Thread: Fractures emerge as Tea Party convenes - UPDATES

Fractures emerge as Tea Party convenes

By Kristi Keck, CNN
February 4, 2010 1:37 p.m. EST

(CNN) -- As the Tea Party's first national convention gets under way, members are united in their anger but divided over the future of the movement.

The convention is marketed as an opportunity to bring Tea Party leaders from across the country together to network and support the movement's goals. But some see the high-ticket convention, organized by a for-profit organization, as contradictory to the group's bottom-up, grass-roots beginnings.

Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann were supposed to speak at the convention, but both dropped out, citing problems with the for-profit status of the Tea Party Nation, the group behind the event. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is the convention's keynote speaker.

The Tea Party developed last year in protest to what its supporters saw as overspending in Washington -- by both Republicans and Democrats -- following the stimulus bill, the bank bailouts and President Obama's budget.

The anger over alleged fiscal irresponsibility in Washington was shared by a wider spectrum of voters, including independents, said John Avlon, author of "Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America."

Over the year, the Tea Party grew from dozens to hundreds of loosely linked groups around the country.

"What happened over the course of the summer as the town hall [meetings] got hijacked, you started to see a new kind of activist taking over the Tea Party movement," Avlon said. "As the fringe has blurred with the base, you've seen more unhinged attacks proliferate, and there still hasn't been a transition to a positive agenda."

Some Tea Party members began directing their anger at Obama, calling him a socialist and carrying posters with his face altered to resemble Hitler or The Joker.

Special coverage: Welcome to the Tea Party

While the more radical activists made headlines, the voices of frustrated voters -- inside and outside the Tea Party -- were being heard across the country. The White House said Republican Scott Brown's win in last month's Massachusetts Senate election was "a wake-up call." While Brown captured the support of the Tea Party, he also won over the state's independent voters.

In November, Tea Party groups received credit for affecting the outcome of a special election for New York's 23rd Congressional District. Local Republican leaders backed state Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava because they thought she would appeal to centrists and independents. But more conservative party members revolted and instead backed Doug Hoffman, who ran on the Conservative Party line.

Scozzafava dropped out days before the race and endorsed Bill Owens, the Democratic candidate and eventual winner. The split among Republicans contributed to Owens' win.

Curtis Gans, director of the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate at American University, pointed to that election as an example of how the Tea Party's support for more conservative candidates could hurt Republicans in the upcoming elections.

"If the 'birthers' [those who say Obama wasn't born in the U.S.] and the Tea Party people win most of the primaries in the Republican Party, that may not yield as much of a Republican victory in the general election as if their more moderate elements win," he said.

As the primary season begins, Tea Partiers disagree about where the movement is heading. Rival factions are battling over who will carry the Tea Party banner. Some members worry powerful groups are "astroturfing" what they think should remain a grass-roots group.

"I don't think the Tea Party knows what's happening to the Tea Party," Sacramento party activist Jim Knapp said. "I don't think there's any question the GOP has their tentacles into the Tea Party."

When wingnuts hijack a political party -- ultimately, they take it off a cliff.

--John Avlon, author of "Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America"

Mark Meckler and Jenny Beth Martin, founders of the Tea Party Patriots, say they are proud of what the movement has accomplished, but they are frustrated that other Tea Party groups are being run by Republican political consultants forking over lots of cash for recruitment.

The Tea Party Express, a conservative bus tour that crisscrossed the country last year, was run from inside a Republican political consulting firm.

This week's convention has also been dogged by infighting, with some protesting its $549 entrance fee and its hierarchical organization.

Meckler and Martin are not going to attend. "It wasn't the kind of grass-roots organization that we are, so we declined to participate," Meckler said.

Avlon said the concerns over the proceeds have undercut the event's attempt to be a rallying point.

"They like to compare themselves to the founding fathers. Well, imagine if John Hancock was trying to make a buck off the constitutional convention," he said.

Right now, Avlon said, the Tea Party groups are trying to flex their muscle and move the Republican Party further to the right.

But the unanswered questions are where that takes the Tea Party and how it affects the GOP in the long term.

"If it helps focus the Republican Party on a core message of a return to fiscal conservatism, which it abandoned when it had unified control of Congress ... then I think that can help strengthen the party's commitment to that core unifying issue," Avlon said.

