What the Tea Party Wants

The Candidate Must Stand Unwaveringly For High Principles and Have a Record to Match His Promises

Americans have had enough.  Enough from the Left, and enough from the Right acting like the Left.  The members of the Tea Party movement refuse to stand in the middle.

The traditional politics of the Establishment have steered us onto a dark and rocky path with top-down management.  As the grassroots has mobilized from bottom-up, we will push forward to take America back in 2012!

A few good candidates promoted by the Tea Parties have emerged to take the lead in an already-heated race for the White House, and a few more who qualify still have yet to decide.  Each of these true conservatives possesses personal strengths which we will need to see in our next President.

Tea Party Stands for Principle

The Tea Party movement is not about just voting out the Democrats.  There are larger evils to conquer.  Our movement has every intention to swing the pendulum back in order to achieve our mission — a second American Revolution.  Obviously, a peaceful revolution that puts us back on the path of our Founders.

We hold the far Left in contempt for purposely exploiting the American core values that our founding fathers intended for us as a sovereign nation.  The far Left does not include just Barrack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid, although they have been central to the duplicitous acts against the people.  There are efforts on a global scale that must be dealt with.

We begin with the three core values of the Tea Party Movement which our next President and Vice President must work to accomplish:

1. Fiscal Responsibility. It must be in their blood to cap the debt and drive it down, while working with Congress to bring excessive spending and taxation under control.  They must also pledge to avoid corporate welfare and supply a balanced, transparent, and accountable budget.

2. Constitutionally Limited Government. Our President and Vice President must be leaders in restoring the Constitution and limited government.  That includes reversing government’s use of regulation which has encroached upon the powers of our state and local governments.  Within the rule of law, they must also protect the liberties of individuals.

3. Free Markets. The President will be expected to protect the fundamentals of the free market.  This includes limiting government’s role in the private sector in order to instill personal responsibility and make accessible the pursuit of economic liberty for all Americans.

Who will be our next ‘Ronald Reagan?

In addition to our core values, the Tea Party expects a conservative ticket to take the lead in restoring America — economically, socially, militarily, and spiritually.  It must lead us back onto the path from which we have strayed.

In the search for a conservative ticket, The Tea Party wants Reagan to be the benchmark in weighing the attributes of an All-American president.  Reagan is the model as far as most Tea Parties are concerned.  But we need to take it to a whole new level.

Is Their Record Consistent with Our Mission?

No longer does the “R” after the name of a candidate indicate where the candidate stands.  The Tea Party demands a proven conservative voting record and/or a history of achievement to fully believe they support the mission of the Tea Party.

In order to restore America’s greatness, the 2012 ticket should don a team of unwavering, unapologetic, and resolute candidates that will hold America’s sovereignty and liberties in the highest regard while protecting and promoting the Constitution of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights.  The boldness of the next two Presidents must exceed any Socialist, Communist, Marxist, or Islamic ideology and work to keep those influences out of our financial systems, education systems, media, and judicial systems, as well as all levels of government.  America was established to set itself apart from those types of oppressive powers and to carefully expand freedom to all of those wanting it and willing to pursue it as a human right.

Self-Reliance, Courage, and Action

One cannot neglect a flower garden and then expect it to stay healthy.  It will grow wild.  The responsibility of maintenance, which includes weeding, watering, fertilizing, and pest control, must be done in order to produce successful results.  This will mean taking a full inventory and all-out spring cleaning of each level of government as well as the amendments to our Constitution.

In other words, our President and Vice President must both be willing to do what it takes to become the botanists our country needs for the total patriot landscaping package.

Gov. Sarah Palin. Some believe that Gov.  Palin would be good in this regard, as she is known to have cleaned out much of the corruption upon entering office in her state of Alaska.  She promotes American self-reliance as she has demonstrated knowledge of the oil industry and encourages America to “drill, baby, drill!” Although not an official candidate, she is being encouraged by many in the Tea Party because of  her resilient conservative stance on issues despite the fierce animosity from the mainstream media and Leftist organizations. She is also a solid proponent of 2nd Amendment rights.

