I was disappointed in this year’s TEA Party protest. I went to the same location as last year, but there were far fewer people participating. Last year I estimated the crowd at around 1,000. This year we probably didn’t top 300. I asked a few people about the sparse attendance. One person said it could be because there were more events to choose from this year. That’s good I suppose. But when fewer people attend a particular event, visually it makes the protest look weak and reinforces the notion that protesters are on the fringe.
The energy wasn’t there this year either. Last year I felt like I was part of something big; a growing swell of emotion and sense of urgency to get involved and do something positive. This year I felt like I was just standing there holding a sign. Last year I felt like people passing by were saying, “Wow, look at that! This must be important.” This year I felt like people were saying, “Oh, it’s them again.” Most of the response from passing vehicles was positive, but it seemed like people were already weary of the whole thing – after only one year.
I don’t think the change in participation and sentiment was due entirely to a year of negative press. I think at the beginning, this truly was a grass-roots outpouring of concern for our nation. People just spontaneously came together to voice their outrage and join ranks to show their love for this country. Then something interesting happened. This spontaneous spark became a “movement.” It got named. It got organized into different factions with different leaders and geographic clubs all fighting for a bit of the limelight. In essence this movement got organized – to death. The spontaneity is gone.
When I checked out the Internet to research different protest locations this year, I was surprised by the number of groups organizing their own events. I had to choose whether I wanted to join with “The Southern California Tax Revolt Coalition” or the “Liberty First PAC” event. Someone even tried to recruit me for the Poway branch of one of the organizations. It was kind of like, “Step right up. Join the tax payer protesters local 187.” Next thing you know they’ll be collecting dues.
Our government is spiraling dangerously out of control, so organizing the opposition is a good thing. It allows people to come together in a controlled manner and get informed on the issues. It gives an outlet for people to lobby our so-called representatives. The movement gains national media attention (even if the coverage isn’t fair) so people can see we don’t all agree with what is happening in Washington. But it also kills the appeal for me. I’m generally not a joiner and I don’t sign petitions.
Why do I generally not join groups like this? Precisely because as soon as protests are organized they attract a fringe element and begin to loose their way. This year, one guy had a sign about the Federal Reserve. He’s probably been nursing a grudge against the Feds for years and saw this as a legitimate outlet for his kook theory. There was another sign that read “Glenn Beck for President.” More and more messages are cropping up which alienate undecided or apathetic voters. (Bringing up Glenn Beck doesn’t help the cause.) The message about big government and overspending is getting diluted. Unless the “movement” can pick its battles and stay on message I fear our legitimate concerns will become white noise lost in a cacophony of political rancor.