"But if it just empowers the extremes in the party, then I think when extremes control parties, when wingnuts hijack a political party -- ultimately, they take it off a cliff."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/02/03/ ... l?hpt=Sbin

No mention of the Constitution in the entire article..........Imagine that?

February 1, 2010, 4:50 pm

Tea Party Convention’s Keynote and Other Events Will Be Televised

By KATE ZERNIKE

The revolution will be televised.

Planners of the National Tea Party Convention, billed as a coming together for the conservative grassroots groups who sprang up in anti-stimulus protests last year, announced late Sunday that they would broadcast main parts of the convention, including the keynote by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Saturday night.

The organizers suggested that they saw the broadcast as a solution to some of the criticism leveled at the convention over the last several weeks, as sponsors and participants have pulled out and grassroots tea party activists have complained that the ticket price — $549 — is too expensive for members of a movement that holds fiscal conservatism as a core value.

Activists had also raised an eyebrow at Ms. Palin’s speaking fee, which reports have put at $100,000. Some former volunteers for Tea Party Nation, the for-profit social networking site behind the convention, have said that they resigned in protest over the ticket prices, and accused the organization of trying to profit off the movement.

And Tea Party Nation was criticized for limiting access to only those news organizations that it believes have given it “fairâ€

Tea Party movement reaches boiling point at first convention hits trouble

Sarah Palin's $100,000 speaking fee angers right-wing rank and file

By David Usborne, US Editor
Friday, 5 February 2010

They came by bus, train, plane and car from places as far apart as Las Vegas, Memphis, Fresno and Boston. And they were variously livid, mad-as-hell, furious and, in a few cases, a wee bit bonkers. Welcome to the Tea Party Convention at the Grand Ole Opry Hotel just outside Nashville, Tennessee.

They come in celebration and anticipation, but quite what will transpire as the first national gathering of self-described "tea-partiers" starts this morning is anyone's guess.

The melodious country tunes you might expect in Music City will likely be absent. Rather, expect a cacophony of competing arguments, banners and megaphones, as they dig in to consider where the movement should head next and what its aims are. Another certainty: the highlight will surely be the Saturday night lobster and steak dinner featuring the event's keynote speaker, the former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

Dissent arrived early, in fact, after two main speakers and three sponsors pulled out at the last minute, alleging that the convention had become a commercial enterprise for its organisers – a group called Tea Party Nation – and that the grassroots nature of the movement was being compromised. The $549 (£348) price of admission angered many, as did the $100,000 speaking fee for Ms Palin.

The movement was born last February when a television reporter commented on air about Barack Obama's bailout plan for the banks. He called for a Windy City "tea party" to protest against the policies, making reference to the Boston Tea Party when colonists rebelled against taxes on tea imposed by Britain in 1773.

The idea caught on and since then tea party activists have sent tremors through the political landscape, first by organising rowdy town hall events over the summer to oppose healthcare reform, then convening a huge rally on the Washington Mall in the autumn, and finally sending volunteers to New Jersey, Virginia and Massachusetts for elections, helping to tip the results against the Democrats.

While Democrats are rattled by the brush fire that is the Tea Party, so are many in the Republican leadership. The movement is backing hard conservatives to compete in mid-term elections in November. That could hurt the Republicans nationally.

And their views represent a slice of the "Grand Old Party" that the party would rather keep quiet about in national elections. Clamouring for bellhops and registration assistants last night were libertarians, conservatives, anarchists, born-agains and, of course, a ship load of "birthers", the folk who insist that President Obama is not an American and represent more than one third of the party, according to a recent poll.

Nor is there just one Tea Party organisation. Competing for attention this week are Tea Party Nation, Tea Party Express, SurgeUSA, SmartGirl Politics and a string of other conservative groups. Among those boycotting the Nashville bash is Keli Carendar, the "Liberty Belle", a popular figure who was one of the first to stir up the movement. She and other purists worry that a ticketed convention in a fancy resort smacks of the traditional political parties.

"It wasn't the kind of grass-roots organisation that we are, so we declined to participate," said Marty Meckler, a co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots.

