The Cato Institute put together a presentation on the
Libertarian Roots of the Tea Party. This information is key to understanding the mistake made by President Barack Obama against the tea party. A mistake that doomed the presidency of Barack Obama and left America divided and economically damaged. It is a mistake that President Mitt Romney must avoid for the good of the country. President Obama proved incapable of compromise and instead ignored, opposed and tread upon the tea party.
President Obama could have found compromise with the tea party if he had listened to our concerns. First, the tea party was not solely comprised of Republicans who opposed him. The tea party is a grassroots movement that continues to gain support in 2012.
About half of the tea party is comprised of libertarians who share some commonalities with liberals. Economics and lifestyle liberty are highly valued by libertarians. Lifestyle liberties include gay marriage and opposition to the anti-drug war. While the tea party is focused upon economic liberty issues, a competent politician uses common ground as a basis for negotiation and compromise.
President Romney has an easier path in shaping a coalition with the tea party to help fix America's economic problems. However, Barack Obama could have listened to the concerns of the tea party and formed a powerful political movement. Democrat President Bill Clinton compromised with Newt Gingrich's Republican Congress during the late 1990's to solve the economic issues of the day.
One key reason that President Obama did not compromise was due to his dangerously rigid progressive ideology. Barack Obama was unable to recognize that anger against the
Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) in September 2008 had lead to his election. TARP angered future tea party supporters and partisan Republicans. Senator John McCain failed to challenge the TARP program as anger mounted in his core constituent group.
President Obama could have administered TARP while pursuing a more conservative economic policy. Instead the Democrats pushed through a failed stimulus package widely known as "
Porkulus" in February 2009. The program famously featured jobs that "
was not as shovel ready as we had thought" as President Obama put it. The President continued the failed policy through September 2011 with "
Porkulus II." These programs ran up trillions of dollars in national debt while ensuring union labor jobs, funneling money to political donors and "picking losers" in the green energy sector.
President Romney has an excellent opportunity to reverse these failures with broad-based support for fiscal austerity and economic conservatism. If Mitt Romney does not make these tough economic decisions, it may be seen as betrayal of the tea party support that currently accounts for 6 out of 10 Republican primary voters.
Future Vice President Paul Ryan is the leading voice for economic sanity as Chairman of the
U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Budget. This will help team Romney, but the tea party will be watching closely. Tea party libertarians are
neither loyal and devout Republican partisans nor supportive of authority.
The goal of the tea party movement is to restore economic liberty. The movement knows that liberty requires diligence. The diligent efforts of tea party organizers, activists and supporters has lead to growing popular support for nearly four years.
If tread upon by a Romney administration, the tea party movement is capable of reaching out to disaffected liberals. Americans will be facing a difficult economic situation in 2013. The mainstream media will quickly turn hostile to the Romney administration. Administration lies like
9/11 Benghazi would be met with vicious reporting. Left-wing media and organizers will be receptive to criticism against a Romney administration from battle tested tea party activists who appeal to their sentiments on loyalty, authority and sanctity.
President Romney avoid this mistake, Don't Tread on Me.
