Making Claim to the Mandate

Overheard on Capitol Hill on 11-03-10, "Wow. That was... something. Those crazy voters must have been sending us a message. Wonder what it could have been..." And so the fight to claim the mandate began.

In the last week or so, the argument of which issues are “Tea Party Issues” has come back to the surface, as two different groups released letters to Congress detailing their respective lists of acceptable Tea Party issues. One group asserts that the November elections were a mandate on fiscal issues and nothing else. The other group details a list of six items, including both fiscal and social matters as “Tea Party Issues.”

Each group included in its letter an assertion that goes something like this: “I am the Tea Party, and I believe these things. Therefore, these (fill in the blank) issues are ‘Tea Party Issues,’ and we expect you to deliver.”

I’m pretty sure I disagree with both groups. Here’s my thought process for what it’s worth:

When the Tea Party came on my radar, I first learned of it by its acronym TEA – Taxed Enough Already. That, along with the homage to the original Tea Party leads me to believe that this movement is about fiscal conservatism only. However, I challenge the assertion that our elected leaders should focus on fiscal issues to the exclusion of all else – or even with higher priority than all else.

I am strongly conservative on both fiscal and conservative issues. My fiscal conservativism is apparent by my support of the Tea Party movement. However, you can take it on good authority that I am also very conservative on social issues as well. In fact, pick a social issue, any social issue. Now imagine the most conservative position you can think of. You’re probably in the neighborhood… And I am not by any means, willing to compromise my positions on those issues for the sake of unity on fiscal issues. A prime example is my position on the unborn. Despite the fact that an unborn human is dependent on another person for nurture and protection, he or she is still a human being, endowed with the same rights as a “breathing person.” I will never knowingly vote for a candidate who believes it is acceptable to violate those rights.

Do I have a right to bring this position into the Tea Party? Tough question. It is part of who I am, so I bring it with me wherever I go. But do I have a right to say, “I am the Tea Party, and I believe this thing. Therefore, this issue is a ‘Tea Party Issue.’”? I’m coming down on the side of no.

Do you remember the early days of the Tea Party when the mantra was, “We are people from a variety of different political backgrounds who are united on the issues of fiscal responsibility and limited government”? At its ideal, I understood this to mean that I could stand side-by-side with a pro-choicer with the full recognition that we did not agree on the issue of abortion, and still yell at our out-of-control government that enough was enough. I was yelling at my Republican representatives, and she was likely yelling at her Democrat representatives, but our message on this one issue was united.

Since that time, the message has morphed in two different directions: (1) The Tea Party reflects both fiscal and social conservative positions. And (2) The Tea Party reflects only fiscal conservative positions, and all else is to be put aside. Both groups are wrong. In my opinion, the Tea Party movement reflects only fiscal conservative positions, AND we as individuals must hold true to our positions on social issues when we choose our candidates. Each voter must develop his or her own voting algorithm. I will tell you that mine tends to lend greater weight to social issues than fiscal issues, but that doesn’t make me any more or less “Tea Party” than the next person.

So who gets to claim the mandate? Me. You. EVERY VOTER must lay claim to the mandate and hold it with tenacity. Call every elected official who represents you and tell them why YOU voted the way you voted. For me, fiscal issues will be a part of that, and social issues will also be a part of that. I expect my representatives to deliver on all of those issues, or I will be seeking a different candidate next time around.