Tea Partiers, Do YOU Remember the 5th of November?

Created: 05 November, 2012

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Updated: 21 November, 2022

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2 min read

Remember, Remember, the 5th of November. In 2007, the Tea Party began. No Sarah Palin. No Newt Gingrich. A few Republicans. But there were a lot more independents, many Democrats, and a whole bunch of others who don't fit into any of the stereotypes. What was significant about the 5th of November in 2007 was that Ron Paul, a relatively unknown "dark-horse" candidate changed the political landscape forever when he set the record for raising the most amount of money online in a single day.

Just 41 days later, Ron Paul broke that record again. It was December 16th, 2008. That is also the anniversary of the original tea party, and despite what the tea party has become, it was the Ron Paul Revolution that spawned it.

The following quote is taken from an article I wrote in 2009 about how the Tea Party was hijacked by the Republican brand. I was a "Ron Paul" tea partier. Still think "Dr. No" is the most honest man in politics. I wish there were more people like that in Washington D.C. I may have significant disagreements with him on some issues, but it would make our compromises much more genuine, and much more representative.

At some point, reality began piercing my passion. The tea party boat started becoming a wagon of whiners. Propelled by the moving mouths on TV and the talking heads of such ironically named organizations such as the “American Family Association,” the movement lost its focus. No longer were tea partiers upset with the bipartisan corruption in Washington D.C., they are mad at the socialists communists Hitler-like Democrats. No longer did Constitutionalism mean respecting the rule of law, it meant Obama is not really our president. A movement founded on the principles of independent analysis, it has become a yelling fest for punch-drunk cynics armed with incoherent talking points.