First, and foremost, the “Tea party” is not a political party. Please read that again.
The Tea party is a movement, an assembly of people who share similar thoughts and opinions on matters they feel important to our country. They are made up of people from all Political Parties (yes, even Democrats), religions, and ethnic backgrounds. Take a look at their values and compare them to the Utah Republican Party Platform. You’ll find they agree with each other on many points.
The term “Tea party” comes from two sources: first, it’s in reference to the Boston Tea Party of 1773 where Colonists took matters into their own hands, protesting British tax policies; “Tea” is also an acronym standing for “Taxed Enough Already”.
It’s interesting to note that in 1773 the protest was over a 2% tax. How much taxes are you paying today? Food for thought.
As an aside, the Boston Tea Party was seen to be one of the precursors to the Revolutionary War.
Saying that the Tea Party “Hijacked” the Utah Republican Party is arrogant — and ignorant. The Utah GOP is made up of people who hold to the Utah Republican Party Platform. Why isn’t the media calling out the politicians who voted contrary to the Platform as having “hijacked” the party? Again, food for thought.
But no, the Tea party did not “hijack” the GOP. They helped us realize what we should have been standing for all along… and called us to action to hold our elected officials (our employees) accountable.
