People are always asking when is the next big Tea Party event. A lot of people want to march on Washington, as we did in 2009.
Well, we saw how much good that did.
We need to do another massive Tea Party event. We need to march to make people hear our voices again.
Where do we need to march?
First it is not Washington. Marching on Washington is a total waste of time. The only thing that happens if we march on Washington is that the DC area gets an economic boost from all of those people coming into town and DC is doing just find without our help.
The Republicans in Washington for the most part are not listening to us. This will remain very true as long as John Boehner and Mitch McConnell are the leadership on Capitol Hill.
Where then?
We need to march on Tampa Florida during the Republican National Convention, August 27th through the 30th.
We have one simple message for the GOP. Can you hear us now?
Why the GOP convention?
It is very simple. This is where we can put some pressure on politicians and this is one instance where they will listen.
We do not know what the future holds right now. But the possibility of a brokered or open convention is growing. If Rick Santorum beats Mitt Romney in Michigan on February 28th, Romney will be finished.
Already, establishment Republicans are saying that if he loses to Santorum, they will find another candidate. They are even naming a potential candidate: Jeb Bush.
I think most of the Tea Party agrees. No more Bushes. The Bush name is so badly damaged right now; no Bush could win a general election.
If the establishment is serious about pushing Jeb Bush, about the only way they can do it is through a brokered convention. Too many deadlines have passed to get another RINO on the ballot and have any reasonable chance or for that matter any chance of getting the 1144 delegates they would need to win.
If the establishment pulls their support from Romney, they would be looking for alternatives. But that is forgetting about one man: Mitt Romney.
The GOP establishment may decide that they no longer support Mitt Romney but Romney may have some thoughts on that. Romney is very wealthy and can self fund his campaign for a period of time if he wants. Just because the establishment says they want Romney replaced does not mean Romney is going to automatically fade to the background. Romney has been running for President for five years. He is not going to give up that dream just because some other Republican politicians tell him to.
It is possible Newt Gingrich could still win the nomination. If so, that would be good news for conservatives.
But assuming the GOP vote would be completely fractured, it would be up to the delegates at the Convention to decide who the nominee would be and that is why the Tea Party needs to be there in force.
If the establishment has its way, they will simply throw another establishment loser in the place of Romney. Once again we would have to hold our noses and vote for the lesser of two evils.
Or we can be there and be there in force to make the GOP realize that we the people are speaking.
We, the conservative members of the Tea Party rescued the GOP from oblivion. In 2006 and 2008 the GOP got its head handed to it. They were wiped out like Leonidas and the Spartans at Thermopylae, except the Spartans put up a fight.
In 2010, we gave the Republicans the House and political life again. What have they done with it?
They have acted like the Tea Party does not exist. They have acted like they learned nothing from 2006 and 2008.
This really is the Republican Party’s last chance. We need to make sure they do the right thing.
We need to stand against those in the GOP who just want to be Democrat lite. If the RINOs carry the day this year, I do not know if there will be a Republican Party two years from now. If the RINOs carry the day and give us a Jeb Bush at a brokered convention, we will not be able to beat Barack Obama.
The GOP establishment needs to see the power of the Tea Party movement.
That is why we need to be in Tampa. We need to have thousands and thousands of people there so the Republican delegates see us all four days they are there.
We need to remind them. The Republican Party is a conservative party. When you walk away from those conservative roots, you lose. Things are so bad now we cannot afford to lose.
We need to send the Republican establishment a message. You need us more than we need you.
See you in Tampa!
Tags: 2012, Party, Rally, Tea, convention, republican, tampa
Permalink Reply by charley horse on Suzanne -- The Platform developed (and TP'ers need to be in brokering position) will set the criteria for the emerging candidate. Sufficiently focused, we could win the issue debate and determine the candidate!
To pull this off, committed TP advocates need to become qualified delegates.
I, for one, am not versed in the path - which, I assume veries by state, one must pursue to become a deligate.
Any one w/ knowledge, experience and instruction PLEASE share your knowledge!!!
Thanks, charley
Permalink Reply by Suzanne Curran on Charlie:
To be a national Delegate each state and in some instances each Congressional District within a state can have different rules. Anyone interested in going that route must go to their state Republican Committee Chair for the current rules and then also to the local Republican Committee Chair for that is where it all starts. Each state has a given number of "at-large" Delegates but each Congressional District usually is where locals can get in. There will be a Delegate and Alternate based on the state criteria and authorized position based in part by the RNC and how your state voted in the last presidential election.. Now is the time to go for that information. Caucus states are different than election states..tea partiers get into the fray NOW!!! We can caucus in Tampa within the Convention as we get chosen. We need a process to be sure those who get chosen can know each other and meet in caucus in Tampa.
Permalink Reply by Elba R Samuels on 
Permalink Reply by Edward E Richardson on Can we all bring brooms??? (see my article at
http://home.comcast.net/~ssgrichdav/site/?/blog/&PHPSESSID=6cce...
).
SSGRichDAV
I'm in.. see you in ALL in the Sun Shine State.. better than DC.
