What Is The Tea Party

If you ask members what the Tea Party is, they will tell you it is the voice of reason in government. The Tea Party is a grassroots movement that grew rapidly, beginning in 2009. Their biggest problem thus far has been their inability to present a united front. The closest thing they have to a spokesperson is Sarah Palin and even she holds no official position with them.

Members of the Tea Party come from all walks of life and yet they are predominantly white Anglo-Saxon Protestant males over the age of 45. They've done a fair amount of self-sabotage in the months since the movement began. For instance, in the early days they referred to themselves as teabaggers. Once somebody was kind enough to tell them that term was taken and what it meant, they began to publicly melt whenever the term was applied to them. Rick Santelli of CNBC is believed to have essentially named the movement (before it was born) in February 2009. He was holding forth on the Homeowners Affordability and Stability Plan and asked if President Obama was listening because if not, "We're thinking of having a Chicago Tea Party."

England keeps a relatively close eye on US politics and they've been fascinated by the Tea Party with good cause, considering the orignal tea party and what all it led to. They believe the Tea Party will continue to gain in numbers and strength, provided they don't actually form a political party. So what's this about Michelle Bachman being their dream candidate? When you hear how her beliefs line up with those of the Tea Party, you either agree, stand up and salute, or pray that nobody like this woman ever gets anywhere near the White House. Not even as a guest.

Bachman believes that homosexuality is an illness that can be treated. Global warming is a hoax and Obama runs a "Gangster Government" which is "foisting socialized medicine on America." In other words, like Sarah Palin before her, she knows all the buzzwords and phrases and how to use them to best effect. If she can get the Republican nomination, she will definitely be able to use her Tea Party roots to great effect. She recently said she will declare her candidacy in summer 2011.