Just. Stop.

Dear 'Tea Party' candidates:

Continue with social conservative platforms in your campaigns and you'll lose votes. You are welcome to your beliefs, but stop trying to shove them down the throats of voters. You're on the verge of losing my support because of such.

Please stick to the fiscally conservative/responsible and smaller government platforms. That's what the Tea Party was all about in the beginning.

Signed:
Disenchanted Tea Partier

 We all have freedom of religion.  I get that.  Honestly, I do.  I would not call myself a 'practicing' Christian, but if you're praying, my head is bowed.  I don't care if you want to have a local preacher start the HS football game with a prayer.  Not worried about said preacher opening up your city council meeting, riding with LEO to comfort victims/families of violent crimes.  I'm not going to write letters to the newspaper about separation of Church and State.  I have a pretty good grasp on history and had really good teachers of the Constitution.  When in Rome (if you don't know the rest, you should not be running for office-not even dog catcher).

With that said....

I hate campaigns that talk about abortion.  That ship has sailed past the Supreme Court.  And you're not going to get there with the rest of the members of the legislative body you're working with.  That's bare hard cold facts.  Plus, when the subject is brought up, somebody's foot is firmly inserted in mouth.

 Let's throw gay marriage in there, too.  Big blinkin' deal.   Nobody is saying your church is going to have to celebrate gay marriages (see the little statement above about separation of Church and State and Freedom of religion).   It's not going to suddenly invalidate your marriage, is it?  (If it does, you've got bigger problems than running for office.)  

Stop trying to be social engineers-that advice to those on the Left and Right.  None of you are qualified to tell anyone else how they should live within the law.