The Mainstream Media’s (MSM’s) latest sport is to try to accuse the Tea Party activists of being Republican hacks. The reality is that their spin is demonstrative again, of their Pavlovian simplicity and lack of vision for their own agenda.
In truth, were the Democrats to give up their agenda of bigger government, more debt, and more spending, some Tea Partiers would return to the party of their grandparents. Sadly, it appears more likely that donkeys will fly than turn from their statist tack. For now, donkeys aren’t flying, and the Republicans have an opportunity to garner the support of the Tea Party if they play their cards right.
Tea Partiers will admit that the Republican agenda is much more closely aligned with theirs than the Democrats, even if they are not ready to be pigeonholed with that label. Most Tea Partiers say that under certain conditions, they might be Republicans, but for now, they are happy “looking in” and demanding changes.
The Tea Party is validated and emboldened when the MSM whines about their rallies and demands. They are enjoying their own sport of watching the MSM frantically rushing to resuscitate a dying agenda of one-world government, socialized medicine, and elimination of state and national sovereignty. Their shrill protestations embolden Tea Partiers to fight another day, while confirming their worst suspicions about the MSM’s true agenda. The fierce individualist American Spirit has awoken from its nap and is ready for action! The MSM might be dismayed to learn that they are the very noise that awakened the giant. They dared Conservatives to show their faces, and they did!
So what will the MSM have to show for their little game of “truth or dare” with the Tea Party? Nothing. Their party gains nothing. They certainly have not improved their ratings, or credibility. Their jobs have gone away. At the end of the day all they will be able to say is, “look, see, we told you they were Republicans!”
So…what?
Instead of daring and cajoling, they should be spending their time drawing upon those in the Tea Party who espouse the old Democrat values of Kennedy, Moynihan, Sam Nunn, and others. Or are they so ideologically left (socialist) that they won’t even admit the game is over when they have clearly lost?
They might want to examine the failures of their tactics and take a new approach, before they are entirely discredited by the new army of journalists who understand the Conservatism in the electorate. A little honesty; a little “my bad”; a little “I am listening”– would do wonders for those who have enjoyed a free run in the media for decades, hiding their socialist agenda behind a thin veil of “journalism.”
Pavlov’s psychological studies predicted that behaviors would be repeated long after the previous rewards ceased, if the rewards were reinforced for long enough beforehand. For years, the MSM could smack down the right and the right retreated. The MSM does not appear to understand the new dynamic or psychological curve ball the right has thrown their way.
Tea Partiers have defined their goals of small government, less spending, and lowering debt. For the Republicans, that is a small pivot. For the Democrats, it’s a complete turn around. Blue Dogs like Evan Bayh of Indiana are recognizing that but the Democrat Party leaders seem to be missing the point.
Tea Partiers are asking Republicans to pivot show fidelity to their own platform and the tenets of the U.S. Constitution. Tea Partiers are asking the Republicans to stop shoving “RINOs” – Republicans In Name Only — down their throats. Tea Partiers are asking to be part of the system that chooses candidates before the primary. Sounds simple enough. Republicans are starting to listen to the Tea Party, and it’s high time they did so.
The day after the election, Democrats and their MSM allies will wake up saying, “see, we told you all those Tea Partiers were Republican hacks.” The Republicans will wake up saying, “we best represented their values, and vowed to return to our platform and Constitution.” The Tea Partiers will wake up and say, “Mission accomplished. Now, let’s hold them accountable.”
The MSM looks shrill to the point of silly. Challenging Tea Party activists to “admit” they are going to vote Republican is like challenging Big Labor to admit they lean left. The difference is the independence of the Tea Party, who will individually think for themselves, and not be told how to vote. Republican leaders are optimistic, and I see no donkeys flying, in the near future.