Ralph Benko: July 4th tea parties shouldn't be group therapy

As the tea party protestors prepare for a July 4th reprise of their massive April 15th rallies, they could benefit by reflecting upon the words of The New York Times' Liz Robbins. She observed that the protests seemed "less about revolution and more about group therapy." She noted a critical mass of anger, but "no solutions."

The tea parties should pick a specific target and focus its energies on a demand for action on the part of elected officials. To bring the populist pot to a boil, the flame has to be directed at something specific. Something for which officials can be held accountable.

The Left's street demonstrations always have a clear goal. Patrick Reinsborough, an architect of the Battle in Seattle and one of the savviest street strategists on the Left, only engages with what he calls "strategic insight and translatability." That means: Get to the point.

There are plenty of targets for the tea parties. Most ambitious is the call for repeal of the 16th Amendment -- the income tax amendment.

A declaration is circulating on the Internet pointing out that July 12 is the Centenary of Congress's passage of the 16th Amendment and proclaiming a National Day of Mourning coupled with a demand for repeal. The key proponent of the demand for Repeal is John Hanson, an old Cajun chased out of Louisiana by Katrina and resettled in rural Virginia.

With no money to speak of, little exposure, and just a handful of very part time volunteers, he is using the www.RepealIncomeTax.com to enlist thousands of signers of the declaration demanding repeal. On July 12th, Hanson will start a three-year campaign to raise awareness of the issue in the states.

Quixotic? The 18th Amendment to the Constitution--Prohibition--was repealed after a concentrated national outcry. No constitutional amendment had been repealed before.

Now, the income tax amendment has become about as pernicious, and reviled, as prohibition. Ambitious politicians are watching with interest. Give them a specific objective--repeal--and don't be surprised when some begin to rally to the standard.

A movement for repeal is capable of setting in motion dynamics that could at least lead to major reform. The federal income tax could be replaced with something less onerous, less dangerous to our prosperity, and less invasive to our civil liberties.

The tea party movement is at a crossroads. The leaders again could make the July 4th rallies less about revolution and more about group therapy. Or the leaders could work with "strategic insight and translatability."

July 4th could be a springboard to unleash this three-year campaign. Then we would really see a true 21st century American broad-based populist revolution. 

Ralph Benko is author of The Websters' Dictionary: How to Use the Web to Transform the World (The Websters' Press, 2008) and a pro bono advisor to www.RepealIncomeTax.com.