After following our discussion on "Choice"over the weekend, I think it time to say hello and to welcome GOP Chairman Priebus aboard. We need to bombard him at Republican Headquarters with letters,calls and faxs with our current feelings and the possiblites of a formation of a new party "The People's Party".. Sending our letter to Congress hasn't help..it's maybe time to try something new..We need to get toughter on these people..I hate to say it..like the "Lefties Do"... "LOAD UP THE IN BASKETS & PHONE LINES"..Remember it's "WAR TIME".. May God Bless this Great Country or our!!!!
We can't forget we are fighting for our "Freedoms & Liberties" for our kids & grand kids..I rest my case.
Republican Headquarters:
Chairman Reinee Priebus
310 First Street,SE
Washington, DC. 20003
PH: 202-863-8500
FAX: 202-863-8820
Judson,
I went to DC twice in 2009, once for the Sept 12 gathering & again when Michele Bachmann asked us to all come to DC and oppose Obamacare. In general, I agree with you, going back to DC does not accomplish anything. We had the largest political gathering in history with between 1.3 and 1.8 million participants. The media downplayed and ignored it. Congress ignored us and passed Obamacare.
If you are going to go to Tampa; please, please, please, DO NOT repeat the marches on DC where folks just show up ad hoc, there are some speeches made, which most of us in the crowd could not even hear because we were so far away. There was no real agenda.
How about a shadow convention? Get into a real indoor venue. Have speeches, but also workshops, vendors, straw polls, perhaps even a formal dinner & dance on a Saturday night. The goal should be to stop worrying about the media and politicians - they will ignore us no matter what. The goal should be to get our own people highly educated, organized, and working like a Green Beret A Team to go back into their communities and lead indigenous forces to change the system.
Our big 9/12/2009 march on DC was a "feel good" effort that did not really help us much to actually get educated. Let's invision an event where the participants, coming from all 49 states, get to actually participate in lots of workshops on the nuts & bolts of politics. Where they get to participate in a meaningful Straw Poll (who do we want for president? VP? Speaker of the House?) Where the participants get to participate in some of the sorts of social activities that create bonds among our people and give families enjoyable events. A place where we actually accomplish something important while we are in town.
My experience of going to DC was similar both times. Once I went in a big rented bus, and once I went in a big SUV with half a dozen friends. In both cases, we drove all day & night, got to town tired & confused. Got on the DC Subway, went into town. Walked a really long way. Stood for hours in the hot sun on the National Mall in front of the Capitol. We visited with other participants, really could not hear the speeches. Left the area, ate a meal in a downtown restaurant, eventually, packed up our signs & flags and reversed the process for the long, boring, ride home.
Yes, it helped. Yes millions of us exchanged contact information in the audience. Yes, there were a couple dozen local Tea Parties organized in trips like ours, including one here in Greenville, SC. We did not learn anything new. We did not build a national organization. We did not get unbiased news coverage. We did not make a ripple in the DC culture down on K Street.
In summary, we did a lot; and, being completely honest, we seriously failed to do much more that we could and should have accomplished. Your idea to go to Tampa is excellent. Why not use TPN as a clearinghouse for information about useful and meaningful activities that will take place there. Where will our conferences? Workshops? Candidate's Schools? Vendors? Speakers? Family activities & music? and a thousand other things be located? If a man, or a family, takes the time to go down for the better part of a week, what will they experience while there? What will they learn while there? How will our movement be better organized? Better trained? More powerful after making that huge investment of time & money?
Please, please, please, do not put on an event where folks once again stand around outdoors for hours and really don't accomplish much. We deserve better, more importantly, we are going to have to learn from the DC experience and DO better, a lot better, if we are serious about saving this republic!
Respectfully,
Dean Allen
Good observations and good idea.
Permalink Reply by Brad Myers on Judson: Great Idea!!!!.... I might consider putting on my flip flops and show up in Tampa. You never know, the Tampa Bay Rays might be playing....
Permalink Reply by Lucinda Sheth on Not Newt! He is a Progressive and has been growing government since 1978!
Permalink Reply by Peter Combes on How about the various Tea Party organizations getting together so there is a more cohesive message. Right now most are saying pretty much the same thing BUT if the various organizations start fighting each other to be THE voice of the Tea Party concept, the message will get lost in the struggle AND the foot soldiers will become disenchanted.
Biggest and best doesn't matter. We need to be a humble, groundswell of supporters of the Country and our Constitution. Goals:. Take over the presidency and both houses. Eliminate the Rinos and make the Republican party conservative. And, elect people who will be true to their stated values after they take office.
That would be enough for now. Good people can correct bad laws given enough time. God bless our beleaguered country. - P
Permalink Reply by charley horse on Mr. Combes -- You are RIGHT ON :o[
Cohesive Message & coordinated effort are Key. From the get-go the divided, duplicitous and competing structures pro-porting to be the "Directing Leadership" has diminished TP overall impact and is the cause of waning momentum.
When, except on the local level, did we ever elect TP leaders?
I'm not advocating for that now (no time to tackle more conflict).-- Now we have the greater challenge of electing a POTUS to save the Constitutional Republic and Congress persons to support that revival but we can insist that the TP factions, as they exist, get their acts together in unified and coordinated movement to take the day!!!
An immediate focus should be qualifying TP persons as Convention deligates - what ever that takes ??
I need help on this - as stated before.
charley
© 2013 Created by Judson Phillips.
