The Federal Government Power: Texas Tea Party Organization (Research Paper Sample)

Introduction
Founded by Michael Kinzie, Texas Tea Party is an American conservation movement that is allied with the conservation of the Republican Party. This movement’s name refers to the 1773 Boston Tea Party, a watershed event that launched the American Revolution. Its members are vehemently calling for a reduction of the total national debt of the US by reducing government spending and lower taxes (Loyola, 2017). This government-sponsored movement comprises of libertarian, conservation and populist activism. Since its founding, it has sponsored multiple protests and political candidates across the US. Texas Tea Party agenda main agenda is to get their point heard across the voters’ domain. Today, the Tea Party is at its height of influence and power. It has become a dominant force in most US states including Texas.
Texas Tea Party Organization
Texas Tea Party comprises of a non-hierarchy structure affiliations of both the Texas local and national groups that determine their platform, goals, and agendas without a central leadership. In Texas, the movement has been cited as an example of grassroots political activity, and an example of a corporate-funded activity making it be termed as a spontaneous community action. Texas Tea Party is not a political party; its activists just consider themselves as Republicans and endorse republic candidates (Houstone Cronicle, 2017).
Texas Tea Party took off in Texas when Gov. Perry gave his Tax day Speech in 2009. Perry went from being a pragmatic centrist to straddling the tea party line. In his speech, Perry said that the next natural progression is for the group to start exerting their influence in whoever is elected and to expand its clout by building a coalition with other groups and that’s what is happening today. In Texas, tea party candidates always win the election. However, their biggest surprise was in 2013 elections when Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst was defeated by Ted Cruz in the run for the U.S Senate seat (Loyola, 2017).
Today, the Texas Tea Party and its conservative allies have greater agendas including gun rights, rolling back the federal government power, fiscal sanity, championing traditional marriage and opposing climate change and Obamacare policies.
Typically, Texas Tea Party has no single uniform agenda. It’s an open movement without hierarchy structure that allows group members to set their own goals and priorities. Development of conflicting goals and priorities creates the strength of the group as decentralization helps the group to immunize the party against co-opting by external entities and corruption from internal environment. The Party members advocates for a national economy that operates without any government oversight. The basic agenda of this party is limiting the size of the federal government spending by lowering the total national debt and opposing tax increments (Houstone Cronicle, 2017).
Today, the tea party has protested the TARP (Trouble Asset Relief Program) and has stimulated other programs including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and has perceived the federal government attacks on various amendment rights such as the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 10 Amendment rights. The group has also stimulated the right to work legislation as well as a tighter border security and opposition to amnesty for illegal immigrants. On the federal health care reforms, the movement has voiced on nullifying the law. Even though the group members differ in goals, Texas Tea Party focuses on teaching its views of the constitution to the public. (Houstone Cronicle, 2017).
The Size of Texas Tea Party
Five years since the founding of the Tea Party in Texas, Texas has been its main focus. For instance, it’s the movement that influenced Gov. Rick Perry crushing reelection win and catapulted Sen. Td Cruz to national fame. Texas presents Tea Party activists with the aim of creating the opportunity to take a firm stand against the congressional incumbent in the Republican primaries. According to the Feb. 2010 University of Texas Polls, 16 to 24 percent of Texas electorate were classified as supporters of Tea Party candidates over Republican and Democratic candidates (Blank, 2015).
The most significant Texas Tea Party surge came between February 2011, and Feb. 2012, when Texas Republicans identified themselves with the Texas Tea Party reached a maximum of 41 percent. In Texas, the Tea Party emerged as a decentralized movement that focused on the state government in Austin. As it grew, it influenced the election of Texas officials including Rick Perry with the aim of bashing the federal overreach and the wasteful bureaucracy in the D.C (Blank, 2015).
Today, the Texas Tea Party has made Republicans be firmly in charge in both capitals. Now Texas Tea Party is shifting their focus to various phases of evolution as a political party that has established insider power player at the Capitol. The Texas Tea Party has grown ranks both in the State and Senate house (Loyola, 2017).
More importantly, the Texas Tea Party provides a home for parties concerned about the economic future of the country. Parties joining this movement for economic reasons are responsible for changing the tenor in Texas and the US in general. The main goal of this movement is redirecting actions through public scrutiny. The federal government is the movement’s goals greatest offender; the movement helped to elect some 100 tea party candidate in the US House. As of today, Texas Tea Party is networking around the US and don’t need to match to rally supporters (Mellon, 2012).
Through networking, the movement has expanded its functions. First, on the list is endorsing candidates that agree with its core principles both the local and national level. Today, tea parties across the US share information concerning candidates leading endorsements which lead to increased ground and financial support for the candidates. Through networking, the movement has also been able to move beyond Texas, and now it’s endorsing candidates in other cities such as Florida, Michigan, Tennessee and Alaska. It’s also providing tea party contact information to all the 50 states (Blank, 2015).
Texas Tea Party success
Most of Texas Tea Party success in fusing its principles into local and state governments come from the lesson learned after the 2010 elections. The movement learned that talking with office holders about its principles and programs was not enough rather it has to elect individuals from the ranks of the tea parties (ISENSTADT, A., & Grunwald, M. (2017).
Tea party blogging is also another factor contributing to the movement overall success. Blogging allowed the expansion of its influence on subjects important to the movement as well as updating members and other interested parties of its interests and activities.
Blogging and networking are changing how tea party members organize and what...