Beware of Tea Party free-riders and saboteurs, Right and Left
posted at 10:48 am on April 14, 2009 by Repurblican
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I admit it. I was a skeptic during the first round of tea party protests.
I didn’t think many people would come out; that the protests were a flash-in-the-pan, CNBC phenomenon pushed as part of the Ron Paul movement and lacking in broadbased support; and that the purported “attendees” on Facebook and elsewhere would be about as reliable as any other Facebook Event that didn’t promise free booze. I thought when the time came, few people would show up.
Boy, was I wrong. Attendence at the Parties was impressive, with strong non-Paulite contingents. When my parents started talking about tea party protests this past Easter weekend, I realized how big the Movement had become… and how important April 15 might be, both for the movement as well as for the national agenda.
What specifically makes April 15 important?
First there is, of course, the potentially “historic” nature of the event. The initial gatherings were not centrally planned and are, in fact, ongoing; the April 15 protests will probably consolidate these earlier successes into one day. Turnout is important, and it will be interesting to see how many supporters show up that didn’t attend the first time.
Second, the tea parties are reaching a point of maturity where organizers need to start crystalizing exactly what the movement wants, and how it intends to get there. Being “mad as hell” and going on an equivalent “Richhunt” isn’t going to cut it. Set some goals and an agenda that jive with the libertarian principles of the protest’s namesake. Tea partiers need to focus on the core, or else lose its identity to a mishmash of special interests.
It is these special interests, Right and Left, that pose the biggest threat to the movement. Contrary to what the Media Matters crowd might tell you, the tea parties are a grassroots movement that’s picked up some power players along the way, and not the other way around. It’s the power players that need to be watched. The Founders didn’t forcefully disembark a ship full of tea because of gay marriage, abortion, God in schools, or anything beyond the right of self-determination and right to not be taxed without their interests represented, and if “sponsoring” organizations such as the American Family Association try to make “traditional values” a retrofitted part of the movement, God help us, the movement is going to devolve into a diluted, meandering ideological sideshow that does more harm than good to small-government interests. (AFA, unsurprisingly, doesn’t show up at the “sponsoring” link at the “tea party” website,a testament to how decentralized this grassroots movement seems to be.)
Likewise, organizers need to keep watch for other, undesirable external groups showing up with their own message. “Nazis” have already been made a corrollary to the tea party’s “angry tax payers”, and you can bet that many groups are going to be trying to crash these events either as outright saboteurs or as, just simply, legitimate crazies. Hint hint. Don’t let these groups, fringe, Leftist, or otherwise, get their grubby hands on the movement and event.
I hope the tea parties are a great success because the underlying principles of small government are extremely important, but I hope organizers are vigilient enough about what they’ve created to set a coherent agenda consistent with the movement and be prepared to repel the unwelcome visitors, Right and Left, wanting to have their say — and in some cases, a final say — on whether the movement will endure, or live on as an example of what could have been, but wasn’t.
And remember: The smears against tea party participants and sympathizers aren’t just reserved to private sector actors. The Left dost protest too much, and for good reason… the political stakes are high.
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At least 4 generations of my family have served as citizen soldiers to preserve, protect and defend our constitution and I ask nothing more of our political leaders than just that. Yet instead of citizen legislators as our founders envisioned, we see professional politicians who place their ego first, their party second and their oath to our country’s constitution last. They apparently fear no consequences for ignoring their misplaced priorities.
Somehow our professional politicians need to face some consequences and the only way under the constitution is to throw them all out of office at the next election and replace them with citizen legislators. Then we can possibly control this spending and the resulting tax increases and hopefully amend the constitution to limit the number of terms of office, pass a balanced budget amendment and give future presidents a line item veto to remove pork when congress will not act properly.
