House Tea Party caucus in DC should also be in Springfield

Focused on promoting “Americans call for fiscal responsibility, adherence to the Constitution and limited government,” Minnesota Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann launched a new House Tea Party caucus Friday, according to a letter published HERE.

Setting up such a caucus is not as easy and as natural as it may sound.  Bachmann is likely to run into Republicans that support her effort and others that aren’t so eager to be identified with Tea Party principles.  Not only is an effort like this important in D.C., it should take place in our Illinois state capitol.

Thus far, similar efforts to set up conservative-principled caucuses in our Illinois General Assembly have not been embraced by self-identified conservative Illinois lawmakers.  Two years ago, the United Republican Fund attempted to encourage a caucus in both the House and Senate to promote LIFT principles — Limited government, Individual rights, Free markets and Traditional values — but lawmakers said they were not comfortable subdividing into Republican caucuses that were and were not unified around those core values.

Maybe the United Republican Fund was ahead of its time and the time to push for this effort in the Illinois General Assembly has finally arrived.  Let’s hope so.