Blog 2023 Malcolm Blair-Robinson

Tea Party

It is very intersting that Tea Party candidates, endorsed by Sarah Palin, are gaining ground in Republican primaries.

From what I have heard and read of their opinions and approach, I am much reminded of the arguments of the secessionist politicians of the 1850’s. Slavery was then the talisman, as Healthcare is this time, but the argument is and was then really about Federal power and its authority over the individual States. This is much fired up by economic impacts; then the financial losses associated with abolition; now the taxation burden of Obama’s brand of what they see as Socialism.

In the end I suspect the majority of the country of the modern United States is no more inclined to go with this interpretation of the Constitution than it was in 1860. As a student of history I find it truly remarkable that the schism inherent in the ambiguities of the U.S Constitution, settled by a bloodbath of young men in the 1860-65, then and thereafter declared resolved, remains very much alive in the culture one hundred and forty- five years later. It is also interesting to see that the political parties have swapped sides. The rebel cause, its Tea Party brand harking right back to the earliest rebellion against colonial rule, now marches under the banner of the Republican party, founded to champion the power of the Union over its constituent parts.

I do not suppose Sarah Palin has given this much thought.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 15th, 2010 at 7:13 pm and is filed under Malcolm Blair Robinson. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.