As the dust settles and the parks department returns the area to its normal state from Beckapalooza/Beckfest/Restoring Honor/Christian Tent revival on the Mall on Sunday, many are pondering the event and its significance. There is no denying the 5.5mil raised for a worthy cause was impressive. However was is the effect on the political landscape?
Beck fans are touting it as the something monumental on the scale of various other great moments in American history. The screeching left is trotting out their favorite phrase and falling all over themselves to call it racist. Those people who attended described it in terms some of those that watched it have a hard time understanding.
The political pundits are now wondering what effect if will have on the November elections and beyond. Will the spectacle do anything other than solidify those who are probably already voting Republican and are religious by urging them to work even harder for the cause? Will the sight of so many, no one agrees on how many actually attended, devout Christians undo all the work done by the tea party movement to convince the middle that not all on the right are religious fundamentalists? Will people believe, as Beck made it clear, that it was not a tea party event?
Polls have yet to come out taken after Sunday to see if there has been any change at all. Furthermore its probably debatable if it will be possible to determine what effect it has on the polls now or in November.
The pundits will conjecture anyway as in their wont.
What does it mean for the tea party movement both in Maine and in the rest of the country? For one thing the religious right have laid a challenge down for the fiscal conservative right to muster similar or preferably better numbers on 9/12. They have reminded all those not so religious on the right or of a different tradition that they are a force to be reckoned with. They showed up in great numbers to be led by their hero in a spectacle of Christian fundamentalist faith. This is yet another, and by far the most impressive, attempt to shove religion down the throat of the tea party movement.
In order to retain those in the middle, non-commital and of other parties that have become part of the tea party movement its essential to produce a spectacular event, or rather events, on 9/12 in DC, St Louis & Sacramento. The tea party movement needs to show that fiscal conservatism is an even stronger force in the American politics than social conservatism.
It’s a battle over who speaks for the grassroots of the county, and its one the fiscal conservatives need to win lest they lose all those moderates, Democrats and independents who have been attracted to the non-partisan, non-religious and non-denominational nature of the tea party movement.
Beck and his attendees are right about one thing though. The future of the country depends on getting this right before November.
However we need a broad coalition of all Americans who believe that spending, taxation, regulation and government intrusion has gone too far. Its about the free market, limited government and fiscal responsibility. Anything that divides or excludes anyone is a mistake, whether its for partisan, religious or any other reason.
Comments
Overly anti-religion comments in this article, it is a well known fact that the conservative right is mostly Christian, or at least following Christian ethics.
Amazing to me that those who were even in attendance know all about what truly happened there. It would be good if before you reported, you asked someone who was there.
I ment to say, not even in attendance.
8/28 had nothing to do with politics but with returning the country to the values and morals of the Founding Fathers and honoring those have, are and will come to the defense of America, its people and the Constitution of the United States. It was re-establishing the Black Robe Brigade, a tradition lost to the years to help restore honor within the individual, community and country.
Very well said. Explains what happened last Saturday perfectly. Maybe those who did not get it will finally get a grip!
I couldn't make my way through this one...too many typos, grammatical erros. Don't you read what you write before publishing? Presentation of your opinion matters as much as the substance of it.
... which wasn't much.
Mr. Anonymous, you are exactly right! What a difficult read. What I could understand sounded like pure nonsense.
Well Glenn Beck stirred up the ol' pot of tolerance for christians....how horrible to be associated with them. I doubt all attendees were christians, but even if they were what damage did this do to the tea party? The evangelical vote is sought after in "every" election, christians care about who is in power and THEY VOTE. I would want them "christians" on my side....what an strange article. Voters are votes.... and as a christian by the way.......shoving is not what christians do....
IT WASN'T POLITICAL!
You must not have been there - period! You obviously got your info from the lame-stream media. You missed the WHOLE POINT of the many messages spoken there. Jeesh. Keep your mouth shut if you don't know what you're talking about. There was nothing political about it! - period.
If he'd bother to attend a Tea Party meeting he'd find out most members are "religious" ALREADY.
Agreed!!!
Talked to quite a few people who where there in fact. And thoughts ranged from "it reminded of a very long church service" to "it was a wonderful experience." I did actually watch the entire thing and heard every single one of the speeches, King being the best by far.
