Home Page
Follow us on: Twitter & Facebook
Mission & Objectives:
Much has been made of the first principles of the tea party movement. Tea party leadership far and wide have championed these first principles and have heralded the fact that the movement is all encompassing in its nature due to the limitation of its actions around those fiscal issues. However, this thinking seems to discount the importance of social conservatives and Christian conservatives in particular in animating the actions of the tea party.
However, based on the recent election and a comparative analysis of the actual voters, it would appear that there is reason to add social conservatism into the mix, particularly animated by the aspirations of that community. This is not to suggest exclusivity, however, it would appear that the data suggest a real opportunity to draw these constituent closer should a vehicle be established to do so.
In addition, the challenge of the tea party movement has been to integrate the core values of its founding with those of a large block of social conservatives that are represented in the movement.
The Memphis TEA Party (MTP), a non-profit corporation, was formed to address the next step in the growing impact of the TEA Party movement through fund raising, candidate recruiting and the development of a Congressional Caucus of like-minded representatives that stand for an expanded set of tea party “First Principles”. These expanded first principles are:
Require Fiscal Responsibility
Demand Constitutionally Limited Government
Enable Free Markets
Affirm America's Religious Heritage
Defend the Right to Life
Promote the Family and Traditional Marriage
The Memphis TEA Party will focus on candidate development and elections, the organization will also work to raise awareness of the Tea Party movement through messaging, communications and media efforts. Beyond managing press and outlet media, the Memphis TEA Party will work to fund media and campaigns to reflect these stated values, generate a broader sense of organization through this sophisticated approach while generating interest in the movement and creating a sense of place for the brand.
Relationship Between Principles, Policy & Elections
The Memphis TEA Party, in expanding these first principles to include a number of core social values, is not only speaking to the social conservatives in the movement, but integrating the practical relationships of spending and societal needs in a way that is holistic in nature. Ignoring the moral certitude of a nation, its unborn and therefore unrealized potential and the nurturing state of the historical and traditional family structure will have profound impacts on the future of the nation. Not the least of which relates to spending, entitlements, competitiveness and of course our very freedom.