Tea Party Crashed Again? Religion Not Overriding Concern for Movement

COMMENTARY | In an op-ed article in the New York Times, David E. Campbell, a political scientist from Notre Dame, and Robert D. Putnam, a professor of Public Policy from Harvard, write that they have taken a survey and found that "The Tea Party's generals may say their overriding concern is smaller government, but not their rank and file, who are more concerned about putting God in government."

Professors Campbell and Putnam originally began this survey in 2006 as research for their book "American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us." It was a survey of 3,000 Americans as research into their political attitudes. They then went back to interview many of these same people again this summer.

The problem with this type of survey is that's just what it is: a survey of 3,000 Americans and their political views. It hardly represents views from all over America. It doesn't even represent one person from each county, since there are 3,141 counties and county equivalents in the 50 states and District of Columbia. It also hardly represents the voters, since the 2010 elections had a voter turnout of 90,682,968.

Also, the statement made in this article that "Tea Partiers had a low regard for immigrants and blacks" made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most of our ancestors were immigrants. What we are not fond of is illegal immigrants. It is against the law! And I have not read anything from a Tea Party representative or been to a meeting where anything racially derogatory was said.

I do not consider myself to be a Tea Party supporter as much as I do a Tea Party sympathizer. I read as much as I can on the Tea Party and have attended a few meetings. I am, however, a strong supporter of the U.S. Constitution. Because of this I support the First Amendment, which states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; -- " From what I have read and from what I have observed, this is what makes up the rank and file of the Tea Party.

We are sickened when we hear a Democrat politician speak and blame the woes of our country on the Republicans, and the same goes for the Republicans speaking against the Democrats. We have yet to hear Republicans say it was their fault, or Democrats say it was theirs.

Of our last 10 presidents, encompassing 50 years, five presidents have been Republican and five have been Democrat. So let me ask: Which party's fault is it that our country is suffering financially, or that we have such high unemployment and so many of our citizens are suffering? What we as voters are getting is the same old thing, no matter if he be Republican or Democrat. No matter who we vote for, we keep re-inventing the wheel; that is what the rank and file of the Tea Party wants to change.

We aren't concerned with putting God in government. What we would like is a government with godly principles.

Counties:

http://gallery.usgs.gov/audios/124

Registered Voter Turnout:

http://elections.gmu.edu/Turnout_2010G.html

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0781453.html

Survey:

http://www.fec.gov/pages/brochures/pubfund.shtml#anchor688095