The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism: on Government Reform


Tea Party: Restore constitutionally-limited government

A tour of Tea Party websites around the country quickly reveals widespread determination to restore 21st century US government to the Constitutional principles articulated by the 18th century Founding Fathers. In Nebraska, the Crawford Tea Party describes itself simply as "a group of concerned citizens who desire to see a restoration of Constitutional government." Tea Party groups across America link their present-day activities to a constantly restated reverence for the country's founding documents: the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence.

Constitutional reverence is not just in cyberspace. The US founding documents are woven into the warp and woof of Tea Party routines. Pocket-sized versions of the Constitution appear on merchandise tables at Tea Party meetings. "Constitution talk" bubbles through discussions in Tea Party gatherings. "Smaller government, the Constitution, and personal responsibility" are the Tea Party's core principles.

Source: The Remaking of Republican Conservatism, p. 48-49 Jan 2, 2012

Tea Party: Insist on legislators actually reading bills before voting

Tea Party people do not defer to experts. Again and again, we heard Tea Partiers express derision about legislators who vote without reading every page and word in proposed legislation, as well as about federal officials who discuss measures they had not read. When asked if it was reasonable for a busy public figure to entrust the reading of a legal document to lawyers on his staff, we were told in no uncertain terms that this approach is inadequate. Without having read a document personally, Tea Partiers feel that a citizen or official cannot be sure of what it contains.

Tea Party skepticism about experts is part and parcel of their direct approach to democracy, their belief in citizen activism. To guard against possible bamboozlement, Tea Party members arm themselves for confrontations with their Representatives by reading particular bills themselves. For Tea Party activists, any hint that a legislator or expert has not personally read every line of a bill is a damning indictment.

Source: The Remaking of Republican Conservatism, p. 53-54 Jan 2, 2012

  • The above quotations are from The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism,
    by Theda Skocpol and Vanessa Williams.
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Page last updated: Feb 21, 2019