When our country was young, before we adopted our present constitution, political corruption and high taxes in 1786 lead to Shays’ Rebellion in Massachusetts. This was after petitioning of government for redress and then when civil disobedience failed to impress the politicians of that time. With the Tea Parties we are in our own way petitioning our government to stop this corruption of spending, the taxation which will surely follow and the infringement of our liberty and rights this certainly will cause. I honestly hope our politicians listen to our cries for government to again represent the will of we the people.
amr on April 14, 2009 at 10:59 AM
the Left is pushing this video from one party to label all this as kooks like the paultards. This guy mentions Chuck Baldwin, the LP and then goes into DTV box conspiracy theories about the Govt. programing our brains
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwdOwgD5OsY&feature=player_embedded
jp on April 14, 2009 at 11:46 AM
so very true.
ernesto on April 14, 2009 at 11:47 AM
if “sponsoring” organizations such as the American Family Association try to make “traditional values” a retrofitted part of the movement, God help us, the movement is going to devolve into a diluted, meandering ideological sideshow that does more harm than good to small-government interests.The AFA needs to stay the hell away from it unless it wants to discuss tax and spending issues. I’ve spoken to people who’ve attended the protests. They’re individuals who are pro-life, pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, anti-gay marriage, straight, gay, etc. The movement is picking up steam from people outside of the traditional value conservative base. Let the protests be about what they set out to be about.
amerpundit on April 14, 2009 at 11:47 AM
Seems like a reach to me. Simply because AFA is helping organize TEA Parties, they are somehow hijacking them and should be lumped into the same group as the leftists propagandists?
Let this be a message to the rest of you not to attend a TEA Party if you believe this government is wrong on other things than taxes.
cntrlfrk on April 14, 2009 at 11:48 AM
Statist authoritarian Nazis and fiscal Conservatives? Natural enemies there. The Nazis better stay behind the police.
forest on April 14, 2009 at 11:50 AM
I honestly hope our politicians listen to our cries for government to again represent the will of we the people.
amr on April 14
And if they don’t?
Not trying to bait you. I’d really like to know what our alternatives are.
SKYFOX on April 14, 2009 at 11:51 AM
Talking to my Dem neighbor yesterday and he’s pretty upset at the new taxes and illegal migration. Funny how Dems don’t like paying higher taxes either.
To paint this as just a “Right-wing” thing is dishonest. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a lot of Dems at the parties tomorrow.
RadioFreeUSA on April 14, 2009 at 11:52 AM
Hussein is doing everything they can to try cast us conservatives as extremists. THEY are the extremists.
dogsoldier on April 14, 2009 at 11:53 AM
I believe Repurblican was talking hypothetical:
Sponsoring is one thing. But if they try to make it about something other than taxes or spending, the parties will begin dwindling. Like I said, many attending these aren’t even conservative.
amerpundit on April 14, 2009 at 11:53 AM
Similarly, be pro legal immigration. We have laws and procedures for entering the US to work here and become a citizen. All we ask is that those laws and procedures be respected and followed. Just like asking guests to enter your house through the front door, not sneaking in through a side window in the middle of the night.
rbj on April 14, 2009 at 11:54 AM
Yep. My neighbor is a Democrat and attended a local one not long ago. People across the spectrum are tired of spending and taxes.
amerpundit on April 14, 2009 at 11:55 AM
That’s clearly not the point he was trying to make.
strictnein on April 14, 2009 at 11:57 AM
This country will turn into a third world tenant nation if no one does nothing. It’s simple you can’t spend your way out of debt no matter how much D.C. math you apply.
Dr Evil on April 14, 2009 at 11:58 AM
I think this tea party thing is going to stagger the lefties and the media in its size and scope. I believe it’s a lot bigger than what anyone really thinks.
Not that it’s going to stop the jackass in the oval office from doing the damage he’s doing, but it’s going to be big.
rollthedice on April 14, 2009 at 12:02 PM
I can boil the tea parties down to two words and that would be, “The Constitution”. Like the Bible it does not need someone to interpret it. It’s written in English.
mixplix on April 14, 2009 at 12:03 PM
I agree that this movement has stretched far beyond the Ron Paul libertarians, but that’s just watered it down. Anyone who has supported Bush Military adventures doesn’t have a whole lot of room to complain about excessive spending.
The Dean on April 14, 2009 at 12:04 PM
Exactly. This is about bailouts, taxes, out-of-control spending and the inflation Helicopter Ben is cooking up.
Rae on April 14, 2009 at 12:04 PM
*Unless they’ve had a genuine change of heart, I should add to my last post.
The Dean on April 14, 2009 at 12:07 PM
Who is REPUBLICAN?
pseudonominus on April 14, 2009 at 12:08 PM
I agree about certain lightning rod personalities and organizations trying to capitalize on it…
…but, darnit if I am not going to rail against this DHS report now. My focus has BROADENED.
Let’s try not to box it in from the inside, as well.