High-profile last-minute drop-outs included two members of Congress, Marsha Blackburn and Michele Bachmann.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 89956.html

Tea party brews peril on right and left

By Anna Fifield in Washington
Published: January 28 2010 02:00 |
Last updated: January 28 2010 02:00

The right has been celeb-rating since a smoothtalking truck-driving Rep-ub--lican achieved the unthinkable last week and prised a Senate seat from Democrats in Massachusetts, traditionally the most liberal state in the union.

It was an astonishing electoral coup. With President Barack Obama on the defensive ahead of last night's State of the Union address, it has energised the right wing for November's mid-term congressional elections and led some to hope that the Democratic advances of recent years will be checked.

But the conventional wisdom - that when Democrats are down, Republicans must be up - may no longer hold, analysts suggest. The rise of the "tea party" movement, a network of fiercely anti-government protesters opposed to everything Mr Obama stands for, has also complicated life for Republicans.

The phenomenon threatens to split the rightwing vote in the mid-terms and beyond, in much the same way as Ross Perot, the maverick billionaire, stole votes from President George H. W. Bush in 1992, helping Bill Clinton to his first term in the White House.

Such a situation appears to be playing out already in several states. In Arizona, J. D. Hayworth, a conservative former Republican congressman, is attacking John McCain, the veteran senator who ran for the presidency last year. "Among his criticisms on his popular radio show, Mr Hayworth lambasted Mr McCain for saying he planned to support Ben Bernanke's re-appointment as Federal Reserve chairman. That apparently has led Mr McCain to reverse course.

Likewise in Florida, a conservative is challenging the governor, Charlie Crist, a moderate Republican, and in Virginia, disputes on the right seem to have boosted embattled Democrat Tom Perriello's chances of being re-elected to the House.

Such a split has already cost Republicans a House of Representatives seat in New York. Rightwingers led by Sarah Palin, Mr McCain's running mate, in November criticised the Republican candidate for being too liberal and threw their weight behind an alternative candidate. To the frustration of many Republicans, that led to a Democratic victory in a Republican stronghold.

Tea-party protesters have become a force to be reckoned with on the political scene in the year since Mr Obama took office. It appeared to start as a grassroots movement of citizens who favour small government and conservative social policies, holding up Ms Palin, the one-time governor of Alaska, as a role model. But it attracted the support of groups tied to oil companies and Wall Street and attacked key Obama administration reforms, chiefly healthcare.

Analysts say it remains to be seen what effect the tea party movement will have on Republican prospects in the mid-term elections.

It could lead to a situation like that in New York, where the right is split, or like that in Massachusetts, where Republicans and tea-partiers rallied behind a long-shot, said Nathan Gonzales of the Rothenberg Political Report, a non-partisan newsletter.

"Democrats are right to be scared," said Mr Gon-z-ales, who counted 28 House seats that were moving towards the Grand Old Party following Mr Brown's win. "Massachusetts was a wake-up call for a lot of Dem-ocrats who didn't believe that they were that unpopular, and the Republican base is excited for the first time in a while," he said.

Democrats are already seeking to draw inspiration from the New York race and planning to exploit the divisions in the right. "Given the pressure Republican candidates feel from the extreme right in their party, there is a critical - yet time-sensitive - opportunity for Democratic candidates," says an internal Democratic senatorial campaign committee memo obtained by the Financial Times this week.

"We have a finite window when Republicans candidates will feel susceptible to the extremists in their party," it says.

But tea-party supporters say it is a force for good and a reminder that the US is, at heart, a centre-right country.

"This is about principles, not parties," said John O'Hara, a conservative commentator and author of the book, A New American Tea Party . "The lesson that Republicans should learn from New York and Massachusetts is that they need candidates who are concerned about fiscal responsibility and limited government." he said. "Candidates with those principles appeal to the voters."

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e7151048-0baa ... abdc0.html

Not to mention, this is a hijack of the real tea party movement. All these newscasters are saying this is the first convention since the tea party formed a year ago.. That is BS !!!!! The tea parties formed at the end of 2007 as the Ron Paul supporters came out in droves to protest both the democratic party and the republican party.

