A Matter of Degree

I teach ideology in my political science classes. I don't indoctrinate, at least not intentionally, but I try to get students to understand what drives our political process. It is the way we view our relationship to our government. What is the proper role of government in our lives? Are there limits? To whom do we look for solutions to problems in society?

Our bipolar political system emerged quite naturally from the philosophical bipolarity of the Founders. Start with the Federalists and Anti-Federalists debating over how to allocate power between the states and the federal government. From the Hobbesian principle that power of government comes from consent of the governed, it can be argued that the level of government closest to the people has the confidence and responsibility for the basics and higher levels of government can only exercise that which is delegated to them.

The Constitution establishes an arrangement of limited federal government. Federalists favored more power for the top level and Anti-Federalists argued for retention of more authority for the individual states. By today's standards, however, both factions were adamantly anti-federalist and arguably quite conservative.

The Tea Party movement is illustrating these basics to a degree that absolutely confounds the liberal left and the mainstream media. Here is an excellent discussion of what I'm talking about:

Why Liberals Don't Get the Tea Party Movement

In my estimation there is another aspect which isn't mentioned, but seems conspicuous when you recognize it. For the last twenty-five years a major wedge issue between Democrats and Republicans has been that coalition which emerged when Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell leaped into the public eye. The Christian Coalition and the Moral Majority activated an almost fanatical segment of the American electorate that previously had been unheard.

Initially they were viewed as a "stealth" party. They learned how the system worked, they instructed their supporters how to be effectively involved, and they became instantly successful at the lowest levels of government. They got elected to school boards, city councils, county commissions and soon state legislatures. When Ronald Reagan incorporated the Religious Right into a coalition with free market capitalists, patriotic Americans and an independent white collar middle class, the Republican Party was reborn.

Over time, however, the Democrats achieved success by focusing on the occasionally repressive aspects of a group which seemed intent on imposing their own religion and morality on the population at large. Rather than classically conservative in terms of low taxes, free markets, and individual responsibility, the emphasis was on restricting other people's rights and by extension denying them opportunity to fulfill themselves. Accurate or not, the perception became the truth.

The Tea Party Movement is now a manifestation of a nation ready to embrace the core traditional conservative values again. The lack of a strong moral issue agenda is the difference. They don't talk about abortion and prayer and gay rights. They talk about taxes and limited government. They want freedom to be successful and secure the future for their family and business. They want a Constitution that describes limited government rather than expansive responsibility over every aspect of our lives. They want to be left alone to prosper.

It is very appropriate when some appear at Tea Party rallies costumed in Revolutionary War era clothing. They can easily be identified with our Founders; both Federalists and Anti-Federalists. You may recall that many of them were at the first tea party in Boston Harbor.