What the March for Our Lives and the Tea Party have in common

When Tea Party rallies were organized across the country nearly a decade ago to protest runaway government spending and debt, left-leaning critics were quick to say the outcry was more about political tribalism — specifically, at the time, white identity politics — than fiscal responsibility. As someone who supported that movement, spoke at events, and even co-authored a book with Sen. Rand Paul about the Tea Party, I pushed back strongly on such accusations.

But the critics had a point.