Wednesday
May192010
Politics in America: The Tea Parties & The Religious Right (Haddigan)
Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at 0:01 
Lee Haddigan writes his first analysis for EA:As the Tea Party phenomenon continues to gather pace, commentators still struggle to explain the appeal of this latest grassroots conservative movement.
The Tea Party is not a national political “party” with a stated platform of policies and principles. It is a protest campaign composed of thousands of local and state-wide groups, each concerned with how the actions of the Federal Government affect them in their community, and each expressing their resentment of the liberal Washington ‘elite’ through local action. There are efforts to coordinate these groups in a national crusade by organizations such as the Tea Party Express and Tea Party Patriots, who use events like National Tax Day to show the mass support the Tea Party message receives, but they are secondary to the main objective of securing change in Washington through influence upon state elections.
What the different groups share, however, is a belief in certain traditional conservative values that need to be defended against the aggrandisement of Washington, which dates back to (and here you take your pick): President Obama’s healthcare and spending plans, Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, the 16th Amendment of 1913 that established the federal income tax, or the 14th Amendment (ratified 1868) that sanctioned the expansion of federal government into areas formerly reserved exclusively to individual states by the 10th Amendment in the Bill of Rights.
Central to these Tea Party convictions are the need for a return to an original interpretation of the Constitution, and the desire to see taxes cut. These are backed, for many TPers, by their faith in the argument that America is a nation founded by God on eternal Divine principles, and whose resulting “exceptionalism” is threatened by a secular elite hellbent on destroying the spiritual foundations of the United States of America.
So the Tea Party movement is the latest manifestation of conservative discontent with progressive liberal programmes, one that differs little in priorities and aims from similar protest movements that have gone before. But that does not explain why, generation after generation, millions of Americans feel so passionately about these recurring issues to spend their time, money, and endeavour in attempting to reform a political structure that has proved so obdurate to change.
Here is one way into the phenomenon. The religious right do not like taxes. This is not an expression of economic resentment, as many assume, but a deeply felt moral objection, derived from the word of God, to the principle of taxation. The argument goes like this:
Mankind was created with the individual free-will to choose to follow, or not, the moral laws of God. People cannot be forced to act morally by any authority. Jesus did not compel the rich young ruler to give up his wealth. He gave him the choice, as He did all of us, to act charitably.
When the government usurps that function, e.g. taxation to pay for health care, then it breaks the First, and Great, Commandment that “Thou shalt have no other Gods before me”. Government, instead of God, becomes the keeper of mankind’s conscience, and destroys the covenant between the individual and His Maker that salvation is achieved by voluntarily accepting the lessons contained in Scripture.
This desire to be allowed to pursue a personal relationship with God untrammelled by government interference underlies also the Tea Party’s calls for a limited Constitution and free markets. Their reverence for the intent of the Founding Fathers lies in the belief that they instituted a form of government that was based upon the word of God.
Not all of the TPers, of course, are believers in the religious roots of individual and political liberty. But the respect for God-given individual freedom imbues the movement, and gives it a moral impetus that those who dismiss it as merely a manifestation of disgruntled and myopic taxpayers would do well to understand. The question is whether the TP can harness that that religious impulse and turn it into a sustainable challenge to the hegemony of the Washington elite.
As a historian of conservative movements that have failed in the past, after exhibiting a similar burst of initial enthusiasm, I admit to a certain pessimism. But, as Frank Chodorov, the most influential individualist thinker of the 1940s and 1950s once remarked, at the seeming impossibility of conservatives taking back America from the New Deal liberal leviathan, “It’s fun to fight.”
Reader Comments (9)
Hmm, too reasonable. Can you maybe call them terrorists, or speculate as to their secret thoughts about black people? I can't deal with all these facts! ;)
As you said: "Not all of the TPers, of course, are believers in the religious roots of individual and political liberty."
"Tea Party" is a convenient stereotypical generalization which lends itself well to liberal reductionism. It's actually a much broader momentum rooted in middle-class and blue-collar disaffection.
Having little to do with the Bible and a lot to do with a generation-long growing disgust of the Washington political and financial establishment; and a newer realization that Monopoly Capitalism is not actually Capitalism at all.
Lee -
Interesting article and connections you draw in the discussion. Like the comment above, I do not see the direct connection to the Bible as extensively as you state and, coming from a family where some have attended Tea Party's, would again agree with the comment above that it is more about individual choice versus government involvement rather than simply committment to Christian values.
With that said, thank you for posting the article.