I have attended quite a few tea party events all over the country and I never once attended one that was at all overly or overtly religious.
* It wasn't political? With Palin speaking? Really, you honestly believe that. And having it on the day of MLK's famous speech in that location wasn't a political statement. Yeah right, I believe that as much as I do when he says he has no idea that MLK's speech was on that day.
How is the piece anti-religion? Its anti religion in politics maybe, because that tends to lead to disaster. A good example off the top of my head the 18th Amendment to Constitution, prohibition, which pretty much started organized crime as we know it. It made millions for criminals and it make the country miserable. Whose was the biggest advocate for it? The Christian Temperance Union.
Ummm amigo, the tone was in fact VERY anti-religious which really astounds me considering as someone else mentioned most fiscal conservatives are also religious and most religious folks tend to have conservative view points on all things.
If anyone is going to split the tea party it's morons like this boy, and as for religion and politics, what the heck is it that you think resulted in the this nation being founded in the first place? ALL of the founders were religious men, some more devout than others, but they all believed in God and that this nation was one blessed and protected by God.
The Tea Party and the "religious right" aren't at odds nor should they be, just like the tea party shouldn't be at odds with other groups that taking stands against a government that has far over stepped it's bounds. To start uttering things like "we have to out do those religious zealots or we'll be discredited" is playing directly into the hands of the liberals and progressives. It's doing their work for them.
All good points but no one has yet commented on the barely readable construction of the most basic sentences in this piece. Come on! Grammatical "allowances" were left miles behind here. As for the Christian Temperance Union (naive zealots that they were), could one not also include in the same deductive vein the DEA? Or are the results of current prohibition laws not playing the primary role in rapidly expanding criminal empires in this and other countries? A rose by any other name.....
I think everyone just likes to fight against everyone. You would rather see your blather in print than actually listen to what is being said. Gov't works well in one way, to divide our nation perfectly. Remember the old saying 'Divide and conquer" they do it in spades, and most "baaaa" everyone falls into it so easy.
Anyone that found a problem with 8/28 would not have gotten it anyway.....
I find Andrew Dodge not very convesant with the facts.
Yes, the Beck rally, over 500,000 people, was not political. It was a call to the principles, based in faith in God, that founded this nation.
Do you, Andrew Dodge, have a problem with that?
If so, present your arguement. Do not walk around the edges as your article does. Lets get it out in the fresh air.
Have you ever been in combat, Andrew?
Even the most non-religous combat veterans have been heard to ask God to save their ass when the sxxx hits the fan. I remember one instance in particular, a veteran of the French Foreign Legion, as we were about to be overrun by Nigerian forces, reciting the rosary.
We survived. He now lives in Florida, enjoying his later years, because of the Grace of God.
You cannot argue against that Andrew.
Look at the history.
Our founding fathers had a rag tag army, held together by one man and his faith in God.
He defeated the most powerful military force on the planet. How did that happen? Was it military genius? Read Washingtons' own words. "By the grace of God, we prevailed."
We have a moment in history. To reject the Marxist plan, which has never worked, anywhere, or submit to an authoritarian government that has no respect or concern for its citizens.
Whether it is accomplished through faith in God, or by rejection of the Marxist mantra, is immaterial. We must reject it.
Your objection to to the religious aspect is specious. Get over it.
Having attended this event I am still trying to sort out my feelings. I know I come away a better person for having been there as it as always been after each of the tea party gatherings. Yes, this was different in that I know that I need to look to myself and my God for the answers to our countries problems. I know that we have started something and I know that based on the attacks from the left that we have stirred the status quo. Perhaps it is best expressed by a gentleman who sat behind us on the Metro after the event who was talking on his phone. He said " I don't fully understand what event these people attended but I have met the nicest people who all seem to be confident about whatever it is they are trying to accomplish but I can tell you this, I think I want to know more about what it is and I want some of whatever it is that they have."
Well said, Bill V. The liberals will always denigrate what they don't understand.
Interesting arguments on both sides. I would ask all of you not to be so positive about your positions. The possibilities for being wrong are just as strong as the possibilities for being right. I think there needs to be some reavaluation of the perspectives that you are looking from. Things are not as simple as right and wrong, God knows that man is searching for a good way, but he hasn't found it yet. Keep looking, don't think you have the answer.
www.theoldphilosopher.com
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