A popular adage advises that we walk a mile in another’s shoes in order to see things from their point of view, to understand their perspective, and, perhaps then, their actions. Both the Republican Establishment and the Tea Party would do well to heed this advice about each other.
The GOP Establishment already does understand that the Tea Party sees them as part of the problem. Many Republicans in Congress have been there for years, including a time when Republicans as a party controlled Congress and yet spent too much. It may be unfair to broad-brush all Republicans elected in that era as RINOs, even if they sometimes voted for things the Tea Party opposed.* Context matters in a representative republican in a nation with a plurality of interests.
Still, the dismissiveness displayed by many Establishment Republicans does no good to their brand with the base. The Tea Party may be inexperienced, but its members by and large are not stupid. Most Republicans are conservative enough to recognize that the Tea Party’s concerns are real and imminent. Their activism is necessary for the monumental change that will have to take place to turn this Titanic government growth around. Those in Washington who can get caught up in the daily grind of politics would benefit from an outside perspective and the zeal that can get lost in routine and procedure.
For its part, the Tea Party (whose goals I share) needs to understand how they are perceived by the Establishment. In the grand scheme of things, the Tea Party has been active in politics for all of about 3 seconds and they seem to expect things to be under control another 3 seconds from now — and if they aren’t, something is wrong. But as Tea Party supporter Mark Levin has often pointed out, it took us 80 years to get here and it will take us 80 years to get back.
The Tea Party appears impatient in a constitutional republic designed to make politics happen slowly. Its members need to be in for the long haul and strategize. They need to recognize the merits of small victories where larger ones were unachievable and of minimized losses when larger ones were looming. Short-term setbacks aren’t always Armageddon and don’t always insinuate a need for a drastic purge.
In short, the Establishment would be well-served to recognize and utilize the Tea Party’s passion and outsider’s perspective. The Tea Party would be well-served to recognize and utilize the Establishment’s experience and patience. Neither will be a majority in America on their own anytime soon, but together they could be one. They need each other and each other’s virtues.
* I don’t mean to imply that there aren’t Republicans like Lindsay Graham who need to be voted out — there are. I’m referring to the Tom Coburns and Orrin Hatches of the Senate, conservatives who don’t always agree with the Tea Party’s tactics.