Tea Party Groups Silent on DOMA Ruling
While I would prefer that the Tea Party groups acknowledge how Judge Tauro’s use of the Tenth Amendment could further their small government agenda, I do take a least a little bit of comfort in their decision to remain silent on the ruling:
While many conservative organizations immediately decried a federal judge’s decision last week to invalidate the federal ban on recognizing gay marriages, tea party groups have been conspicuously silent on the issue.
The silence is by design, activists with the loosely affiliated movement said, because it is held together by an exclusive focus on fiscal matters and its avoidance of divisive social issues such as abortion and gay marriage. Privately, though, many said they back the decision because it emphasizes the legal philosophy of states’ rights.
The comfort I take is related to that part I emphasized above. The silence provides further evidence of the Tea Party focus on matters fiscal and further and so helps undermine the left-wing/media/Democratic narrative of sinister racist or anti-gay forces dominating the movement.
Washington Post writer Sandhya Somashekhar quotes one activist who pretty much sums up what’s at issue here:
Everett Wilkinson, state director for the Florida Tea Party Patriots, agreed: “On the issue [of gay marriage] itself, we have no stance, but any time a state’s rights or powers are encouraged over the federal government, it is a good thing.”
NB: Tweaked the text slightly as I had initially written it in haste.
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Actually I spoke to a local newspaper (Portland Pheonix) in Maine on the issue and I welcomed it wholeheartedly.
What makes me laugh is the MSM were convinced we would be against this due to some daft notion we all loath gays in the tea party movement. WaPo seemed rather shocked.
Comment by Andrew Ian Dodge — July 13, 2010 @ 7:14 pm - July 13, 2010
Dan, I guess we have successfully infiltrated the Tea Party movement and neutralized it.
Mission Accomplished.
Comment by GayPatriot — July 13, 2010 @ 7:23 pm - July 13, 2010
I guess I need to add that my previous comment was a joke.
Comment by GayPatriot — July 13, 2010 @ 7:24 pm - July 13, 2010
I prefer the silence to making any comment. It is the fiscal issues that drive the tea party movement.
Once you open the door to gay issues, all the other social issues will demand that their causes be commented on as well.
In this case, silence is golden.
Comment by Leah — July 13, 2010 @ 8:20 pm - July 13, 2010
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Pingback by Oh, Noes, TEA Party Made No Comment About Gay Marriage Ruling » Pirate's Cove — July 13, 2010 @ 8:51 pm - July 13, 2010
You just know that the WaPo writer was dying to try and slam the TEA Party somehow, but, just couldn’t come up with a meme to do so.
Comment by William Teach — July 13, 2010 @ 8:51 pm - July 13, 2010
The 10th amendment is very important for fiscal issues that the tea party movement care so much about. Anything that helps that cause is a good one.
Comment by Andrew Ian Dodge — July 13, 2010 @ 11:18 pm - July 13, 2010
William, I was both surprised (and pleased) at how even-handed the Post’s coverage was.
Comment by B. Daniel Blatt — July 14, 2010 @ 2:32 am - July 14, 2010