Mommypundit on April 14, 2009 at 12:10 PM
I expect just the opposite. I expect this jackhole to come out give an ‘I feel your pain’ speech and claim he is the ‘President of Change’ we voted for in November to fix these problems.
Just like taking credit for Navy Seals actions after success was guaranteed.
cntrlfrk on April 14, 2009 at 12:11 PM
Bush Expenditure on Iraq: $600 billion
Obama Expenditure on Stimulus $700 billion+
Obama Expenditure on Climate Change: Planned $2 trillion
Obama Expenditure on Health Care: Planned $1.5 trillion
Plenty of room to complain. Just because one doesn’t complain about hundreds of thousands being spent doesn’t mean they can’t complain about the needless expenditure of millions.
amerpundit on April 14, 2009 at 12:16 PM
Just to be clear, Nazis were statist, command economy lefties.
forest on April 14, 2009 at 12:17 PM
If you think the MSM will show more than 20 seconds of Tea parties on TV, when they have the new Presidential puppy to show, you are nuts.
faraway on April 14, 2009 at 12:17 PM
Repurblican? An anonymous writer for the Green Room.
amerpundit on April 14, 2009 at 12:17 PM
What should be clearly spelled out is people in the legislature who understand this can’t go on. That means finding good candidates dedicated to true fiscal responsibility. From a practical standpoint, that normally means GOP candidates… and, very often, NOT those currently in office. It means running a BUNCH of primary opponents, backing them, and thining the RINO herd first.
However, There are a few exceptions on the Dem side and these need to be encouraged and supported, even when that means opposing RINOs on the general. This is not a party issue; it’s a fiscal sanity issue.
michaelo on April 14, 2009 at 12:20 PM
amerpundit, check the headline tag. It calls him Republican. Shouldn’t the people running the site know who they have contributing?
Just joking with you guys, you don’t have to worry about Hotairisms of the Day.
Yet…. lol.
brainy435 on April 14, 2009 at 12:21 PM
Ah.
amerpundit on April 14, 2009 at 12:22 PM
They would have if those sick principles were in play back then which they were not. The founders were godly people. If Gay marriage, abortion and making a law against God in school had been actual agendas, heads would have rolled.
Guardian on April 14, 2009 at 12:26 PM
Actually it says “Repurblican.”
Repurblican on April 14, 2009 at 12:27 PM
They’re talking about the link to your post on the main page. The author it lists is “Republican”.
amerpundit on April 14, 2009 at 12:31 PM
If you go to one of these things, BRING A VIDEO CAMERA. Find the news media on site and make sure your camera is pointed at the same things their cameras are pointed at. Because you just know when a lefty loon starts a fist fight in the middle of the event, the media will only show him getting owned by the participants and report it as violence against some innocent bystander.
CurtZHP on April 14, 2009 at 12:32 PM
Ah. Now I get it.
Repurblican on April 14, 2009 at 12:34 PM
It’s true that the Tea Party movement needs to focus on fiscal sanity. However, groups that align with the movement don’t need to give up their own identities.
I’d like to see each group able to articulate a coherent, comprehensive philosophy of why they are present, what they agree on, and what are the different emphases that make Evangelicals distinct from Libertarians, for example.
Hard to do in practice, but it’d be nice to pull that off.
cs89 on April 14, 2009 at 12:37 PM
Alex Jones is neither left nor right. I will be at all tea parties I can attend with my No NWO t-shirts. We have every right to attend as long as we peacefully add our voice to the chorus.
You all are way behind on this. Modern Tea parties have their origins in the Patriot movement, they should not be shut out simply because the right refuses to acknowledge what the Patriot movement has been aware of for years.
Whether the right likes it or not, the Patriot movement knew this exact scenario would come to pass. They deserve all the props in the world instead of the scorn so many are rewarding them with. Unfortunately, more of what they’ve predicted will come to pass, I think only then will people on the right open their eyes to the direction that the country is headed. Everyone’s still stuck on the chessboard of right and left, and it simply blinds you to the overall, well organized plan.
If you simply place your faith in people like Rush and Michelle you will miss out on alot of information. They have something to contribute and I appreciate that, but they don’t provide the complete picture, just a portion of it.
I’m not a proponent of Alex Jones approach, I can’t stand his yelling, but he has contributed immensely to the alternative media. On this he gets as much props as anyone.
True_King on April 14, 2009 at 12:38 PM
Welp… I agree… but part of “self-determination” is the right of local standards (states’ rights).
