By John Sykes
For quite some time I have advocated that all Tea Partiers should call themselves Tea Party Independents. A New Day in Politics does a good job on why:
Most Americans used to call themselves Republican or Democrat. These days, more call themselves independent. What does that mean for American politics? A lot.
"Independents are everywhere, and they're becoming the largest single voting bloc in the country," Reason magazine Editor Matt Welch says. " (T)hey can determine every national election and every ... election for state office. So independent voters -- people who refuse to say, 'I'm a Republican or I'm a Democrat' -- that's where all the action is."
Why should we maintain that we are Tea Party Independents?
The big change they see stems from independents' refusal to be absorbed by any party. "Compare the tea party to the ... Howard Dean antiwar movement," Welch said. "Howard Dean became the chairman (of the) Democratic National Committee. But the tea party has kept an arm's length and said, 'No, we're not going to be Republicans. ... (W)e're going to focus on ... government spending, deficit, and debt, and that's it.' ... And by maintaining that independence they have retained power."
Take a look at this graph and the numbers are obvious:
Remember. There are still a lot of Republican politicians who think we will vote for them no matter how many ways they break their promises to us or otherwise pull the wool over our eyes. ( The last $100 Billion > $38Billion > +$300 Million debt reduction scam nauseously comes immediately to mind. ) They figure we are captive. But tell them you are independent and they are going to jump through hoops.
Who you vote for in the end is your business. But don’t give up your leverage by identifying yourself with either side of our political duopoly and be taken for granted. Keep them guessing.
I am a Tea Party Independent!
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