Op-Ed: Meet the multifaceted Tea Party movement Special

What began as grassroots activism has become convoluted by prominent individuals and organizations with various agendas. Meet the multifaceted Tea Party movement

Some sources say the Tea Party movement began in February 2009, but it actually began in 2007 when Ron Paul was running for President of the United States. The Tea Party began as a non-partisan grassroots movement of average citizens, not political insiders, focused on fiscal responsibility, Government limited by the Constitution, and the free market, whose intention is to get all citizens engaged in the political process. There are several different groups claiming to belong to the Tea Party but there are certain aspects of the movement that all the groups seem to agree on. As the concept of the Tea Party movement has caught on, it has become convoluted with activists and vitriolic protests by what some refer to as AstroTurf groups, including Freedom Works, dontGo, and Americans for Prosperity who use the movement to incite racism, and intentionally spread misinformation and hate. To Tea Party patriots, government must be fiscally responsible or it subjects its citizens to high levels of taxation. Runaway deficit spending in Washington D.C. has compelled Tea Party patriots to take action because the increasing national debt poses a threat to national sovereignty, as well as the personal and economic liberty of future generations. According to their mission statement, members of the Tea Party patriots are inspired by America's founding documents and regard the Constitution of the United States as the supreme law of the land. Tea Party patriots support personal liberty of the individual, within the rule of law. To Tea Party patriots, a free market is the economic consequence of personal liberty, and they believe that personal and economic freedom are indivisible, as our founding fathers did. Tea Party patriots support returning to the free market principles on which America was founded, and oppose government interventions in private business operations. House Republicans form Tea Party caucus The philosophy of Tea Party patriots is derived from the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, as explained in the Federalist Papers. Tea Party patriots hold that the United States is a republic conceived by its architects as a nation whose people were granted "unalienable rights" by our Creator. More on the core values and philosophy of the Tea Party Patriots can be found here. Recently the House Tea Party Caucus reportedly held its first meeting, led by Rep. Michele Bachman (R-MN), which some say sets aside any pretense of Tea Party activists and Republican officeholders being separate groups. The Congressional Tea Party Caucus claims it will listen to the Tea Party, but not lead it, and will not 'vouch' for it. With the growing Tea Party movement comes growing opposition. One of the most notable groups behind the anti-Tea Party movement is the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which was the second largest 2008 contributor to a group called Patriot Majority. An anti-Tea Party website, known as 'The Tea Party Is Over,' which linked to Tea Party bashing Google ads, was created with funds that were contributed in part by the SEIU. The SEIU did not respond to my request for comment. Despite claims of its demise, the Tea Party is growing. Media Tea Party coverage is slanted Racism plays a big part of the media's Tea Party coverage but Tea Party patriots tell a different story. Gary Hahn, President of the North Bay Patriots, told the Digital Journal "we're not a racist group. It's not about color. It's about what the Government is doing." Other Tea Party groups reaffirmed their opposition to racism. Much of the media's Tea Party coverage -- as with any other movement that bucks Washington's demoralized post-9/11 politics -- is slanted to make the movement appear more negative than it really is but attendees and supporters of the adherent Tea Party Groups are racially-mixed and not known for inciting violence. Most of the political establishment in Washington -- both the Democratic and Republican parties -- oppose the Tea Party movement. Much of the satirical Tea Parties espousing racism have been attributed to the Republican party, but the Democratic party has also been caught trying to undermine the Tea Party movement. The Democratic party has been accused of trying to infiltrate the Tea Party and establishing their own groups and agendas under the guise of the Tea Party movement. Republicans, for their part, intentionally feed the racism, anger, and paranoia of their base. Their Tea Parties provide the perfect environment to fuel that fire. Tea Party has 2500 groups consisting of 25 to 30 million people Several groups, including the NAACP, have accused Tea Party supporters of racism. While there is no doubt, as correctly noted by the Volokh Conspiracy, that some Tea Party members are racist, the same can be said for some members of any large group, including the Party's opponents. Rob Gaudet, National Coordinator of the Tea Party patriots, told the Digital Journal that there is currently a $100K reward being offered by the Tea Party for any actual video evidence of violence by Tea Party members. So far no one has been able to produce that evidence. Mr. Gaudet estimates that there are 2500 groups consisting of 25 to 30 million people engaged in the Tea Party across the country. Tea Party attendees have been encouraged to take names and pictures of signs referencing racism or other attempts at hurting the Tea Party movement and to let Tea Party organizers know. Racism and violence are not tolerated by adherent Tea Party groups. The second National Tea Party Unity Convention is scheduled to be held Oct. 14-16 at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Attendees of the convention pay big fees and the event is reportedly expected to a big draw, both for conservative candidates and the media. Whether the event is packed with Tea Party faithful remains to be seen. We'll have more on the multifaceted Tea Party Movement as the November elections approach.