Mark MecklerCritiques

Don't expect a dispassionate or objective account of the rise and expansion of the Tea Party from this book, as it is written by a self-described founder and charter member. What you will find here is a first-person account of how and why the movement began, which is interesting and valuable in its own right. If you're looking to understand the movement and its members, better to read Theda Skocpol's excellent book that is based on pollng and interviews. It's a more objective and useful account for scholars and interested bystanders.

“Tea Party Patriots: The Second America Revolution” was, to my surprise, much better and more informative than I had expected. The introductory bios were weak but relatively short and did not interfere with the intent of the book which was to introduce the Tea Party and explain their Constitutional inspirations and actions
Mark Meckler and Jenny Beth Martin effectively dispel the “major media” notion that Tea Partiers are some sort of fringe, right-wing group reacting to specific, transient government policies. Instead they demonstrate issues with both major political parties going back nearly one hundred years, and that their members are from every walk of life, joined by the common love of country and Constitutionality. Democrats, Republicans, independents and everything in between are active members. But most importantly, “Tea Party Patriots” not only explains what they don’t like, it goes on to propose numerous alternative solutions and suggests – indeed implores – the reader to get active and do the same.
Agree or disagree you will learn that the Tea Party Patriots are indeed your friends, neighbors, and family, their ultimate goals being to restore the American culture and return sovereignty to the people where it righty and Constitutionally belongs.

This book very effectively outlines the evolution and philosophy of the Tea Party. It directly examines economics, politics, education, the judicial system and popular culture. I particularly enjoyed the quotes from historic figures which are pertinent today.½

The Tea Party movement's mission "is to attract, educate, organize and mobilize our fellow citizens to secure public policy consistent with our three core values of Fiscal Responsibility, Constitutionally Limited Government and Free Markets" ...Issues like abortion and gay marriage have little to do with our core principles, and therefore we leave these issues for other groups to advocate.'

This book informs the reader on what the Tea Party strives for-- not what the media reports. This book does a good job laying out the concerns felt by Tea Party members about the out of control government spending and increasing regulations.

The Tea Party movement means something a little different to each involved; this book showcases the uneasiness felt toward a government that is out of touch with the people.

This book is highly recommended. Read it prepared to challenge what you read, but also read it being prepared to be challenged by what you read. You may disagree with what you read, but you will hard pressed to prove they are wrong. Read it with an open mind, even though that might be hard to do. You will benefit from it. You might lose some of the garbage you have picked up regarding the Tea Party, and you will gain a more honest opinion of the movement.

After explaining how the events of late 2008 and early 2009 inspired them to get involved in politics, authors Jenny Beth Martin and Mark Meckler present the three core values of the Tea Party Patriots -- fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government, and free markets -- and go on to define and defend the ideas that transformed a handful of concerned citizens into a powerful force for positive change.

Both Democrats and Republicans are criticized for expanding the size and reach of the federal government, ignoring the Constitution, and abandoning the free-market principles that made the United States the most prosperous country in the history of the world. However, this is a book of ideas; rather than simply slinging mud, the authors focus on what they hope to accomplish, addressing most of the issues of the day in twelve short chapters and closing with a "Forty-Year Plan for America's Future."

Readers should keep in mind that Tea Party Patriots is one organization in the broader Tea Party movement, which is made up of numerous conservative and libertarian organizations. This book should not be misinterpreted as a history of the movement, but is a fair, easy-to-read account of one group's' founding and plans for the future.

While the overall writing of this book is not always exemplary, the message is so profound and important, that I am willing to overlook it. The idea is incredibly simple: give Americans the opportunity to choose the course of their lives rather than allowing the government to dictate winners and losers. While the authors sometime lose their way(America is NOT a Christian nation) the impact of their ideas overcomes their inconsistency.

Tea Party Patriots starts as an early history of the grassroots political movement. It then evolves into a systematic call to arms (figuratively for now) for addressing what a good many people see as fundamentally wrong with our current American system. These issues run the gamut from executive overreach to cultural rejuvenation. As a manifesto, its strength is its ability to clearly lay out possible solutions to very complex problems while maintaining the realism needed to understand that this is a process and will not be accomplished overnight. Mark Meckler and Jenny Beth Martin both stay true to their grassroots in this work by stating that real change will come through influencing every level of government – restating the classic line that “all politics are local.” As our next political cyle looms, it will be interesting to see what impact these concepts will have on both state and national levels. Hopefully, change will occur and I am not taking of the type that President Obama endorses. If you are interested in taking back your country, this is one of the books to read.

