Over the past 10 months there has been a great deal of discussion of “the Tea Party People”, who they are, where they are from, what their goals are.
Yesterday I attended the Boston Tea Party Rally along with thousands from across our state.
While I certainly do not support every aspect of the Tea Party platform, I went because I believe that when people come together to have a sincere discussion about the direction of their government, that is a good thing.
I am happy to report that I did not really see the wild-eyed radicals that many in the main stream media would have us believe comprise the Tea Party movement. Mainly I saw moms and dads with their kids in strollers and veterans who had worn their country’s uniform with pride; I saw people who had taken the day off from work to be there because they felt it was important that their voices be heard. Yes, I saw people expressing opinions I certainly did not agree with, but honestly, more power to them too. This is America and they get to have a say as well.
While I will be the first to admit there are extreme elements in any movement, the fundamental thing I saw uniting these rally attendees was that these were citizens with a sense that there is something wrong with Government–both in Beacon Hill and in Washington. People told me they were sick and tired of higher taxes and runaway spending with no end in sight, and they believed their government was unwilling to listen to their concerns. Their message was clear: they wanted Government to start acting in a fiscally responsible manner and stop trying to run them over.
I explained that as State Treasurer, I have sounded the alarm for years that our spending levels were unsustainable. Many in turn complained that Governor Patrick has taxed and spent like we are in a booming economy even while we are experiencing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. I told them what I have been saying this past month about the hole that RomneyCare has blown in the Massachusetts budget and my belief that ObamaCare would have a similar effect on the American economy.
I think I learned a lot. I am glad I went.
Many have asked why I went to the Tea Party rally and to them my answer has been simple: I am trying to articulate my vision for where I will lead the people of the Commonwealth, regardless of their political affiliation.
I am an Independent because I no longer believe a candidate can run on a vision strictly based on the views of the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, or even the Tea Party for that matter. I think that half the problem with our politics today is that we are all too afraid to talk to each other simply because of the political affiliation that we have next to our names.
For 150 years, we have held elections in this state that amounted to little more than schoolyard brawls between the Republican and Democrats for control of the playground. This election is about how we are going to come together to fix the very real problems that are afflicting the Commonwealth.
Ultimately, I came away believing more than ever that it is time for our elected officials to stop talking to so much, stop dismissing their constituents’ very real concerns, and finally start listening to the views of the people they represent. That’s why I went to the Tea Party Wednesday, that is what I intend to do for the rest of this campaign, and that’s a lesson that our elected officials both on Beacon Hill and Capitol Hill would be well served to learn too. We do work for them, after all.
Mr. Cahill was elected State Treasurer of Massachusetts in 2002 and he was re-elected in 2006. He left the Democratic Party last summer and is currently running as an Independent for Governor.