While testing a broken station of the Progressive persuasion, I was thrown a prestream ad from this group:
http://www.azftf.gov/Pages/default.aspx
This happens to be a group in Arizona. It takes about 10 seconds to find their mission statement:
“First Things First is one of the critical partners in creating a family-centered, comprehensive, collaborative and high-quality early childhood system that supports the development, health and early education of all Arizona’s children birth through age five.”
You may not agree or support their goals, but they know what it is they want and you can bet the organization will continue to exist until they achieve their goals. This is just one of 1000s of similar advocacy groups organized by the Progressive movement over the last 90 years.
Compare that to the Tea Party Express mission statement
We are committed to identifying and supporting conservative candidates and causes that will champion tea party values and return our country to the Constitutional principles that have made America the “shining city on a hill.”
Tea Party Express is proud to stand for six simple principles:
- No more bailouts
- Reduce the size and intrusiveness of government
- Stop raising our taxes
- Repeal Obamacare
- Cease out-of-control spending
- Bring back American prosperity
That’s a very muddled message and reads like it was written on the back of a napkin over lunch.
The questions it begs just writing my own quick list:
– The Constitutional Principles of our Founding Fathers were those written down by the Federalists, who wanted a more powerful and larger role of a Federal Government and needed the Federal government in order to impose and collect taxes in order to do things like pay the military. Pleasee reconcile that fact with your own principles
– Please define what Conservative is and what a Conservative candidate believes. Can you be a Conservative and not be a Christian?
– what are the Tea Party values and how is that different than the Tea Party Six Simple Principles? What is the difference between a goal, a value and a principle? “Repeal Obamacare” is a goal, not a principle. A Principle would be something like “All Americans should be responsible for paying for their own health care costs” or “American Citizenship is a right earned by the sacrifices of our ancestors, and protecting the privileges of US Citizenship to people who share our values is the highest purpose of the Federal Government”
– is the concern about taxes and spending only the Federal government or all government?
– Please define “Out of Control” spending. Does the US Military get exempted?
– How are the Tea Party going to “Bring back prosperity” other than be dismantling government programs? Which programs? Which laws?
– is this an open ended list of principles? Could new items be added? Who decides what is on the list? If Barack Obama is no longer president and Obamacare is repealed, does this organization cease to have a purpose?