Southern Reflections

What to do about the Tea Parties

If I were a wealthy and influential liberal (for a day), what would I do about the popularity of the tea party movement? They came on like gangbusters, had no visible leadership which could be attacked and stuck to an agenda that was simple, direct and very effective. If they could hold it together for a few election cycles, America could experience a reversal of the misfortunes of the past 4-5 decades. Several strategies come to a liberal mind.

Get them actively involved in the inept projects of the Grand Old Party (GOP). That’s right, make republicans out of them. Give them a few titles, a chairmanship or two in some of the lower-level organizations but make sure they do not occupy positions of influence in state or national politics. If they advance too fast, give them the Boehner or Tillis treatment.

Join them and convince them to “enlarge” their agenda, thereby watering down the critical issues that enabled them to connect with so many voters in the first place. There are endless possibilities in education, regulation, bureaucracy and all sorts of divisive issues. Anything to take their “eye off the ball” in the middle of the game.

And, finally, play to the natural weaknesses of all men.

A fascination with the “quick fix solutions”, egos and “follow-the-leader” personality cults. Offer them leaders and spokesmen. Get other organizations to offer financial assistance and seminars. Once under the same umbrella, they can then be smeared with the same brush. Whatever we do, we must destroy their independent nature.

Once their agenda is diluted, detractors will either fade away or become divisive. Movements like the tea party can best be controlled if we can keep them within the confines of our current political structure, where many of their activities can be diverted and controlled.

Of course, I am not a liberal and I would never implement such tactics.

Mike Armstrong

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