My thoughts at RushOn.org
mankai on April 14, 2009 at 12:40 PM
Tea party in Tri-Cities, Washington (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland) John Dam Plaza, George Washington Way, Richland, just north of Knight Street, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. for any HA-ers in my area.
We have a large contingent of Paulites here, and I think they will probably be there, too.
TeeDee on April 14, 2009 at 12:47 PM
DH just got off the phone with the police who will be in downtown Nashville to give them headsup on sabotage efforts. They will have uniformed as well as plain clothes cops keeping an eye out for ACORN and Brown Shirt wannabees. As for the organizations wanting to take over the movement. That can only happen if they are allowed to.
tnmama on April 14, 2009 at 12:48 PM
As a libertarian and a “paulite” I agree with this post. We need to focus on the one issue or else it just becomes like a liberal protest for protest sake, and who takes those jackholes seriously? Of course I apologize in advance for the morons who show up in their 9-11 truth shirts.
libertytexan on April 14, 2009 at 1:03 PM
Nice job Repurblican!! I will be at the tea party in Billings tomorrow. I’ll have my eyes wide open.
Keemo on April 14, 2009 at 1:06 PM
if I was a lefty strategist, I’d have ACORN show up but not as ACORN. they would be at the event the MSM will cover and would be in full blown Truther mode, throw in some Obama Birth Certficate and have a few claim Obama is the Anti-Christ for good measure.
jp on April 14, 2009 at 1:13 PM
the paultards deserve a Tea party of sorts thrown against them, for smearing the legacy of the Founding Fathers themsleves. but of course they don’t have any power or numbers to warrant it. Like any good myth, they have a kernel of truth to theirs and will be allowed to go forth continuing it.
the irony of it is, if not for FDR allowing the myth to be cemented into the minds of the body politic for political expediance, they’d have a different view of things. Foreign and Domestic, that or they would just quit worshiping the Founders.
Special Providence
jp on April 14, 2009 at 1:20 PM
I’m involved with the San Jose, California Tax Day Tea Party and we’ve been having this argument about the AFA for a week and a half now. There’s a post up about this on our event blog, and you can see from the comments that the really nutty evangelicals are really angry at calling out the AFA. A comment that did not get up, from someone defending the AFA, made it clear that anyone who wasn’t a hard-core evangelical was going to hell. Specifically, NO Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Catholics, not to mention Jews or Muslims even had a chance at getting into Heaven. So, there are some really loony tunes out on the far right, too, and so we have to keep an eye out for that crowd, for sure.
BananaSlug on April 14, 2009 at 1:23 PM
I think, Repurblican, that you are making some assumptions about the agenda of the Tea Parties. Because it is a grassroots movement, people are participating for many different reasons. Maybe I misunderstood. It is fine for the organizers of each Tea Party to set the agenda for the Tea Party meeting tomorrow, but ultimately the people involved will set the agenda for the movement, if this continues to build into a movement.
Ordinary American on April 14, 2009 at 1:39 PM
Besides perhaps, a couple dozen Waco and Ruby Ridge repeats as patriots finally take up arms and lose valiently?
None. None whatsoever. The coming Tea Parties and the like are America’s Minas Tirith; we lose here, the rest will only delay the inevitable.
Dark-Star on April 14, 2009 at 1:49 PM
Does it worry you that those disparate agendas, dictated by disparate groups, might very well turn out to be contradictory? Boosting creationism in public schools is a far cry from getting the government out of the Peoples’ lives.
Repurblican on April 14, 2009 at 1:50 PM
Nice, a LOTR analogy. Don’t agree that the Tea Parties are necessarily the last stand before the Orcan hordes, but I appreciate the reference nonetheless.
Repurblican on April 14, 2009 at 1:54 PM
So give up? Don’t do anything? Just watch America go down in flames without a fight?
That’s the wishful thinking of the left wing.
kirkill on April 14, 2009 at 1:57 PM
Somebody obviously didn’t bother to read my post.
I’ll say it again very simply, just for you.
We are very quickly running out of chances to change things through nonviolent means. Our public
indoctrination centersschools, along with a heavily slanted media are shouting louder and unteaching truth faster than we can counteract them. Thus there are ever fewer people who even know something is wrong. Worse, we may be officially classified as ‘terrorists’ or mentally unstable for daring to protest before long. So if the Tea Parties aren’t our final big shot they’re likely one of the last.Finally, change through violent means has less than a snowball’s chance. Our forefathers had several advantages we wouldn’t get and they won only by divine providence and the skin of their teeth.