Hello Bijan (and Fintan),
thank you for the comments. Let me clear up one point. I do not mean to suggest that the TP is composed of a large number of anti-modernist Bible-wielding fundamentalists. Merely that the TPers grievances are not based simply on economic concerns.They stem as much, if not more, from the country's traditional commitment to the belief that individual freedom in America is a gift from God. TPers may not explicitly link their opposition to taxes to the argument it breaks the First Commandment (and the Eighth as well, incidentally). But, I believe, their support for "individual choice versus government involvement" derives from deeply held religious beliefs that may not be openly acknowledged. Political principles are founded on moral values; and for (many) TPers those values are absorbed from the Bible. And, unless I have completely misinterpreted him, I don't think Rand Paul would find much to disagree with in that analysis.Thanks again
I had the same reaction to the emphasis on the Bible as Bijan and Fintan Dunne.
Not to split hairs, but I would be tempted to finish off you statement: " .. the TPers grievances are not based simply on economic concerns. They stem as much, if not more, from the country's traditional commitment to the belief that individual freedom in America .. is the historical principle on which the country was founded - political freedom as much as religious freedom, reinforced by the seemmingly endless opportunities offered by the size of the country and later by the spread of the philosophy of Manifest Destiny.
Lee -
Agree with you that economic concerns is not the underlying theme to the movement, as many do believe taxes are necessary but rather how much and what the money is spent on (e.g. education is a good thing!) and agree that there is a heavy influence of religion within those who are participating in the movement (I think we can agree that many of the supporters of the movement are from rural areas where religion plays a larger part in day to day life and thus effects political views)...to your point this can not be ignored. To Catherine's comment I also see the source being as much if not more so on the basis of individual freedom...the "big" government vs "small" goverment agruement if you will.
Either way, as you point out, it is a movement that is gaining a lot of support across the country, as much as I can tell. It will be interesting to see how the movement continues to organize and will, through continued organization, this movement begin to serve as a grassroots lobbying body which will effect upcoming elections. I must admit that I am a bit behind on this and perhaps this is already happening. I can say, from personal contacts, there are many in the small towns across the US that are "fed up" with the direction the country is moving. Will watch with curious eyes....
Regards,
Hello Catherine and Bijan (again),
Let me make one last comment about the Bible in an attempt to clarify my position. The Bible presents the moral lessons for an individual to live a virtuous life (even the outstanding athiest libertarian theorist Murray N. Rothbard accepted that point).
God then gives the individual the choice to follow those lessons. Not even God should force someone to act against their will. If God should not force anyone to act morally then no other authority (government) has the right to do so.
The essence of the Biblical message is that individuals are responsible for their own choices. A responsibility that conservatives believe the government in Washington is taking away from them.
A TPer may not have read the Bible for 20 years, or consider themselves particularly religious But their support for individual choice, I believe, derives from the Biblical message of individual free-will they have absorbed through their lifetime.
America is the only country in the world (that I know to) that still has serious ideological debates over the legitimacy of the powers of government. It is also the most Christian nation in the world.
I see a connection, but accept others do not. After all, if God can't tell you how to think how can I
Hi Lee,
I think you've now given a much better (and more concise!) explanation of your point: "The essence of the Biblical message is that individuals are responsible for their own choices. A responsibility that conservatives believe the government in Washington is taking away from them. A TPer may not have read the Bible for 20 years, or consider themselves particularly religious But their support for individual choice, I believe, derives from the Biblical message of individual free-will they have absorbed through their lifetime."
That belief is indeed part of the broader cultural soup of the entire country and informed the thinking of the religious dissidents in Europe who first came here. If you had left it at that (more or less) in you post above I don't think you would have got much disagreement :-).
However, I must take issue with your last statement that America is "the most Christian nation in the world" - unless, of course, Catholic countries don't count as Christian nations
;-).
Lee,
Well written article and one I thought done with respect. The only point I would make, as some already noted, is that is somewhat playing to much towards the old "its right wing Christians." I think this type of outlook simply ignores the facts many of these people are traditionalists with respect to their view of the constitution. I can best sum this up but what Thomas Jefferson once said: "A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government." What your seeing is protest movement rallying against the perception of government stepping into areas that are supposed to be the realm of the individual. The US became great because it focused on the individual, empowering him or her, and making it clear it was up to the individual to make his or her life. We don't want to become a nation that breeds a population dependent on the government. We believe in a government by the people for the people and most importantly depedent on us the citizen.
Thx
Bill