by Eric Dondero

Check out these two paragraphs from an article by David Sessions a writer at The Daily Beast. "Tea Party: The Christian Right in Disguise?" Aug. 18:

Michele Bachmann, once an outspoken social conservative, has reduced her comments on gay marriage to vague statements like “I’m not judging anyone” and “I think my views are clear.”

Tea Party candidates like O’Donnell and Bachmann have campaigned on libertarian economic platforms, leading some commentators to dig into old Ayn Rand novels for the source of this new economic populism. But what they’ve missed is that the Tea Party’s obsession with the size of government has been part of Christian conservatives’ platform for decades. The Tea Party was just a new name coined by clever activists and the media—a rebranding that has made it much easier for Christian-right candidates to run for office without having to air their views on social issues, which are increasingly viewed in a negative light by the general public.

Mr. Sessions seems completely unaware that the Tea Party was founded by the Libertarian Party, and some elements of Ron Paul's organization very late in 2007. The very first Tea Party events were in Seattle, Denver, and Chicago. The Chicago event was organized by then Libertarian Party of Illinois Exec. Comm. member Eric Odom, who went on to become an early leader of the movement. The Seattle and Denver events were jointly sponsored by Ron Paul groups and the local Libertarian Party affiliates. Later sponsors included the self-described libertarian groups Americans For Prosperity and libertarian economist Dick Army's Freedom Network.

Yes, religious conservatives later joined, and have been fully welcomed by libertarians. But it is still as it always has been, a firmly grounded libertarian movement.

And if Michele Bachmann and Christine O'Donnell have been influenced by libertarians on social matters, all the better.