by Sally Jo Sorensen
In Cyndy Brucato's Minnesota Tea Party gaining supporters, but has little political clout, published yesterday, Bluestem paused at this information:
Minnesota’s Tea Partiers, with their philosophy of free markets and limited government, are mainly Republicans, like Rogers. Although he said there are parts of the state GOP platform the Tea Party doesn’t like, “I think the three strongest policies we support together are the right to work, voter identification and protection of human life.” Duesenberg disagrees a little with Rogers, saying that the Tea Party avoids social issues like abortion and gay marriage.
It's likely that MinnPost's readers will be comforted by that--and by the assertion by Brucato's sources that Minnesota's Tea Partiers have little power--while failing to note the limited scope of Brucato's article. It's built on an interview with to leaders in the Tea Party Alliance, with observations from Pat Anderson and Dave Thompson, but doesn't actually look at the mission statements and stated principles of the chapters themselves.
Or earlier assessments by Republican legislative leaders. Duesenberg's damage control is a far cry from the sentiments that now Senate Minority Leader David Hann shared with MinnPost columnist Doug Grow in the April 2011 piece, Battle over gay marriage amendment would rock Minnesota's 2012 political landscape:
Sen. David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, doesn't think so. He doesn't buy the notion that many of the "new Republicans" and the "Tea Party" Republicans are fiscal conservatives but social libertarians.
"In my opinion," said Hann, a supporter of the amendment, "you can't divorce social conservativism from fiscal conservatism. I don't believe you can say, 'I'll be a fiscal conservative but socially neutral.' "
Why not?
If you want limited government, Hann explains, you need "moral virtue" and "discipline" and other verities that "reinforce the idea of individuals being accountable."
It's Hann's view that marriage is fundamental to these verities.
"Supporting marriage as a positive institution is a worthy thing to do," he said.
There's ample evidence online of tea party chapters being in sync with Hann. In a letter to the editor of the Alexandria Echo Press in August 2013, Alexandria Lakes Area Tea Party organizer Hilda Bettermann wrote:
. . .Our mission is to attract, educate, organize, and call our fellow citizens to action in order to secure public policy consistent with our four core values of fiscal responsibility, constitutionally-limited government, free markets and God-centered values. Our meetings are focused on issues that fit the mission of the Tea Party movement. . . .
If that's too subtle of a dogwhistle, the Central Minnesota Tea Party's "About Us" page states:
The Central Minnesota Tea Party is made up of non-partisan independent thinkers working to restore our Republic. We are pro-family, pro-God, pro-American and pro-Constitution. One thing is certain. You won't see a Tea Party member desecrating the American flag or engaging in hooliganism.
On the group's blog, the last post is So what is the long range agenda of the homosexual movement? following marriage equality.
It's also a chapter listed on the "Find A Tea Party" page at the Tea Party Alliance website. This is the group that Brucato sources Jack Rogers and Jake Duesenberg put together, but the page doesn't highlight many Tea Party groups in the state, even though the copy reads:
Each Tea Party group in Minnesota is an independent organization and does not have a formal relationship with MN Tea Party PAC. . This page is a resource for anyone interested in finding a local group to join that is dedicated to free markets, fiscal responsibility and individual liberty.
Down in the corner of the Find A Tea Party page, there's a link to the SW Metro Party. The SW Metro Tea Party recently revamped its website, but the Principles page remains online, if orphaned (and indexed in the Wayback Machine). Among those principles:
★PRINCIPLE 7 - Sanctity Of Life
Legal and ethical protection of the unborn and the infirm. Terminate the $300 million annually extorted taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood and their perverted sex education programs in the public schools.
★PRINCIPLE 10 - Traditional marriage
The union between a man and a woman, has been the foundation of every civilization in human history. It is incorporated into the fabric of our culture and civic life. It is the platform on which children, families and communities are nurtured. The institution of marriage is far too precious to surrender to the whims of a handful of unelected, activist judges. Males and females are born with profoundly sacred and contrasting, yet complementary characteristics and responsibilities.
Does the fact that this page is buried mean that the SW Metro Tea Party has abandoned its principles--or is it just hiding them? Rebranding
Perhaps they're simply reworking the site to be a home for what's really important for Minnesotans: cat videos and exterior remodeling ads.
Photo: Perhaps Tea Party members aren't totally against abortion. Tea Party rally to stop the 2010 health care reform bill in St. Paul, Minnesota. Photo originally posted to Flickr as Tea Party rally to stop the 2010 health care reform bill by Fibonacci Blue.
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