I am an original tea party attendee, and believe you me.... I would stick a buick down my throat before I would vote for GOP candidates, the likes of Lindsey Graham, John McCain, Joe Lieberman. Here is just one portion of the proof:

http://ronpaulsteaparty.com/

On December 16th, 1773, American colonists dumped tea into the Boston Harbor to protest an
oppressive tax. This December 16th, American citizens will dump millions of dollars into the
Ron Paul presidential campaign to protest the oppressive and unconstitutional inflation tax -
which has enabled a flawed foreign policy, a costly war and the sacrificing
of our liberties here at home.

Please join us this December 16th 2007 for the largest one-day political donation event in
history. Our goal is to bring together 100,000 people to donate $100 each,
creating a one day donation total of $10,000,000.

Please pledge via feedburner below to confirm your commitment to donate.
Each week you'll receive an email with our total number of subscribers.
In this way we will know exactly where we stand in our efforts.
Our goal is 100,000 subscribers.

Please pledge now. Please spread the word. Thank you.


http://ronpaulsteaparty.com/

24,164 pledges at 12:20 pm EST 12/3/07
155,626 total visitors - 12/02/07

The Boston Tea Party helped ignite the American Revolution 234 years ago

On Sunday, December 16th, 2007, Americans "dumped" over
$6.04 Million
(The largest one day political donation ever!)
into the Ron Paul 2008 Presidential Campaign

A total of 58,407 Americans just like you donated an average of $102
to protest the oppressive and unconstitutional inflation tax -
which has enabled a flawed foreign policy, a costly war
and the sacrificing of our liberties here at home.

The new American REVOLution has begun!
This time the revolution will not be fought with bullets, but with ballots...
not with muskets, but with sound ideas & principles.
Those ideas & principles are embodied in the
Presidential Campaign of Congressman Ron Paul.

Liberty is lost through complacency...America was born of protest [and] revolution...
- Congressman Ron Paul, August 9, 2004

What can you do? - Click here
I tried to post this on Huffington Post the other day... if you do a search for Ron Paul tea party 2007 several sites will pull up. Many people on the Huffington Post comment forum were saying we never complained about George Bush, but since there is now a black President tea parties have been formed. That is absolute BS, the tea parties were formed to protest both parties; but Huffington Post wants no evidence of such. They are having as much fun as anyone destroying the innocent, but dedicated grassroots effort that brought out millions.

I am absolutely furious the GOP is trying to take the tp's down by forcing a total low life like Sarah Palin... an habitual liar to make our grassroots effort appear fraudulent. I hope they lose their shirts on this event. CNN reported tonight they had over 600 people for this $550. a head event. Heck in my town of Charlotte, North Carolina in 2007 we had about 1500 people come to the tea party to protest both parties, and it was free !!!!

Palin is campaiging for John Insane, and none other than Perry who has given driver's licenses to illegals in Texas. Remember in the old days when they had a picture of a skull and crossbones for anything poison? All they need to do now is put Palin's picture on hazardous materials...

Reporters, writers, and those who want to diss the tea party movement will not give glowing reviews, with or without disagreements. As long as the people keep gathering together, keep pressing forward to turn the nation back toward the Constitution, less spending, and toward freedom, those distractors can keep spinning.

I just listened to two party attendees in Nashville, they were excited, and they spoke of the same things that most tea party groups agree. The media can continue to do all that they wish, but the people are engaged.

Psalm 91

The local Tennessean is among the many news outlets live blogging.

Liveblogging the Tea Party Convention

http://blogs.tennessean.com/politics/20 ... onvention/

Liveblogging the Tea Party Convention

By: Jennifer Brooks
Published on February 4, 2010 in Politics.
Tags: tea party.

5 p.m. This evening’s entertainment

If you’re wondering how Ray Stevens, the guy who brought the world that song about the squirrel going berserk in church is headlining the Tea Party convention, please enjoy this Stevens Tea Party anthem.


4:30 p.m. Tea Party teetotalers

Tea Party registration wraps up at 6 p.m. and then the party starts. And by “party,â€

Thank you for the link to the Live Blog JohnDoe2. It will be interesting to see how The Tennessean participates, however, their main stories are pro illegal alien, and they write them often. They use the usual suspect contributors of Mr. Ozment, the TIRRC, a group lobbying in the State Legislature against any bill that would provide enforcement, and any other voice who wants open borders, and the elimination of 287g in Nashville. La Raza should be writing for them.

Psalm 91