Mark Skoda pulls no punches when talking about what he thinks progressives are doing to America.
“I think what the left is doing is obscene,” he said in an interview with The Tennessee Star before Saturday’s Spirit of America Rally, which Skoda organized.
Conservatives need to push back, but in the right way, he said. “It’s very easy to tear things down. We’re here to build things up in a way that reflects the values of most Americans.”
Founder of the Memphis Tea Party and an internet radio host, Skoda is a longtime conservative. At age 18, he voted for President Nixon in 1972, the first time 18-year-olds could vote in a presidential election. Although he grew up in a Democratic family, Skoda at a young age began having doubts about the effectiveness of social welfare policies. He had started working full time for UPS while finishing high school, an experience that introduced him early to the adult world.
Skoda credits President Trump with being able to adroitly communicate directly to the people through rallies, speeches and tweets, something Skoda hopes will continue throughout his presidency. Now it’s up to Congress to make sure that Trump is able to get his agenda through, he said.
“They can no longer be reticent,” Skoda said. “They need to be aggressive.”
Skoda was a fixture on the stage at Saturday’s rally, introducing speakers, offering commentary and providing insight gained from his international business experience while living in Europe and Asia.
