Freedomworks Is Right: If Mitt Romney Represents The Tea Party, The Tea Party Is Dead

by John Hawkins | September 1, 2011 6:06 am

Have you heard about the latest Tea Party controversy? Freedomworks[1] and Tea Party Express[2] were doing a nationwide Tea Party bus tour together.

Unfortunately, the whole shooting match came unglued over Orrin Hatch and more significantly, Mitt Romney[3].

FreedomWorks, a national Tea Party group that has long targeted former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R), will protest his speech to Tea Party Express supporters Sunday in New Hampshire.

The group, which has been helping to organize the Tea Party Express’s “Reclaiming America” bus tour, will no longer be involved with the tour because it allowed Romney and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) to speak, FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe said.

“Mitt Romney and Orrin Hatch have actively and consistently supported expanding the role of government through government-run healthcare, Wall Street bailouts and spending hikes. Those positions are unacceptable to the Tea Party principles of lower taxes, less government and more freedom,” Kibbe said. “For these reasons, we have decided to end our participation in the ‘Reclaiming America’ tour.”

Not only is Freedomworks[1] off the tour, they’re actually PROTESTING Mitt’s appearance[4].

After months of distancing himself from the tea party, suddenly Mitt Romney wants to be one of us.

That’s right, the big-spending former governor who signed Massachusetts’ very own version of ObamaCare is scheduled to take the stage this Sunday at a rally in Concord, NH to lecture real conservatives about limited government and fiscal responsibility.

FreedomWorks and tea party groups from around the region will be there. But not to hear more platitudes from an establishment hack posing as an outsider.

We’ll be there to tell the real story about Mitt Romney, and to protest his record, which represents everything the tea party stands against.

So now, opinions are split: Freedomworks[1] or Tea Party Express[2] — who’s right and who’s wrong?

First off, you can make a legitimate argument for allowing Mitt Romney to speak at a Tea Party. This is a guy who could very well win the GOP nomination and be the next President of the United States. If he wants to come speak at your event, it increases your prestige and it’s a lot better to have him kissing your ring than telling you to kiss off — well, at least if he wins.

On the other hand, keep in mind that Freedomworks[1] seems to have made Orrin Hatch[5] their number one target in the Senate primaries. Now personally, I think Dick Lugar should be the #1 primary target for conservatives this time around – Go Richard Mourdock[6] go. Still, if you’re working non-stop to try to beat Orrin Hatch[5], it doesn’t make much sense to have him speak at a Tea Party you’re helping to organize. Although I’m not as down on Hatch[7] as Freedomworks[1], I do think it was thoughtless and insulting for Tea Party Express[2] to allow him to speak at an event Freedomworks[1] was helping with.

Of course, that’s just a side note. The real issue is Mitt Romney.

The Tea Party came into being in the first place, not just as a protest against spending and big government, but as a living rebuke to the mistakes that conservatives made during the Bush years. During Bush’s time in office, the Republican Party talked a good game on spending while it continued to grow government and increase spending. While conservatives grumbled about that, for the most part, we decided that national security issues took precedence over fiscal issues and we didn’t push too hard.

Then Obama got into office, went on the biggest wasteful spending spree in all of human history, and the Tea Party rose up. Originally, nobody wanted any establishment politicians speaking at the events. But, as the Tea Party has become more influential and the Republican Party has gotten more serious about spending, there has been less resistance to allowing the GOP to get more directly involved. That’s understandable and there’s a little human nature involved. When you start something from scratch and it becomes big enough that name brand politicians are seeking you out, there’s an ego boost involved.

The problem here is that Mitt Romney is a perfect example of the sort of Republican pol whom the Tea Party rose up to fight against. That’s why he’s the candidate of choice for the GOP establishment. The establishment knows what we know: That he’s saying what he needs to say to try to get conservatives on board, but all of that will be forgotten when he gets into office and he’ll govern based on polling. If Mitt Romney’s considered to be someone who represents Tea Party conservatives, then who doesn’t qualify? Why not have Kathleen Parker and Lindsey Graham open up for Romney and then maybe John McCain can close out the whole event?

The GOP should be a broad tent and I welcome just about anyone who wants to become a Republican or vote for the GOP. But, the Tea Party and the Republican Party aren’t the same thing. If they ever do become the same thing, then that’ll mean the Tea Party movement has been completely co-opted. That’s why I applaud Freedomworks[1] for drawing a line in the sand on this issue. If even Mitt Romney is considered a “Tea Party” Republican by Tea Partiers, then the Tea Party movement is dead.

Endnotes:
  1. Freedomworks: http://www.freedomworks.org/
  2. Tea Party Express: http://www.teapartyexpress.org/
  3. the whole shooting match came unglued over Orrin Hatch and more significantly, Mitt Romney: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/178979-freedomworks-will-protest-romneys-speech-to-tea-party
  4. PROTESTING Mitt’s appearance: http://www.freedomworks.org/blog/bstein80/join-the-anti-mitt-romney-protest-in-concord-nh-on
  5. Orrin Hatch: http://www.orrinhatch.com/
  6. Richard Mourdock: http://www.richardmourdock.com/
  7. Hatch: http://www.orrinhatch.com/

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