New Hampshire Independents are the authentic Tea Party coalition (http://www.examiner.com/independent-in-manchester/kevin-kervick) _Kevin Kervick_ (http://www.examiner.com/independent-in-manchester/kevin-kervick) Manchester Independent Examiner July 31, 2011 While the Tea Party Movement is often characterized as if it is a monolithic, traditional conservative coalition, many political observers agree that there really are two distinct Tea Party coalitions in the United States. Roughly speaking, there is the Evangelical Conservative wing (the so-called _Teavangelicals_ (http://www.tnr.com/article/the-permanent-campaign/91661/tea-party-christian-right-michele-bachmann) ) whose adherents comprised the majority of the Reagan Republican coalition that has been prominent during the past four decades. The other coalition might be called the Common Sense Conservative or the Libertarian wing and it is best represented by the libertarian ideas of Ron Paul. Both Tea Party factions are in agreement with respect to their staunch opposition to 20th Century political progressivism. Both the Teavangelicals and the Common Sense Conservatives tend to be for limited government and lower taxes but the Teavangelicals are also generally pro-big business, are socially conservative, and they tend to be against reductions in military spending. Continue reading on Examiner.com _New Hampshire Independents are the authentic Tea Party coalition - Manchester Independent | Examiner.com_ (http://www.examiner.com/independent-in-manchester/new-hampshire-independents-comprise -the-authentic-tea-party-coalition#ixzz1c7YX8AvR) _http://www.examiner.com/independent-in-manchester/new-hampshire-independents-comprise-the-authentic- tea-party-coalition#ixzz1c7YX8AvR_ (http://www.examiner.com/independent-in-manchester/new-hampshire-independents-comprise-the-authentic-tea-party-coalit ion#ixzz1c7YX8AvR) Most of the popular media believes the Teavangelicals are the only valid Tea Party expression and chooses to over-focus on their outspoken opinions related to social issues. The Common Sense Conservative wing in contrast is equally concerned about the size and scope of the federal government but believes excesses are also found in government intrusion into private affairs, big banking monopolies, crony corporatism, conspicuous consumerism, and military interventionism, which are also Ron Paul platform positions. The Teavangelical coalition in America is shrinking while libertarian ideas are gaining favor among political independents, the fastest growing political cohort in America according to a recent study entitled _Beyond Red vs. Blue_ (http://people-press.org/2011/05/04/beyond-red-vs-blue-the-political-typology/) , conducted by the Pew Foundation. This growing independent Tea Party spirit is particularly prominent in New Hampshire a State that given its unique heritage as a bastion for independent conservative thinking, many believe is ground zero for the rise of the authentic Tea Party Movement in America. New Hampshire is the home for old-fashioned Yankee common sense. The Common Sense Conservative/Libertarian wing of the Tea Party Movement is authentic because it reflects a new conservatism, which is really an enduring notion known as classical liberalism, the philosophy of the Founders of the United States. Because common sense conservatism moves us beyond the polarizing basis of the political progressive - Teavangelical divide, it represents new hope for the creation of a governing coalition that can get something done to change America for the better, to help us become freer, more responsible, more prosperous, and more neighborly. The authentic Tea Party Movement is independent and common sense conservative and is uniquely New Hampshire. -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
