Yesterday I had the honor or speaking on behalf of the Tea Party Movement at the Heritage Foundation. I wanted to make sure that I was not speaking for myself and instead speaking for those who worked diligently and without sleep for the last 2 years in this movement.

Let me be candid. I prayed before I went out there and asked my God to help me say the right things so not to embarrass anyone in the movement.

He was gracious and answered my prayers. The event went well and you can see it at http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/id/237356

We had a very engaging panel and it was an honor to be on the panel with Ed Morrissey, an American blogger with Hot Air who has his own internet tv show entitled the Ed Morrissey Show. He is an American icon in the tea party movement so I was overwhelmed to sit next to him.

We also had a legendary columnist Byron York on the panel. York is the Chief political correspondent for The Washington Examiner, a post he joined in early 2009 following his work as White House correspondent for National Review magazine and a columnist for The Hill. He is also a syndicated columnist. Again, overwhelmed!

Then there was me, Billie Tucker, a nobody from Florida who helped start a tea party and is now sitting there next to these powerfully conservative men. Gulp, swallow, breath. That was my mantra for the morning.

We met for a few minutes behind the scenes and then headed out to the room with the cameras and the interested audience. The room was filled with conservatives who wanted to hear about the Tea Party Movement moving forward. CSPAN was there to show it live and stream it on their website. There were also many from the media in the room and some were from the international media world.

At the end of the panel, the media swarmed each of us. A gentleman from Pakistan said to me “You’re too nice to be in Washington.” His statement was strange so I asked him to explain it. He said, “I have been in Washington a long time and you are different. You are too nice for these people. Good luck in getting your message heard.”

The others in the media wanted to talk so I was unable to carry on the conversation but it got my mind swirling.

We are too nice to be in Washington. The Tea Party is too nice to be in Washington.

Does that mean that Marco Rubio will not be nice after he is in Washington for a while?

Does that mean that those who came here with good intentions will be left in the dust because nice doesn’t work in DC?

Does that mean that nice is a bad word in Washington?

Maybe there is a perception that if you are nice you can’t get things done? Or maybe those who are too nice fear not being liked by people so can’t make the tough decisions? Maybe people believe that those who are nice compromise themselves too much?

When I think of nice in my life I think of:

 Being responsible to others.

 Treating others with respect and dignity.

 Listening to them.

 Giving them attention.

 Caring about them.

 Creating an environment where they feel comfortable

If the tea party movement is “too nice for DC” then we are in a serious heap of trouble in our country! You can achieve all – you can be nice, you can be principled and you can be tough. Think back on those who have led you in your lives and those who especially stood out. Were they “nice?” I’ll bet you they were!

Last Tuesday night we painted the town red but really it was a bright yellow that the media and the establishment ignored. There is a yellow tide crossing the land of the free and the home of the brave. It’s the yellow Gadsden flag that has taken this country by storm and we were nice and principled. We did not beat up anyone. We did not hurt anyone. We did not keep anyone out who wanted to be a part of the movement. We did not do anything that would hurt our image. (Others will say that is not true but they are misinformed!)

You can call us “nice.” We will call ourselves “nice, principled, strong and prepared” to do the hard work that it takes to fight tyranny. Nice may be a dirty word in DC and yet it is a powerful word in America.

I’m proud of each of you for being “nice” and standing firm on the foundational principles of our founding fathers. They were nice and they were tough. Just like the new tea party movement in America.

We encourage you to stay the course and remember our Veterans today. They too were nice enough to fight our battles and to stand up for liberty.

Give them a pat on the back, pick up their tab in a restaurant, or attend a Veterans Day parade in your hometown. They are some of the first responders and we should be nice to them today and every day! Remember, nice is not a dirty word and if anyone calls you that - be proud, stand tall and continue to be nice. It catches those who are not nice off guard!

And we send our favorite message of the day - "Have a nice day!"