives, etc.
The Tea Party has been very effective in identifying the problem(s) but that is half the battle. As it relates to the current effort to defund or delay Obamacare, I don’t hear much from the Tea Party (unless you consider a couple of the so-called Tea Party leaders like Ted Cruz and Rand Paul) and I have to wonder why. As I have considered this question, the answer, I believe, is that we feel so let down by those (Republicans) who have proposed the current battle plan (government shutdown) that we refuse to lend our support.
To those who feel this way I would say, I’m with you…..I get it. If I had a dime for the number of times I have denounced the Republican Party in the past 5 years, I could afford Obamacare. But, I think we risk making our movement irrelevant if we refuse to join the battle simply because we don’t like who’s leading it. In the Revolutionary War the Continental Army fought valiantly under General Charles Lee even though he was a real SOB (see John Boehner).
My point is this, if you are a proud Tea Party member and you believe that stopping Obamacare is essential to the future health of our republic, it has to be about the cause and not the leader. Forget John Boehner. Forget Eric Cantor. Forget the Republican Party and support those individuals who are trying to stop Obamacare. We could learn something from the radical Islamists on this one……they believe “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” We don’t have to like Boehner/Cantor to fight alongside of them. Nor are we betraying what we believe in, in doing so. The great evil is Obama(care). As such, I am for fighting alongside anyone else who it fighting it.
Early in the days of the 9-12 we talked a lot about holding “them” accountable. We defined that as calling our representatives and telling them when they have done well and when they have failed. I think a good many of us (myself included) are quite good at voicing our displeasure but we forget to voice our support. I would ask that if you appreciate the stand made by the House Republicans that you begin to contact them and tell them so. Call them. Write them. Write letters to the editor thanking them. Do what you can in your sphere of influence to make sure that they do not lose heart.
You know the saying…..”even a blind squirrel…….” Well, even John Boehner has stumbled upon a fairly strong position and it is driving the President nuts. If for no other reason than that, I urge you to jump on the bandwagon and give your loud approval to the stand (albeit late) being taken by the House Republicans on this issue.