Social issues and the tea party

Raging across the blogosphere and the tea-party world is the question: What role should social issues play in the tea-party movement?

This flame up started two weeks ago, when GOProud released a letter addressed to the new Republican leadership. This letter was problematic for two reasons. First, GOProud is not now, nor has it ever been, a tea-party group, yet it claimed to speak for this movement. Second, the homosexual group told the Republicans to stay away from social issues.

One of the biggest problems with the GOProud letter was that it did not define social issues. The non-conservatives at GOProud simply by fiat wanted to order the GOP to stay away from issues this group did not want them to act on.

The tea-party movement is made up of both fiscal conservatives and social conservatives. There is no bright line that defines or separates the two groups. The two groups are not mutually exclusive nor are they antagonistic.

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The significance of the two groups is this: When social conservatives and fiscal conservatives work together, we win. End of discussion. When fiscal and social conservatives united, Reagan won in 1980. When fiscal and social conservatives united in 1994, conservatives carried the day. When fiscal and social conservatives united in 2000, George Bush won, though both sides were very disappointed in his administration.

History cannot be denied. When fiscal and social conservatives unite, we win. Any group that seeks to divide the two needs to be viewed with suspicion because when the two are separated, we end up with bad, losing candidates.

Any lawyer will tell you, the first thing you are taught in law school is to define your terms. That is why any contract you sign may go on for pages so that all of the terms are defined.

What are social issues?

How about illegal immigration? Some call that a social issue. Do those who say the tea-party movement should stay away from this advocate amnesty? If the tea party does not stand up against illegal immigration, amnesty will be the result.

Don't ask, don't tell? Any issue that affects the military should be determined only on the basis of whether or not it helps the military achieve its mission. Last year, less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the active forces were discharged under DADT. Between 10 and 25 percent of military personnel said they would either resign or not re-enlist if don't ask, don't tell were repealed. I have yet to meet a tea-party member who supported weakening the military, yet that is exactly what would happen.

Abortion? Certainly a social issue. But what would the tea-party want? Federal funding for abortion ended. Planned Parenthood received almost $1 billion dollars from the federal government from 2002-2009. Why? Abortion is a multibillion-dollar industry. Why is the government subsidizing it?

Marriage? Marriage is something reserved for the states. Four unelected judges in Massachusetts should not decide it for Tennessee.

These are all "social issues." Please tell me who in the tea party objects to any of these? Please tell me who in the tea party movement objects to putting together a coalition big enough so that we win? Who in the tea party objects to putting conservatives into office that will support fiscal and social conservatism?

So, please tell me what the problem is with social issues.

Judson Phillips is the founder of Tea Party Nation. Follow him on Twitter.