A very nice read about the Tea Party and its history.
The book is not about the authors, it's about the starting of the new Tea Party.

This book is the fresh history of the beginnings of the Tea Party movement. It gives a real look at the dis-function of our government and the reasons so many people are getting behind the movement. This is a must read if you are of voting age, interested in politics, or just do not want to see this country go down the tube. Take a long look at how our leaders and government have changed our core values.

Both Meckler and Martin, the co-founders of the Tea Party Patriots organization, which is but one arm of the much broader, and more commonly known Tea Party movement that arose in 2010, lay out a detailed and comprehensive accounting of their philosophy and ideology for this movement. From explaining how this movement began as a truly grassroots effort with little organization and direction, to their proposal of a long-term solution to the nation's problems, this book should be a must read for anyone interested or involved even remotely in American politics today. Will it serve to convince doubters or convert "non-believers"? That will be hard to say. However, it is a very easy to read explanation of one side's beliefs, and will be accessible to almost everyone. Folks who are already supporters of the movement will find a reassertion of their core beliefs and inspiration to continue. Those who are not supporters, on the fence, or doubters of the movement will walk away with at least a better understanding of the thoughts and motivations of those who do support the Tea Party.

We’ve all heard of the Tea Party, the controversial political movement that surfaced in 2009 shortly after President Barack Obama passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus bill. At first the Tea Party was news fodder for every talking-head, on every national news network, picking up high profile followers like Sarah Palin. But eventually, as with all current news, new stories broke, faces and topics changed, and as months passed the Tea Party buzz subsided, and the media moved on to newer, more interesting topics...like the Occupy Wall Street brigade.

So what happened to the Tea Party? Who are they, really....and what do they stand for?
And did they really just fade into oblivion, or are they still a force to be reckoned with?

"Tea Party Patriots" answers all these questions, and much more. Meckler and Martin begin by passionately explaining how the Tea Party came into existence. Meckler says, “Republican or Democrat - it did not seem to matter which side was in power. Either way our government kept getting bigger, our liberties kept getting smaller, and our nation kept moving away from the ideas that made it great.” (Page 5)

What started with George Bush’s Emergency Economic Stabilization Act bailout bill continued and grew with the TARP bailout of big banks, the government takeover of AIG, and the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Chrysler, and General Motors...not to mention the student loan programs and Obamacare. No wonder our country is in so much debt, and there is no sign of runaway spending slowing down, let alone reversing direction. Of course, we don’t need the Tea Party to tell us that. Just google “national debt clock: Real Time” and view the numbers spinning out of control right before your eyes. Way back in 2003 George Bush admitted in a televised speech, “There is a cancer eating at our country’s soul. That cancer is debt.”

With anger and disgust Meckler and Martin each individually started a branch of the Tea Party. They got the ball rolling in their own home towns, met and consolidated, and within a few short months had over a million members. To this date the Tea Party it is alive and doing well. The organization has grown to 3,300 affiliated state and local groups with tens of millions of participants.

"Tea Party Patriots" gives a lengthy explanation of the core beliefs of the organization: fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government, and free markets. In each of these categories Meckler and Martin give specific details of how the current government (both Republican and Democrat) abuse their power, and numerous examples of government run amok; some of them common knowledge, others generally shielded from the public. Some of these examples astounded me enough to elicit a gasp of shock.

But even more important, the Tea Party has specific ideas on how to change the system. They outline a program for real positive change; less government, reduced debt, and more personal freedom. Even if you have no interest in joining the Tea Party, they make various suggestions of what a sole individual can do to make their voice heard, and effectively bring about change.

The Tea Party welcomes all new participants and all input, and the book lists various methods to contact them. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is dissatisfied with the status quo in Washington, everyone who wants to know more about the Tea Party, and all who would simply like to separate the fact from myth about who the Tea Party is and and what the organization represents.

