Though fiscally conservative, many protesters don’t appear to be wedded to the GOP. What will they do now?
“It’s so hard to right all of the wrongs that have happened. I personally can’t even think of a solution at this point. It’s just too messed up. Our future is looking pretty bleak.”
Those were the words of Elise Warren, a senior at Deming High School, when I asked during Wednesday’s tea party in Las Cruces what she advocates instead the big spending of the last two administrations to repair the nation’s economy.
I asked that question repeatedly during the protest, which was attended by some 400 people. While some didn’t have an answer, John Schowalter, a retired auctioneer, said a return to past policies is the solution.
“Where we’ve been has worked — not perfectly, but the capitalistic system has produced wealth in this country and those people who have produced wealth have created jobs,” said Schowalter, who, along with his wife, stopped at the Las Cruces event on their way back to their home in Michigan after spending the last few months in Arizona.
“Capitalism is still the answer to feeding the poor, taking care of social ills,” he said in advocating for a return to lower taxes and reduced spending.
Ruth Seiler, the middle school teacher and blogger who organized the Las Cruces protest, proposed four steps to get the nation back on track during her speech at the event: the enactment of term limits, the ousting of those in office who support big spending, the ending of government “overspending,” and limitations on how much candidates for office can spend and how long elections can last.
Limiting spending in elections has been deemed unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court, but that didn’t appear to faze Seiler, who was obviously jazzed by the turnout and energy at the protest.
“We have to rise up and work for these changes,” she told the crowd. “What we have here is a truly grassroots effort. This is a nationwide movement.”
Protests ‘can spark change’
What isn’t clear is whether the protests will morph into a real movement that changes the political dialogue. Generally, those who attended the Las Cruces protest expressed a form of economic populism that doesn’t necessarily align with a political party, as evidenced by the robust skepticism of elected officials from many participants.
The question now is what they’ll do about their frustration. Seiler said there will be another tea party in Las Cruces on July 4, but added that protests alone won’t change a thing.
“We have grievances, but rallies like this alone, they’re not going to fix what’s happening in Congress,” she said during her speech. “… But rallies like this, they can spark change.”
While Seiler’s words were full of optimism, driving home after the rally, it was Warren’s pessimistic statement that was on my mind. There were so many young people at the event. I spoke with men and women in their 20s, college students from New Mexico State University and high-school students from Las Cruces, Alamogordo and Deming. Many shared Warren’s frustrations.
Some of it was apparent in the signs they carried. “16 years old and already in debt,” one teen’s sign read. “Let me have my kids before you tax ‘em,” read another’s.
‘It’s not political. It’s about the people’
Who are these people? Young, old and in between, many who attended are not regulars in either major political party. Most are clearly fiscal conservatives. It seemed to me that they represent an important slice of Middle America — at least the largely conservative portion of it — and have the numbers to make their voices heard, if they choose to unite and organize.
Though a handful of local Republican Party officials were at the event, most didn’t play a prominent role. No Republican elected official attended, and nearly everyone I spoke with said the protest wasn’t about any political party.
The exception was former congressional and county commission candidate Greg Sowards, who in a brief speech to the group said, “God believes in a two-party system — right and wrong” — and urged registered independents to join “the party.”
Those who refuse to join, he said, do that “only for self pride, and if that’s the reason you want to stay independent, then you’re pretty well represented as it is.” Sowards is a former independent who is now a Republican.
His statement received a lukewarm response from the crowd. Many shared a different sentiment, and frustration with politicians of both major parties, in interviews.
“Whether it’s the spending of the last administration, the current administration or any administration since 1913 (when the 16th Amendment to the Constitution, which allows Congress to levy an income tax, was enacted), we’ve been sacrificing, surrendering our power to the government,” said David Montes of Las Cruces.
He advocated for replacing the income tax with a national sales tax so people pay based on what they spend rather than what they earn, and are thus encouraged to save instead of spend.
His friend, Thomas Rogers of Las Cruces, agreed with Montes’ frustration with both political parties, and said the rally wasn’t a protest of President Barack Obama specifically.
“It’s not political. It’s about the people,” he said. “… It’s about the people taking care of the people instead of the government taking money to redistribute wealth.”
Schowalter agreed, and said religious groups — of any faith — should take back more responsibility for addressing society’s ills instead of depending on the government to do it. While former President George W. Bush and Obama have given more attention to faith-based programs than previous presidents in recent history, Schowalter said each has made only a “token” effort on that front.
The youth are critical
The turnout at the Las Cruces rally was impressive, compared to other rallies around the state and past political events I’ve attended in the city. Clearly, many people share the sentiment of the organizers of this nationwide event.
The number of young people attending the rally reminded me of the level of support Obama enjoyed from youth during last year’s presidential campaign. The question then was whether young people would finally buck past precedent and vote in November. The answer was a resounding “Yes,” and that was a big part of the reason Obama was elected.
Will the young people who stood up on Wednesday in Las Cruces do more than protest? Will they organize? Will they vote? The answers to those questions are critical to determining whether the tea party movement has any traction.
What about Warren, the student who doesn’t know how to fix the current situation? Asked if she had anything to add, she said this:
“Ron Paul, 2012!”
There you have it. Clearly, for many the tea party movement — if we can call it that at this point — isn’t wedded to the GOP — at least yet.