Dark-Star on April 14, 2009 at 2:09 PM
Maybe a new political party will come out of all this with republicans, libertarians and conservative dems.
Maybe we could name it the TEA party…
Hendo on April 14, 2009 at 2:20 PM
It is fine for the organizers of each Tea Party to set the agenda for the Tea Party meeting tomorrow, but ultimately the people involved will set the agenda for the movement, if this continues to build into a movement.
Ordinary American on April 14, 2009 at 1:39 PM
Does it worry you that those disparate agendas, dictated by disparate groups, might very well turn out to be contradictory? Boosting creationism in public schools is a far cry from getting the government out of the Peoples’ lives.
Repurblican on April 14, 2009 at 1:50 PM
I don’t see the Tea Parties as the work of “disparate groups”, but rather as the work of individuals who at this point have many different reasons for their participation. Most people will have multiple concerns, many of which will overlap, but not all. I don’t think you can expect people to set aside issues that are important to them, whether it is small government or “creationism in public schools” (or the issue du jour pro or anti same sex marriage). Some issues will find broad consensus support across the country, other issues will have regional consensus support. Some will have no consensus support.
We need people putting out agenda suggestions (plural) for the future of our country (including a plan for how to get there) and see what ideas resonate with people. But I see that as separate from the Tea Parties.
I’ve only read a couple of your blogs, but it seems that you have some ideas about what you feel the agenda should be. I have some ideas as well, but if a significant number of people don’t share those ideas, it won’t make much difference.
Right now a number of political figures are trying to coopt the Tea Parties. I think the Tea Parties should remain grass roots events. I think the pot needs to simmer for a while before people will start to seriously think about the details of their concerns.
Ordinary American on April 14, 2009 at 2:25 PM
The Indianapolis group has an estimated 5 to 8 thousand to attend. The group also is NOT allowing any politician to speak at the event. Speakers are:
Founding Father “Thomas Paine”
(portrayed by Dr. Bob Basso)
Greg Garrison
Garrison Show – WIBC radio
Kim Tabor
Singing our National Anthem
The Wright Brothers Band
Performing a patriotic melody
Frank Anderson
Independence Caucus
Our message is:
CONGRESS, REPEAL THE
STIMULUS PACKAGES NOW AND
UPHOLD THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OR
WE WILL REPLACE EVERY MEMBER OF CONGRESS STARTING IN 2010
And this message was sent to everyone on the email list and any emails from the group always ends with this message.
kthomas8268 on April 14, 2009 at 2:31 PM
How so ? What if it is a segment of the american public that wants creationsism taught and not a governement agency.
Christians can and will advocate for whatever they want.
Even if it is taught at school it will not stop the teaching of evoultion.
I’m more worried about liberal provacators invading these tea partys and pretending to be (nazi’s racist) just to get on TV.
My guess is this is the only way CNN will cover this. Show some poser holding up a sign saying something very non pc.
kangjie on April 14, 2009 at 2:42 PM
the Govt. is in people’s lives with Education policy as it currently exist, they force only one theory on lifes beginnings to be taught. Its not proven science, its a theory. The Origin of Speicies stuff is pretty Crackpotish itself.
not to say that microevolution isn’t actual science, but these are two very different subjects.
jp on April 14, 2009 at 3:12 PM
I’m taking an extra sign:
“Left Wing Plant: Be polite & Informed”
If we identify any trying to get damaging interviews, I’ll just politely follow them around with the sign. It could be fun.
michaelo on April 14, 2009 at 11:32 PM
SKYFOX on April 14, 2009 at 11:51 AM:
Shays’ Rebellion moved from civil actions to marching to an armory for powder and weapons and expecting that the newly formed state militia would join them. Instead Shays’ men were fired on and 4 died. Our civil disobedience should be the minimum of picketing the local offices of Senator and Reps. If congress still continues its spending, then it should be ratcheted up to peacefully occupying said offices. I would not want to see a Shays’ Rebellion II start, but it is a long time until the November 2010 elections and what do the people do when there is no other recourse when congress does not uphold its oath. Although a Rebellion would be classified as sedition, remember the Declaration of Independence’s words, “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness”.
Take care and be safe.
amr on April 15, 2009 at 6:06 AM