The third time wasn’t a charm.  The first, conservatives loved: the “Cut, Cap, and Balance” bill, which the SATP and most Americans supported, but the Senate and the President ignored after House passage.  The second, conservatives hated and prevented from being brought to a House vote.  The third no one liked, but the House, Senate, and President reluctantly accepted.  The vote in the House was 269 to 161, and split the Tea Party Caucus fairly evenly (32 for to 28 against).

In the end, the majority of both houses and the President agreed the third bill was better than no bill.  With some hesitation, we agree.

In fact, without a long-view perspective we would be furious that after the strong message sent by voters last November, the Administration and Congress still didn’t get it.  Admitting the deal was far from perfect, we do believe, however, it is probably the best deal we could get, given the fact conservatives control only one House of Congress … at least until the 2012 elections.

Without compromising our own beliefs or our commitment to seeing them enacted, Tea Partiers cannot lose sight of the big picture.  Success of this movement does not hinge on one vote, but the forward movement of our cause over time.  The United States of America did not arrive at this political, economic, and social brink overnight, and we surely will not move back from it overnight.  The battle will be protracted during which we’ll see some tremendous strides, some baby steps, and even may encounter retreat or loss.  Ronald Reagan would say, “The future doesn’t belong to the faint-hearted; it belongs to the brave.”  The brave aren’t those who are willing to end it all in one battle, but those who wisely navigate the ebb and flow of the war to achieve the desired goal, often realizing small victories along the way.

So what were the victories in this latest episode? Here are several that we see:

1) The bill prevented a default, with a credit downgrade and weakening of the U.S. dollar it would bring.  Many will argue, and rightly so, that default was not inevitable: it’s a matter of priorities of how the revenues will be spent.  Obviously it’s a choice on whether the U.S. will pay its debts to creditors, pay entitlements such as Social Security and pensions/benefits, or pay discretionary spending.  It could have shut down certain government functions and agencies (which the SATP has previously recommended by name).  But given who controls the Executive Branch of government and its current priorities, this could have been disastrous.

2)  The bill mandates significant savings over ten years by capping discretionary spending. Granted many of these cuts do not phase in until 2013 and there could have been more and sooner actions, but this represents a step in the right direction.

3)  The bill sends a wake-up call to the Nation on the hazards of overspending when the raising of the debt ceiling has been almost a routine event over recent decades.  It shows that Washington’s spending culture is beginning to change and the conversation has shifted from an agenda of ever-growing government and increased taxes. It marks the new conversation about cutting spending.

4)  The debate reopened discussion on a Balanced Budget Amendment, which the SATP has long advocated.  It begs the obvious question that if a BBA is good for most of the states, why is it not good for the Federal government?

5)  The bill forced the President and big-spenders to back off on some of their liberal demands.  Until now, the President showed no intention of abandoning his out-of-control spending agenda, which always included raising taxes on at least some part of the population.  Finally realizing that idea was a non-starter, both the Senate and the President were forced to give up on raising taxes on hard working families and businesses.

6)  The debate showed government leadership that we Tea Party patriots will not submissively follow what we didn’t believe would bring at least some, even small, relief to our current national plight.  Tea Party Caucus members and others let Speaker Boehner know he could not count on their support unless other key concepts were part of the final bill.  That was impetus for the final discussions that produced a bill that many could support.  It’s ironic that our detractors see our success as greater than we see it, with the mainstream press and commentators disparaging the Tea Party’s influence, and even the Vice President reportedly referring to us a “terrorists.”

We don’t suggest this is a time to celebrate.  Yet, consider this: in 2009 we had no chance of being heard on these issues, much less influencing a vote.  2010 brought us a major success as We the People spoke loudly and clearly that promises of “hope” and “change” weren’t working, and sent to Congress several dozen new representatives. Since January 2011, they have navigated the bureaucracy, learned the ropes, and most recently demonstrated they are willing and able to take a strong and principled stand on the core issues. The modest actions of 2011are not an end; they are only a plateau from which to continue the climb.

As columnist Michael Tanner of the Cato Institute noted in the National Review Online, “It could be worse. President Obama started out the year calling for an increase in government spending. Instead, the deal included cuts or at least reductions in the rate of spending growth. And, Republicans stood firm against any tax increase. … And a precedent has been set. Call it the Boehner Rule: Future increases in the debt ceiling will almost certainly have to include additional spending cuts.”  In short, the deal was very likely the best that conservatives could get under the circumstances.  The way we will know if it were a surrender out of fear or a strategic retreat is the action our representatives take in the future—whether it is back to subservience and acceptance of government growth, or a stepping stone to true and proper change for America.

Ideological battles are often long and costly. Ultimate success will be through thoughtful actions that may from time to time require us to accept what we can at the moment, and prepare for the next battle.  Such action, whether by us in the trenches or our representatives in Washington, are not abandonment of core principles, but an acceptance that small victories are building blocks for future successes.  Success will not come overnight.  We must now build upon this momentum and ensure movement continues in a forward direction.  That includes our monitoring and directing our representatives to keep them focused on moving America in the right direction: maintaining a strong national defense to retain our National sovereignty; protecting individual rights and liberties while promoting personal responsibility, morality, and religious expression; strictly adhering to the Constitution and the rule of law; and exercising limited government, sound fiscal policies, and free enterprise.

Thank you for working with us to that end.

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