The primaries on September 14 were a win for non-establishment and tea party candidates. The biggest shock came to the State Republicans with the win by Carl Paladino, the tea party backed candidate that got on the ballot by gathering 15,000 signatures. He also gathered more than 30,000 signatures for the Taxpayer Line in the general election November 2. His win, along with others in the district, is proof positive of not only the tea parties power in the state, but more importantly, that the power is returning to the people, where it belongs.
The tea parties have become the party of We the People, the disenfranchised. It has become the lobby for people. Another win in Delaware by Christine O’Donnell has national implications. Polls show that Harry Reid, Majority Speaker of the US Senate, and his unknown opponent are virtually tied, as do polls on Nancy Pelosi and other members of the “Democratic” (Socialist Party). The Democratic Party has been taken over by the socialists and progressives. The Republican Party has been taken over, but to a lesser extent by these two factions as well. Both parties have used this “liberalism” euphemism moniker instead of the real name to move wealth and power away from the people and to the government. The Republican Party has betrayed its principles of fiscal and social conservatism for the “big tent” philosophy embraced by the “Democrats” in order to try to gain votes. This strategy has failed the party and its members. They have gone backwards and have moved to the left on the political spectrum and closer to tyranny on the freedom spectrum and away from freedom, including free markets.
What we are seeing now is a resurgence of principles once held by Republicans and Democrats in the form of outside candidates that have petitioned the people in order to get on the ballot – tea party candidates. It is not only the fact that the Bush Administration and now the Obama Administration are practicing such dangerous fiscal policy by driving up deficits to record levels and unemployment hovering at 10 percent, it is also the culture we are living in. We the People aside from wanting fiscal restraint and limited government, also want a culture built on principles. Our society has eroded and our culture is depraved. We need a return to core values and principles by both parties. We need new leadership to restore honor to not only our political process, but to lead a cultural revolution that returns us to core values of decency. What is needed is to cleanse ourselves of career politicians. We need to clean house of incumbents and start anew. We need to elect these citizen statesmen who have come forth and answered the clarion call to restore the union to greatness again.
We need strong spirited debate to take place on the floors of the legislature again in New York. When I sat in the gallery this summer at the Assembly I was embarrassed by the poor conduct of its members. They showed little respect for each other, the process, and the very office they held. Who will hold them to a high standard? We the People. We need the public to fill the galleries at the New York Assembly and Senate in Albany. We need even more of the public engaged in the affairs of state.
The way to break the political establishment and power is simple; get involved in the process, shine your eyes on those in office and hold them accountable. We cannot rely on the media to do this. We each need to take responsibility and watch what our elected officials do. We must hold them to the same standard we are held to. We can no longer allow the elitist in government to continue. Those in power think they “know what’s best for us” – they do not. We the people will decide what is best for us. The tea party numbers are growing everyday and so is its strength and relevance. Those in power on both sides have tried to marginalize, de-legitimize, demonize and when that fails, co-opt or destroy the tea parties. They have failed at every level and will continue to fail and our candidates win elections and public office. The interest of the people will only become greater with each candidate’s victory.
Those of us at the forefront of the movement have put our fortunes and reputations on the line and stuck our necks out publicly. It’s as simple as that. The public at large and particularly people who vote have a need to know. It falls on our shoulders, but it also falls on yours. We can no longer say let someone else do it, we are those someone else. Now is no time to sit on the sidelines by staying home on election day and looking for someone else to vote. The silent majority is silent no more and casting your vote ensures a more democratic process.
We need nothing short of a political and cultural Renaissance in America.
Bill Bongiorno writes under the name Publicola, friend of the people. He is co-founder of the Northern Westchester Tea Party Patriots. www.nypatriots.com.