One more comment: The book includes many wise and still relevant quotes from our most beloved forefathers. My favorite, quoted by Thomas Jefferson, is sited on Page 26... “ I place economy among the first and most important virtues, and public debt as the greatest of dangers to be feared....To preserve our independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt....We must make our choice between economy and liberty or profusion and servitude”. Amen, to that!

This book is a great story of the history and future of the Tea Party Patriots. It will be very reasuring to Tea Party supports and will explain their beliefs to those who don't understand what the Tea Party is about. Will it recruit new members and win over doubters? Only time will tell but if it is read with an open mind and at lest a look at how Tea Party sees the state of the United States a person has to agree on our problems wether they agree with the solutions or not.

To say that the Tea Party movement has been controversial is a definite understatement. Our biased media (some left, some right) have only fueled the fire. In Tea Party Patriots: The Second American Revolution Mark Meckler and Jenny Beth Martin have laid out a concise, well written, and well documented book on what the Tea Party stands for and where they are headed. Perhaps it will tame some of the flames.

This is not a right verses left book. Meckler and Martin take to task politicians from both sides of the aisle that violate the core values of the movement.

The Tea Party values and beliefs grew out of an open forum where people could (and still can) post and comment on the Tea Party website what they felt was the true role of government.

The first chapter briefly describes how the movement grew without any real direction or plan. Citizens concerned about the health of our country from across the nation began to communicate through the use of technology, mostly facebook and twitter. Meckler and Martin then started working to bring about some organization and coordination. The 1st Chapter then offers a brief overview of the core beliefs and values of the Tea Party.

The bulk of the reminder of the book addresses the following areas: economics, politics, education, judiciary and culture. Each chapter not only discusses the current problems and weakness in each area, but Meckler and Martin also put forth possible solutions that would bring about reform.

In the final chapter the authors realize that the state of our nation did not happen overnight, so they are proposing the creation of a 40 year plan. The plan will focus on the five areas of economics, politics, education, judiciary and culture.

Overall the book is well written and easily understandable. The facts and figures used in the illustrations are well documented and sighted.

It is hard to say if the book will win over any of the critics of the Tea Party, but I found it a great resource on the values of the movement.

I think this quote from the book regarding the fiscal state of our nation sums up the Tea Party:

"[Americans] understand that our fiscal problems run deep, that these problems are the fault of both major political parties, and that only We the People can return our country to a sustainable path." p. 202

Mark Meckler and Jenny Beth Martin carefully and thoroughly explore the Tea Party movement from the inside out. As co-founders of the Tea Party Patriots, one of several influential groups within the broader Tea Party movement, they share a unique perspective on the guiding philosophy of this powerful new movement within American Politics.

Chronicles the grass-roots movement that is changing the political dialog of America from "How much money should we spend?" to "How much must we cut to save the nation?" Also an indispensable guide to realigning the Federal Government with the U.S. Constitution on which it is based. As the book says, "If you are not angry, you are not paying attention."

Readers of this book (especially angry ones like me who believe that our treasure is being wasted, our Constitution is getting shredded, and our country is in a headlong race for socialism) will learn that there is still hope for America. It's the same hope that's been around for 236 years now and hasn't changed. It's the hope that Fiscal Responsibility, Constitutionally Limited Government, and Free Markets can be restored in this country and that our leaders can be made to once again regain the vision - and the wisdom - of the Founding Fathers.

Highly recommended to all frustrated Americans, which I and the authors assume is at least 50% of us.

This is an impassioned yet reasoned explanation of the TEA party political phenomenon. The TEA party movement arose out of the frustration of average Americans who were fed up with business as usual on the part of Washington, D.C. and they decided, as these two co-authors did, to get involved. If you oppose average Americans you will dismiss this movement but if you are inclined to be dismayed with the direction of the country you will enjoy the work.

It is arranged topically and includes suggestions on how to be involved in one of the most significant citizen action groups of the post-War period. In 2008, the nascent movement changed the focus of the House of Representatives and it may indeed grow to have a profound impact on subsequent elections. The authors are projecting for a 40 year focus.

If a reader reviews this volume with an open mind they will learn a great deal about an interesting citizen action group and movement.

The work supplies a number of handy references, web sites, and places for more information and further involvement in TEA party activities.