Gov. Chris Christi is also an encouraged favorite as he has demonstrated a no-nonsense style and a talent for taking on the unions in New Jersey in a bold manner never done before.  He is an audacious hero in taking on the media, as well as challengers who question his willingness to get his state out of an abyss of economic troubles.

Rep. Michelle Bachmann is a self-motivated leader who gets things done. She created the Tea Party Caucus in the House and continues to protect the Constitution with her unswerving voting record and unapologetic support of conservative and Christian values.

Sen. Jim DeMint has earned the labels “Tea Party Senator,” and “Conservative of the Year” by Erick Erickson of RedState.com, as he has proven to be a fierce defender of freedom and constitutional values. As of now, he will not run, but is reconsidering.

Many Tea Party supporters favor candidate Herman Cain because he has never served in public office.  It is not in his blood to dish out the same ol’ political song and dance in addressing the issues.  As a well-known business leader, mathematician, and talk show host, he, like Palin, would be able to create an American self-reliance by abolishing the IRS. He is even forward thinking enough to want to eliminate all federal income-based taxes for Americans and their businesses by replacing it with a revenue neutral strategy. He has kept his support base within the Tea Party movement and has moved into the spotlight rapidly with his “Common Sense Solutions” campaign that will seek fiscal responsibility and promote the free markets.

What is a Patriot’s Military Might?

The job description of the President of the United States includes the title of Commander In Chief.  Deploying our troops and managing our defense forces requires strategic skills, wisdom, respect, and integrity.  The Commander in Chief will need to lead from the front and be willing to stand for our soldiers as he or she recognizes the sacrifices they and their families are making to protect our country.

Lt. Col. Allen West has been urged to run for President, and he has established himself as a knowledgeable leader who has gained the honor and respect of Tea Party members.  So far, West is the one in the spotlight who has shown a zero-tolerance defense policy for our military forces in combating terrorism.

Many more can be mentioned, but the point is we do not lack examples of boldness for the type of President we need to restore our country.  We want the next leader of the free world to feel the angst and frustration we feel at the grassroots, and feel compelled to act upon what his heart tells him must be accomplished, regardless of opposition.

Patriots Demand Trailblazers

The Tea Party demands a President and Vice President who are trailblazers, not afraid to try new ideas and be innovative in solving specific domestic issues we are desperately facing, such as our economy, immigration, healthcare, and so forth.  Rhetoric is no longer acceptable.

Operation Backbone

Terrorism brings us to the issue of illegal immigration. Arizona passed their SB 1070 in an attempt to enforce federal law in order to protect themselves from the criminals in our country illegally.  The ideal president supported by the Tea Parties will not only encourage such legislation, but help protect all Americans by working to secure our borders instead of suing the states to protect the illegal aliens.  Operation Wetback in the 1950’s ordered mass deportations of illegal aliens during times when there were a lack of jobs. Presidents Truman and Eisenhower were looking out for Americans and not selling them out for political gain.  Again: Boldness, integrity, unapologetic.

Patriots to Put Principle First

As Chief Executive, Chief of State, and Chief Diplomat, any of these conservatives would symbolize what America stands for as a nation.  Holding steadfast to Christian principles, they would honestly represent most of us among the Tea Party.  Such a leader would respect our allies and recognize the importance of Israel.  Such a President would be able to negotiate effectively in the context of a solid foreign policy and be an inspiration around the world.

The President must be trustworthy, making relevant and substantial decisions by appointing the most qualified advisors for the President’s Cabinet.  Most importantly, he would appoint members of the Supreme Court who uphold the Constitution and interpret, rather than invent, the law.  The President and Vice President must be Americans by birth and qualified.  They must hold fundamental Christian values as our founders intended.  Reagan said himself, “If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”

Eating an Elephant

It is time to find the “Ronald Reagan” that will unite instead of divide, respect the states and their rights, and boost the morale of the country and those who work to sustain it.

We will see the day that America will climb out of the h*** we are in, but it will require the Tea Party movement to show how conservatism works and how to get it accomplished. You know the saying about how to eat an elephant: One bite at a time.  It will require education and dedication from each generation to accomplish the task, and everyone involved will need to step up to make sure that no one forgets the day when we came close to losing our country.

By Laura O’Halloran, Louisiana Tea Party Federation