From The Arch To Massachusetts

I don't even remember where I heard about the first St Louis Tea Party.  I knew of Dana, but didn't know much about her politics.  I'd never heard of some guy named Hennessy.  All I knew was the stimulus bill was a huge payoff, unnecessary, and it represented the wrong way in American politics.

So I heard about the Tea Party and headed on down to Arch.  I was alone at the time - while I had work to do - going down was something I figured I needed to do - so I took my phone, tweeted some pictures, and stood in the cold.  I counted the crowd, and said there were 1500 people there.  My method is published in the post.  I shook hands with Ed Martin and Shamed Dogan, met a couple of videographers, and then went home and published.  

We of course didn't know what it meant at the time, but the people who showed at that event, and the subsequent rallies at Kiener, Washington, the healthcare townhalls, D.C., and Quincy would have an enormous effect on the country's direction. Obama's ratings recorded the biggest drop for any president in their first year.  The Democratic legislature was stymied in its attempt to pass healthcare by the August recess, and now, six months later, finds itself scrambling and maybe about to lose the 41st Senate seat (in frakking Massachusetts of all places).  The media is in complete meltdown mode, pants down and mask off as an irresponsible and unreliable purveyor of spin. 

Whatever happens today and tomorrow, and in the next year, I just wanted to say thank you to all of the folks who organized, attended, and supported the authentic Tea Party events in Missouri and across the nation.

On each day, you stood up and boldy proclaimed that you were free citizens, not cowed subjects. You reminded the Beltway crowd that elections are just part of a representative democracy, and in this country, men and women are free to assemble and petition the government for a redress of their grievances.

I'm going to predict that 2010 is the year the Carnahan name is finally removed from the Missouri body politic, and I believe Ike Skelton has seen the end of his legislative days as well.  I think it will be a very good year for Republicans nationally, but it won't count for anything if we elect a bunch of big state Republicans that are fine with a massive government as long as they are in charge.

We face a very rocky decade.  We need men and women of principle who will make the tough choices to make us solvent and break the dependency of corporate and private welfare.  We need legislators who serve because it is their duty, and not their meal ticket.  We need health care reform that addresses the real problems, and not a single payer in sheep clothing union and donor payoff bill written in secret and passed with bribes. And most of all, we need people who are willing to call out corruption in government at all levels, no matter the party, and no matter the risk to their career.  Breaking the Democratic party is not the point if we replace it with a Republican party that gives our money to a different set of thieves.

If 2009 was the year of the Republican resurgence, then 2011 needs to be the rebirth of the Democratic Party as the party of fiscally responsible liberals who hold Republicans to the promises of country first.  We need two strong parties who respect our laws and institutions.  But in the end, we the people need to recognize that no political party is made of angels.

It is our duty to watch them, and to hold them to account.  We have slumbered enough.  The centre can hold, as long as patriots like those who stood shoulder to shoulder with me in the cold last February are willing to serve as the guardians of the Republic and our constitution.  Thank you for having me in your ranks.  Let's watch what happens tonight, and no matter the outcome, let's get ready to go to work tomorrow.

Comments

[Brian H]

'boldy proclaimed' -- would that be about the same as 'baldy proclaimed'?

"Boldy go where no one has gone before!"

Doesn't quite sound right, somehow ....

[D Holder]

Well said and well lived!

[Jim Durbin]

It comes from:

I boldly proclaim my mind is alert, my heart is receptive, I will never be the same - in Jesus's name.

[Van]

"and now, six months later, finds itself scrambling and maybe about to lose the 41st Senate seat (in frakking Massachusetts of all places). "

Damn Straight!

"I think it will be a very good year for Republicans nationally, but it won't count for anything if we elect a bunch of big state Republicans that are fine with a massive government as long as they are in charge.

We face a very rocky decade."

Double damn straight!

We've got good and important work to do... finest kind.

[Gretchen]

I remember that first Tea Party under the Arch. Who knew it could help lead to such a victory in Massachusetts?

It's been an honor to stand shoulder to shoulder with you in the cold and the heat and the cold again! Let's get Claire, Russ, Robin and other shady characters out of MO politics forever!

[BBINMO]

"I'm going to predict that 2010 is the year the Carnahan name is finally removed from the Missouri body politic, and I believe Ike Skelton has seen the end of his legislative days as well."

Now this is 'real hope' and 'real change'...

[SallyW]

It's been an honor and a privilege to stand arm in arm with you, Dana, Bill and all the others who made that first phone call, hoped for 100 and got 1500 of us to stand at The Arch proclaiming our independence and giving that first shout, with our inexperienced voices, about the power of the Constitution that backs us.
This article brought tears to my eyes. Last night's victory in Mass. encourages us to stand and flex our muscles because, "We've only begun to fight!"

[CHUCKtheFED]

you DO know that there was a tea party back on 12/16/07 among the Ron Paul supporters, yes?

[Jim Durbin]

Yes, The Ron Paul folks did have the first Tea Party, but the group of people I've been involved with started with Bill and Dana in February.