You would have to be completely out of the loop to have not heard of the Tea Party and their movement here in the United States. Since Barack Obama became president of the United States, this radical, right-wing movement has made national headlines with their political rallies and strong opposition to the Obama administration. Even though I am a Republican, like many in the Tea Party movement, I absolutely disagree with everything they are trying to accomplish in the name of liberty and change.

The Tea Party, more correctly the “Taxed Enough Already” party, first started out as a grassroots movement strongly opposed to President Obama’s tax reforms. Any tax increase proposed by Obama and Congress, they hated. As the majority of them are conservative, many Republicans supported the movement.

However, as time went on, the Tea Party has transformed into what I would call “a political monster.” They have become so radical in their political ideologies that they almost always reject any sort of compromise that they do not agree with. Even Republicans are being challenged by this ultra-conservative movement.

As a Republican, I am frankly sick of the Tea Party movement. Their anti-taxes, anti-liberal, anti-Obama radicalism is now threatening American political compromise. Even worse, all you have to do is look at political races, and you will see that Tea Party politicians are growing in power.

The Huffington Post followed Delaware’s Republican Senate primary election in September, in which Christine O’ Donnell, a Republican strongly supported by the Tea Party, defeated Rep. Mike Castle in a shocking upset. O’ Donnell, supported by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and Republican talk show host Rush Limbaugh, caused quite a stir by winning the GOP primary. Victories like this have made the GOP nervous, as the midterm election draws ever so near.

Like the liberal radicals of Code Pink, Tea Party activists are acting more like rebels than citizens that are responsibly voicing their concerns about their country. They are merely capitalizing on American frustrations to take over national politics. Historically, they are doing just what any radical group in United States history did to gain public favor.

In the 19th century, the Nativist Party (also known as the Know-Nothing Party), grew in political influence because they used their radical views of immigration to persuade voters that America was being “invaded” by those who would take everything from them. Their political aims were to gather a strong support base among native-born Americans and attack the government, allowing immigrants to come in large numbers to the United States. Their greatest strength was that they played on the political chaos that consumed a nation divided over the issue of slavery.

The Nativists grew in power, and even some of their candidates won elections. Besides their radical views, they were politically savvy and knew how to draw support for their cause. They even accomplished things that were actually positive for the public, but nevertheless, they acted more like rebels against their government.

The Tea Party uses many of the same tricks that the Know-Nothing Party used. They are playing on irrational fears and even use misconceptions about the president and other political leaders while attempting to transform them into truths. We are familiar with the absolutely false assumption that President Obama is a Muslim, when he is in fact a Christian.

For the first time in a while, the Tea Party is changing the idea of third parties taking a major role in national leadership. Even considering the Green Party and American Independents, the Tea Party has truly exposed a weakness in America, and they will utilize this exposure to gain power and influence.

It really does sadden me that what Abraham Lincoln and the first Republicans worked so hard for is being manipulated for political chaos in the present day. President Lincoln and Republicans of his time wanted, more than anything, stability, security, and change for their country based on real ideas and truths. The Tea Party wants just the opposite.

With all of this said, time can only tell what will become of the Tea Party. With support for Democrats decreasing significantly amongst Americans and compromise being halted at every corner, I only hope that the Tea Party will lose support once liberals and conservatives realize they are strengthening the movement with their actions and they are the only ones that can really put a stop to them by working together.