Pride Goeth Before Destruction
[ Patrick Tuohey ]"Pride goeth before destruction: and the spirit is lifted up before a fall."
Proverbs 16:18
I fear we are witnessing the collapse of the Tea Party movement. Today, in St. Louis, activists Dana Loesch and Bill Hennessy plan to call on Missouri political leaders to comment on a political race in the 23rd Congressional District of New York--800 miles away.
Nevermind the race in St. Louis between Rep
Carnahan and Ed Martin. Nevermind the eight other congressional races
in Missouri, the senate race to replace Kit Bond, or the various races
for seats in the Missouri legislature. Nevermind Tip O'Neill's truism that all politics is local. Nevermind Jefferson City,
Missouri, these activists want to speak to the people of Jefferson, New
York!
Health care reform has not even been finalized, yet Tea
Party groups are full of their own power. Let's be frank--until there
is a vote on health care reform, these groups have yet to finish the battle at hand.
My fear, expressed elsewhere in this publication, is that as health care reform is settled one way or another, the crowds that came out to oppose government intervention in the marketplace will disperse. They will return home, and will not carry on the fight in their communities and in their states.
Asking them to focus on distant races in which they cannot directly participate will not only facilitate this collapse, it may be completely ineffectual. Voters in Potsdam and Fulton and Oswego care as much about voters in Mehlville and Oakville and Webster Groves as we care about them. Worse than ineffectual, it risks alienating voters wary of outside influences.
Tea Party activists such as Loesch and Hennessy have accomplished a Herculean task in simply getting hundreds of thousands of people away from their televisions and into the streets. This truly could be the beginning of something great. 24thState.com offers a perfect opportunity for activism by inviting Missourians to take part in Document Parties to review the hundreds of pages of material compiled through Sunshine Law requests. Transforming government will only come from getting people further involved through local efforts, campaigns and voting booths--not returning to the couch to wage distant battles by proxy.
10/23/2009 8:02:57 AM
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- Recent News
- Table of Contents
- Ethics Reform: A Return To Justice
Our legislatures must return to their primary function and our people must insist our legislatures protect the liberty of all individuals.
- Repealing the 17th Amendment
Since the founding of the nation, the states have been the consistent advocate of liberty within this nation. Their authority must be respected.
- Malfeasance as a Justification for Preemption
The federal government ought not use its inability to secure the border as a reason to keep the states from doing their part to enforce immigration laws.
- Missouri's Stake In The Energy Debate
Missouri will be affected the most by energy regulation because currently we have some of the cheapest electricity in the country.
- The Negative Consequences of Autism Insurance
Mandated autism coverage increases insurance costs for those with diseased not singled out by government.
- The Rise of the Patriot
A brief summary of human development and the rise of the American patriot.
- Ned Ryun: The Fight for the Founders
The fight for a more free America will take courage and will suffer losses, but the battle is worthwhile.
- The Coming Political Dissonance
A change is coming to Washington. From Missouri and elsewhere, a new class of politicians will be expected to dismantle the federal city and send its power back to the states.
- Ike Skelton: Do Ask, Do Tell
Why does Rep. Ike Skelton resist something that military leadership and even some conservatives have come to embrace?
- Need a Bridge?
Free-spending Republicans like Kit Bond are worse than Democrats, because they understand the principles of limited government and intentionally ignore them.
