The thread discussed which camp the Tea Party people were in … my reply was as follows:

From The Patriot’s Flag

This is BOGUS … the TEA PARTIES ARE NOT ABOUT CANDIDATES!!!! When are people going to quit reporting and discussing this … it is exactly what the LEFT wants to happen and if you fall for any of this, you are falling right into their trap.

6 local politicians came to our Tea Party, 2 had asked to speak. We told them to bring their lawn chairs and come to LISTEN, we’ve heard the talk. They sat and listened. Also 2 asked for our endorsement … both got quite a lecture on this “movement” not being about them. It is about them Supporting the Movement, not the movement supporting them.

In the end, we will … each of us … vote for some candidate or other. But that will be done in that quiet moment in the voting booth. To telegraph who you are going to vote for BEFORE that moment defeats its power. Tell a politician you are going to vote for him and that’s the last time you’ll see or hear from him … he’ll be off prostituting himself to some other group. Tell them what you believe in and that you will vote for the person who most clearly will “vote” your beliefs. Keep them guessing, and keep them honest. Here’s what the Tea Party is about:

Mission Statement

The impetus for the Tea Party movement is excessive government spending and taxation. Our mission is to attract, educate, organize, and mobilize our fellow citizens to secure public policy consistent with our three core values of Fiscal Responsibility, Constitutionally Limited Government and Free Markets. Core Values

* Fiscal Responsibility: Fiscal Responsibility by government honors and respects the freedom of the individual to spend the money that is the fruit of their own labor. A constitutionally limited government, designed to protect the blessings of liberty, must be fiscally responsible or it must subject its citizenry to high levels of taxation that unjustly restrict the liberty our Constitution was designed to protect. Such runaway deficit spending as we now see in Washington D.C. compels us to take action as the increasing national debt is a grave threat to our national sovereignty and the personal and economic liberty of future generations.

* Constitutionally Limited Government: We, the members of The Tea Party Patriots, are inspired by our founding documents and regard the Constitution of the United States to be the supreme law of the land. We believe that it is possible to know the original intent of the government our founders set forth, and stand in support of that intent. Like the founders, we support states’ rights for those powers not expressly stated in the Constitution. As the government is of the people, by the people and for the people, in all other matters we support the personal liberty of the individual, within the rule of law.

* Free Markets: A free market is the economic consequence of personal liberty. The founders believed that personal and economic freedom were indivisible, as do we. Our current government’s interference distorts the free market and inhibits the pursuit of individual and economic liberty. Therefore, we support a return to the free market principles on which this nation was founded and oppose government intervention into the operations of private business.
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So that’s what the Tea Party is about. It is not about who we are “for” .. IT IS ABOUT WHAT WE ARE FOR! ANY mention of a candidate is either from an uneducated person on the right or a well-educated person from the [Alinsky] left.

The Patriot’s Flag

The Mount Vernon Statement vs. The Manhattan Statement
Friday, February 19, 2010 8:05:16 AM · 2 of 2
ThePatriotsFlag to mattstat

Mt Vernon was a “nice” statement. (Nice is sort of dull adjective right? Perfect for this one). Anyway, I can see what they are doing, restating the Sharon Statement that started the Conservative Movement … but this is a different time and different circumstances. That era “ignited” a Tea Party type atmosphere. Now we already have that atmosphere and along comes the statement … horse pushing the cart?

I don’t think people really understand what’s going on with the TP movement. (And if you aren’t INSIDE it WORKING on it, then you are only guessing too). The American Thinker nailed it the other day discussing this being a Populist movement … therefore, by definition, leaderless, driven by an idea (The Constitution). This is what makes it impervious to the Alinsky threats (Carville & the Clintonistas). It is fun to watch everyone trying to “grab” the energy of the movement so they can use it for “their vehicle.” The true energy can never be usurped, its is right there at the grass-roots level.

912 was an excellent example. 1,750,000 of us there … at our own expense … all of us SURPRISED by the thousands and thousands of people surrounding us. There were speakers, but no leaders. Nobody “led” me to the Metro that morning … it was my “personal” energy and that of 1,749,999 other souls that caused the jaw-dropping event. To get that energy … you have to get ME. To stop that energy, you have to stop ME … and millions like me. I really don’t think that can be done. (Other Thoughts at The Patriot’s Flag).

Other folks thoughts? I’d be interested. I’m listening because this is fascinating. The last time there was an authentic populist movement was the era of Prohibition … and “leaderless” it changed the Constitution TWICE. This phenomenon is worth studying, it is rare and fascinating.

This post was mentioned on Twitter by ThePatriotsFlag: Just Posted: The Patriot’s Flag – The Tea Party-My POV http://tinyurl.com/yddgqr5 – populist, leaderless! #tcot #teaparty #GOP #conservative…