Saturday, July 12, 2014

Judging The Accuracy Of Tea Party News

By Coleen Torres


If you have a computer, it's not hard to keep track of the grassroots political movement causing a disturbance in republican ranks. Tea Party news is often mentioned in mainstream media reports and broadcasts. However, for complete coverage of the movement, going directly to dedicated websites lets people read and judge for themselves.

On the surface, the Tea Party (TP) is a grassroots movement of citizens who feel unrepresented by the current government in the US. They are conservative in viewpoint on almost all political issues, especially about free markets, national defense, secure borders, and the economy. The TP is a loose organization of local groups with a central body mostly devoted to fund raising for specific candidates, presenting petitions on priority issues, and raising public awareness.

The origin of the movement is obscure. Some people credit Ron Paul's presidential campaign with bringing like-minded citizens together. Others say bloggers who urged people to 'send a tea bag to Congress' (a reference to the 1773 Boston Tea Party protest over unfair taxation) really started the ball rolling. Paul's campaign was in 2007; the start of the TP itself is considered to be 2009.

A lot of controversy over this 'grassroots' move comes from those who oppose either the agenda or the 'third party' aspect of the TP. Progressives and liberals try to dismiss the movement as 'not truly grassroots', racist, anarchistic, or worse. The Republican 'establishment' - dedicated to supporting long-time representatives in the House and the Senate - say the movement threatens the solidarity of Republicans and thereby lessens the chance of successful opposition to the Democrats.

It's vital that voters get the real picture, rather than relying on mainstream headlines or blog accounts. There are easily-accessed, dedicated websites online, such as TPNN, the TP News Network. You can sign up for emails, find recaps of recent coverage, and see the calendar of events for the year. You can also find out about TP groups near you.

The TP is in the national headlines often, as when endorsing candidates for public office. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are examples of unknowns who were elected with TP support and who have stayed in the limelight by sticking to or departing from their conservative values. The IRS targeting of TP-affiliated, non-profit groups and the consequent investigation also keeps the group in the headlines.

In the current political climate, it's hard to get the truth about issues and even accurate reports of public statements. This is good reason to follow the TP online, getting their position and comparing it to what might be reported in the mainstream media or in statements made by commentators. In addition, the TP supports and endorses candidates for political office; in order to judge the candidates fairly, getting both sides of the story is important.

If you have a computer, go online and find out what's happening. If you don't, the local library and community college will have ones for the public to use. There is no way to stress the importance of everyone being politically savvy in these troubling times.




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