It's All About Image...Or Is It?

How important is the image of the tea parties? With the media attacking the tea parties as racist, violent, homophobic, conspiracy theorists, it's easy to get caught up in defending the image of the tea party. But is that really necessary? Those of us involved in the movement know full well that it is about freedom and limited government. We know it's not racist, violent, or any of the other things the media says. Yes, there are some instances where fringe elements of the tea party have acted innapropriately, but the movement as a whole is a very peaceful movement. My question is, can the goals of the tea party be accomplished despite all the false negative publicity? And if they can be, wouldn't it be more productive to focus on getting the job done, e.g. downsizing government and electing Constitutionalists, rather than focusing on keeping a squeaky clean image? Or will the message be hindered because of the image of the tea parties?

What about Ronald Reagan? Commonly acknowledged as on of the great presidents and maybe the greatest in recent history, he ran on a platform of cutting government. Whether he actually accomplished that or not is an arguement for another day. But why was it he got elected with wide support from more than just one party? Republicans voted for him, Democrats voted for him, Independants voted for him. Why? Because he explained the limited government message in a charismatic way. People liked him, trusted him.
But where did he spring out of and where did his message of limited government come from? Barry Goldwater, who also had run for president in 1964 and lost. Goldwater lost because the media portrayed him as a kook, on the fringe. But despite his loss, his views lived on in Reagan who was elected president in 1980.
How does this translate to today? Well, I see the tea party as a continuation of the R3VOLution sparked by Ron Paul's 2008 presidential campaign. Much like Goldwater, Paul was a liberty minded candidate who lost because the media protrayed him as a kook. But his message of freedom is spreading and despite the media's bad image of the tea parties, it will continue to spread and hopefully will culminate in the election of a freedom loving, limited government president in the not too distant future.