Politics & Government

Lance Helps Launch SPF Tea Party

The congressman spoke at the organization's inaugural meeting Monday night.

A local chapter of one of the most talked-about and controversial protest groups of the past four years gained newfound prominence Monday night. The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Tea Party hosted U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance, R-Hunterdon County, and three others at for a discussion on healthcare reform, the federal debt and deficit and other issues.  

It was the first official meeting of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Tea Party, which is a chapter of the Morristown TEA Party – TEA standing for "taxed enough already." The event Monday attracted an energetic, mostly older crowd of about 60 people, who filled the available folding-chairs and leaned against the walls of the country club's meeting room.

"Individually, we're not too much," Scotch Plains resident Al Smith, a member of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Tea Party's executive committee, said at the start of the meeting. "But tonight," he continued, raising his arms to the crowd, "we're pretty impressive."

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Shortly after he spoke, Congressman Lance walked in and took a seat at a folding table at the front of the room. His address was last, and he took papers from a manilla folder and spread them on the table as Nico Rago, communications director of the Morristown TEA Party, took the floor. 

Bearded and bespectacled, Rago paced as he talked. "Those of us of a conservative bent, we've been taught over many years to be quiet," he said. "You will find your voice, and you will shout it, and you will let your representatives know your voice matters."

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He was followed by Dr. Alieta Eck, who, with her husband, John, delivered a PowerPoint presentation titled, "Obamacare: Not What the Doctor Ordered." Eck, who practices internal medicine at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Piscataway and runs a free clinic in Zarephath, called for replacing Medicaid with a series of incentives to encourage doctors to provide free or low-cost care to the poor. 

"Government doesn't need to be involved in healthcare," she said. "It's a Ponzi scheme." 

Eck pointed to a current law that she said provides free medical malpractice coverage for practitioners who volunteer at health clinics, as well as medical school students, residents and the physicians who teach them. She argued that the law should be expanded to encompass a doctor's entire practice if that doctor met certain requirements – for example, four hours of pro bono medical care per week for physicians, or two baby deliveries or two operations per month for OB/GYNs or surgeons. The costs saved from not having to pay for malpractice coverage, she said, would encourage sufficient doctors to take part in the initiative.  

Smith then retook the floor to introduce Lance, the evening's keynote speaker. Lance's address was energetic, and his praise of the Tea Party effusive.  

"The Tea Party movement is in the best tradition of the American nation: protest groups that have arisen over time as great issues arise," he said, leaning toward the crowd, his hands resting against the table at the front of the room. Just as the Republican Party coalesced around Abraham Lincoln to combat "the greatest issue in American history…the crucible of slavery," he continued, the Tea Party and similar groups have emerged to fight "one the greatest challenge facing the American nation today, that is debt."  

Lance went on to discuss his support for repealing President Barack Obama's healthcare reform legislation, his sponsorship of legislation that calls on the U.S. Supreme Court to take-up the healthcare law and his opposition to raising the debt ceiling. Playing to an enthusiastic audience, he raised his voice and rapped his fingers on the table to emphasize key points, as each was met with loud applause from the evening's attendees.

"Congratulate yourselves for bringing these issues to the attention of the American people," Lance said. 

The congressman's endorsement of the Tea Party is notable. A mainstream Republican, he has rarely strayed from his party's positions regarding fiscal and social issues. But in embracing the Tea Party, he joins a growing list of conservative legislators willing to move to the right – or at least associate with groups that fall to the right of their own views.  

"Everyone is kind of scared of them," Paul Fryer, professor of politics at Princeton University, said of the Tea Party in a telephone interview. "In 2010, they had a few – more than a few – victories in 2010. Not a ton, but enough to scare people. And they have supporters who are really loud and who pay attention. Most voters don't pay that close attention to politics. But the Tea Party – it's kind of similar to the National Rifle Association. If you go against them, they really organize their members."

Lance also has an added incentive to reach out to the Tea Party. Having defeated Democratic opponent Ed Potosnak by close to 20 percentage points in the 2010 election, his main opposition next year could come from within his own party. 

"People are lining up to run against him," Fryer said. "He can rid himself of further right-wing opposition within his party." In fact, three of Lance's challengers in the 2010 Republican primary were members of the Tea Party.

A move toward the organization, however, is not without risk. Its members and leaders do not have a reputation for seeking compromises. "It could put you in a bind," Fryer said. "The Tea Party pushes you to the right, and most candidates like flexibility." Moreover, associating with the Tea Party could alienate moderates and Independent voters.

At this point, however, fewer than three months into Lance's new term in Congress, Fryer acknowledged that there's likely little to lose and much to gain from making overtures to the Tea Party – especially if they continue to fill rooms the way they did Monday night.

To learn more about the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Tea Party, visit www.spf-teaparty.org

Correction

This article was amended to reflect the following correction made Saturday, March 26:

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Al Smith is chapter president of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Tea Party. He is instead a member of the organization's executive committee.


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