I am writing in response to Geoff Skelley’s column (“Obama Tea Party”, 4/16/2009) that appeared in the Opinion section of Thursday’s paper. I am writing as a Texan, not a right-wing Republican who is “bitter,” to use Skelley’s term, about Obama’s presidential win. I think that many Democrats and left-wing supporters have taken this response more personally than intended. Many conservatives do not agree with Obama’s policies. To discredit the opposing side’s opinion, like Skelley has done, is exactly what frustrates me about the Obama bandwagon. Many of my closest friends are Obama supporters. Yet when the opposing side of politics (that’s right, in America we have different opinions and are allowed to) offers any dissatisfaction with the new Obama government, we are immediately labeled “bitter” and “ignorant” or “selfish” and “immoral.” I am not bitter about Obama’s win. I expected the Republican candidate McCain to lose. Does that mean I agree with new policies of Barack Obama? Absolutely not.
The Fox News “right-wing” television station is completely allowed to take a stance on political issues. The New York Times is known to be a very liberal newspaper, and no one is hounding them about it. CNN is a very obviously in support of Barack Obama, and during the election, the partisanship was evident to everyone. If you don’t like Fox News, then do not watch it.
I also would like to add some statistics to your article. Texas Governor Rick Perry recently rejected $550 million in federal economic stimulus money slated to help Texas’ unemployment trust fund. South Carolina Govenor Mark Sanford and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, also Republicans, have been outspoken against the federal economic stimulus spending and were supportive of tea parties in their own states. What these people in your “minority,” believe, is that officials in Washington have abandoned the country’s founding principles of limited government. Most fiscally-conservative individuals in this country feel that the federal government is strangling Americans with taxation, spending and debt.
Mr. Skelley, you have completely missed the point of the tea party demonstration. Those people involved are standing up for what they think is right. Your article did not communicate an opinion; it accused people who actually have an opinion. No, Bush was not the best president, and yes, there is some cleaning up to be done in the United Sates, but frankly, to quote a fellow Texan, “I would love to keep my freedom of speech, my money, and my guns. You keep the change.”
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