As much as the old guard in the GOP would like to dismiss it, the Tea Party movement is real and is gaining strength.  These conservative voters have shown that they aren’t beholden to the Republican Party and won’t back down ‘for the greater good’ as many think they should.  The Republicans are quickly coming to a realization that they must tread carefully or they risk drawing the fire of a growing voice in the nation and in Colorado.

Cheered on by Glenn Beck, Michelle Malkin and other true conservative pundits, the Tea Partiers have grown far beyond a group that holds rallies on Tax Day.  They wield real power and are making Republican leaders take note.  But how to deal with this loosely knit but fervent group? 

Republican leaders do talk a good game about how much they support them but behind closed doors they oftentimes voice other thoughts showing it is just lip service. They feel that the Tea Party groups are simply causing problems and need to pipe down and toe the Party line.  However, they also know not to push too hard or they will have jumped from the frying pan into the fire. 

This was evidenced recently when Colorado gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis appeared on FOX News with a crawl underneath proclaiming him a “Tea Party backed candidate.” While the McInnis campaign didn’t have anything to do with the caption, they felt the wrath of Tea Party and 9/12 groups heavily.  The Colorado GOP has had its share of difficulties in trying to reign in the groups as well. 

The groups themselves while loosely organized, continue to grow in power as they find their voice.  Internally they struggle with the dilemma of supporting a less than ideal Republican candidate to keep a Democrat out of office or withholding support entirely to send a message to the powers that be. 

Large, national groups like FreedomWorks are working to organize the Tea Party movement further and provide a unified message with power both financially and politically.  If successful, they could be a force to be reckoned with.  That power has been felt in Massachusetts and beginning to be felt in other Republican primaries and caucuses across the nation. 

I have to wonder if there isn’t a third group consisting of silent conservatives that the GOP needs to be worried about as well. 

The dissatisfaction within the Republican Party has obviously served to fuel the Tea Party movement and many tried-and-true Republicans can’t help but identify with the Tea Partiers and what they are fighting for.  They have watched the party of Reagan move in directions that would have infuriated the Gipper and this third group isn’t pleased. 

They feel the pressure to follow the path laid by the party but can’t help but cast a wary eye on the party’s plan and the candidates before them.  Supporting party leaders and the candidates chosen for them by the party has yielded nothing but disappointment.  They believe in conservative ideals that the GOP is supposed to represent but in years past the party has strayed so far from that.  There seems to be a correction taking place, but is it real? 

To be frank, I count myself in this third group.  If the GOP loses folks like me that have been ardent supporters in the past, the Tea Partiers are the least of the GOP’s problems.

We start to raise our voices and are told we need to remember Ronald Reagan’s 11^th Commandment – “thou shalt not speak ill of fellow Republicans.”  I am asked if my ranting will really accomplish anything.

Maybe nothing.  But look at where being silent has gotten us.

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