I have been thinking about this when I was in U.S. History class. I have feared, that the Tea Party people may become the next ‘war hawks.’ Why is this to fear?

One the major ‘War Hawks’ leaders, Henry Clay

The ‘War Hawks’ were a group of 10 individuals who after the violation of American shipping rights and Indian presence in the Ohio River Valley won sweeping victories in November 1810. These War Hawks wanted war with Britain although our army and navy were cut down drastically by President Thomas Jefferson, making it unlikely we could go to war. The War Hawks, were able to convince so many people that war was necessary, even the President of the United States, James Madison. James Madison was basically corrupted by the War Hawks. The war that the War Hawks led to did make us more patriotic and was basically a U.S. victory. However it was the first time a President was corrupted by a group of radical Congressmen. The Tea Party people running for seats in the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate could be this same way.

Time magazine cover after the 1994 election

As we look back at history, there is some hope that this won’t happen. In 1994, Republicans stormed the House of Representatives and Senate with similar messages. They won a majority. But, they could barely get anything done and worked with the Democratic Party to get things done. So, they didn’t do as much damage as they could have. The Tea Party seems more radical, if not more radical than other fringe parties like the Populist Party, Bull Moose Party or Free Soil Party. I hope that the Tea Party wins no or little seats in Congress. Tea Party senators or representatives know little or nothing. They just are the epitome of stupid Americans who don’t know anything and should not be running for any public office. We need people that know the issues not a bunch of bumbling goofs. People think the Tea Party candidates will be very radical.

Tea Partiers in Green Bay

The Tea Party candidates are basically taking the energy out of the Republican Party, living off it like a leech on a person’s arm. The views of these candidates are very conservative and some dabbling of libertarianism like eliminating certain Departments, like the Department of Education. They say they want to cut the budget and stop spending so much but not cut the major spending area: Defense. I believe defense should be cut and some of that moved to new areas, like the Department of State. I don’t believe in big spending either, but the big spending bills like the Stimulus and Financial Reform bill were needed to stabilize the economy. I can understand why the Tea Party people want normal people running the country not college intellectuals, but the normal people are usually dumb as birds. To conclude, I hope that Tea Party people are not as influential or important as the War Hawks and just take a back seat in Congress.