One of the amazing things about the Tea Party movement is that it has brought people into the political realm that have never been involved in politics before.
For most, an election only appears on their radar a few weeks prior to actual election day, when primaries and elections start to dominate the news cycle. The truth is, many of the elections, particularly the Presidential election, are being decided now.
The Tea Party movement is only two years old, yet it has already had an incredible impact. In 2010, many candidates embraced this movement. Some were successful, some not. Now, the first Tea Party candidate has emerged, Jamie Radtke of Virginia is running for the United States Senate.
She may be the first candidate to come out of this movement, but she certainly should not be the last. That is the message of this movement. Not only is it not business as usual, but now the people are going to step in and take the place of the professional political class.
Do you remember the old military recruiting poster that says, “Uncle Sam needs you”? Well, Uncle Sam does need you. Not for military service but for political service. We need Tea Party candidates from across the country to step up and run.
I received an email from a friend of mine the other day, saying that a certain RINO Senator was vulnerable and he showed a poll reflecting that. I sent an email back asking who was running against the RINO. My friend said, “no one,” to which I answered, “Then he is not vulnerable.”
We will never change this country if we do not replace the people who are causing the problems.
This is where you are needed.
We need good candidates to run for office. We need you for the United States Senate and for the Congress. But we need more than that. We need good candidates at the State level as well. We need candidates for local offices too. We need candidates in the PTA and on the school board.
How can you continue to complain about bad leadership if you are not willing to step up and offer yourself as a replacement?
Not everyone is cut out to be a political candidate. Being a candidate takes a special set of skills and in some instances, a willingness to have your private life dissected under a microscope. However, candidates do not do the job themselves. There is a whole team of people who are needed to help get candidates elected. These include campaign managers, finance directors, media specialists and social media experts. Even if you are not willing to run yourself, you have valuable skills you can offer a campaign.
These campaigns are getting started now and candidates for office in 2012, who do not get involved in the next couple of months, will not be serious candidates. And those candidates will need help.
In 2009, in Nashville, Lonnie Spivak attended the Tea Party rallies and became motivated. He had never been especially politically active before and certainly never run for office. But he ran in the Republican primary to try and replace a very liberal Democrat. Howard Luartes of Nashville also saw what was going on. He volunteered. He had never managed a political campaign before or even been involved. Yet he stepped up and became a crucial member of not one, but two campaigns.
Both Howard and Lonnie are TPN members and if you ask them, they will tell you what an incredible experience it was.
2012 is going to be the year that will define politics for the next generation. Where will you be? Will you be watching history being made on your flat screen TV or will you be a part of history being made? Will you help make the difference?
The choice is yours.
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Permalink Reply by chris parris on Permalink Reply by JOHN DELASAUX on I have given up working for any of my favorite social issues, until the Tea Parties can achieve my two most important results, in their order of importance.
1. Installing a veto-proof majority in both houses of Congress.
2. Getting Obama out of the White House.
#1 will require a monumental level of strategic planning, focus, cooperation, and effort in both the GOP and the Tea Party. If it fails, our country is doomed.
#2 would be a happy day, but it is not essential to getting our country back.
Permalink Reply by JOHN DELASAUX on The Tea Party and GOP are going to have to step up to a new concept in politics -- Conservative candidates who are running for the same seat, are going to have to sit down with each other and assess who has the best chance of winning the General Election.
The candidate who has a lower chance should step down and leave the field for the other candidate. In the past, we have seen instances where one candidate changed parties and ran as an Independent, or even a Greenie or Democrat. The net effect was that he/she siphoned votes from the Conservative Candidate and caused him/her to lose in the General. The classic example is Ross Perot, when he caused Clinton to win with less than a majority in the General.
Our country's situation is so critical this time, that we need to give up our personal wishes for power and prestige, and be willing to defer our wishes for the common good.
Permalink Reply by Millie Howard on Permalink Reply by JOHN DELASAUX on You still don't get it, Millie.
The important thing is to raise the count of Conservative VOTES in the Congress, not to try in vain to elect the most PERFECT candidate who can't win.
I would rather have a RINO than a Liberal Democrat in Congress, just because it raises the CONSERVATIVE VOTE COUNT.
In the final analysis, the VOTE COUNT is what counts in Congress.
I know -- a RINO is bad enough, but even a RINO is better than a Liberal Democrat.
Permalink Reply by JOHN DELASAUX on If she has a good chance of winning, I will support her.
If she doesn't have a chance of winning, are you willing to drop her for another candidate?
Or, will you doggedly push for a losing candidate, and let a Democrat take the spoils?
Permalink Reply by D. A. Stuart on I have been campaigning since the last election, and intend to run. However, a small city like Goldsboro, North Carolina doesn't get too much attention and likewise the candidates don't get too much help. Since the election is "non partisan" the Conservatives can not officially help. Oh yes, they will let me place an election sign in their campaign headquarters' window, but no speaking on behalf of myself at the meetings etc.
Our issues are trivial compared to the state and national level, although just as important to the citizens of the city. Such as forced annexation, conflicts of interests and the Good Ole' Boy system. People just don't get too involved at this level. Basically, I am a one man show. The only thing I have going for me, is now, after several attempts at Mayor, I do have some name recognition (even won a 3-way primary last time).
As well as the current mayor will not be running due to age and health. Unfortunately, the mayor pro tem is chomping at the bit to take the reins and he's the biggest problem, he IS the conflict of interest. I am hoping that after all this time the citizens realize his reputation and hoping some of the forced annexed people that will be new to our poles this year will "Remember in November" what he has put them through.
Maybe someone has some helpful suggestions and how to become a success this time around. It certainly is looking better. I am holding down a full-time self employed job, but can cut my time considerably with family taking over, if I get the office. I know nothing about fund raising and for the most part have been paying out of my own savings.
You can email me at dstuart@nc.rr.com and view my last election webpage that I haven't had time to update yet.
We have our election in a very off year. 2007, 2011 etc. This also makes it more difficult to get people to the poles.
Thanks
D. A. Stuart
Goldsboro, North Carolina
Permalink Reply by Bernard G. D'Andrea on © 2013 Created by Judson Phillips.
