Posted on 01/26/2010 12:47:58 PM PST by steve-b
It was supposed to be a gathering of true believers, an occasion to celebrate the Tea Party movement's grassroots victories....
But now rifts within the movement are threatening to derail the convention, organized by Tea Party Nation. The conflict: a convention that seeks to maximize the Tea Party's political clout by developing a mainstream organization and an audience of angry voters dedicated to grassroots actions and suspicious of top-down management.
"The idea that there"s one person, one event, that can somehow be the Tea Party spokesperson is inaccurate and counter to the movement of free-thinking individuals that want less government intervention," says John O"Hara, author of "A New American Tea Party." "This top-down model is what"s being rejected in politics, and that you"d adopt that for your movement is bizarre."
Some have balked at the price tag for the convention -- $549 per ticket and a $9.95 fee, plus hotel and airfare -- as out of touch with the lifestyle of the average tea partier. Others have raised eyebrows at Palin's reported $100,000 speaking fee.
And some have withdrawn from the convention altogether....
(Excerpt) Read more at latimesblogs.latimes.com ...
Internal or external opposition drummed up to divide?
I’m a member of the Hampton Roads Tea Party and I don’t know anything about the group hosting this event. They certainly don’t speak for more me.
Couldn't have said it any better. The people sponsoring this event aren't authetic and I hope this fiasco fails.
At $549 a ticket there is no need to drum up opposition. Sounds like the RNC got ahold of the palnning. Palin should be smarter than to take a speaking fee.
She should be smart enough not to shill for the mack daddy of all RINO's but she's doing it. I no longer trust the woman.
Agents provocateurs trying to sow seeds of division amongst us. Nothing more.
Sounds like 'chump change' compared to the "Bent One":
CLINTON: On October 18, 2005, for example, he addressed about 8,500 business executives at a "Power Within" motivational speaking conference in Toronto, Ontario, for a price of $350,000.
The lefties are out to try to divide us. Their “news” (HA!) articles say they already have.
Why? Do we expect these people to give of their time out of the ‘goodness of their hearts’? A $549 ticket isn’t that much when compared to other events. This isn’t a big outdoor rally that is meant to be for everyone. This is a limited seating event. Do you think the speakers at CPAC do this out of the kindness of their heart? Heck no. Diamond package tickets for CPAC run $750 and most speakers receive in the mid to high five figures with the prime speakers earning six plus figures.
Wasn’t the MSM attacking Palin for not getting speaking offers?
Ok, so, don't keep it a secret. Who do 'you' trust out there more?
This is a good thing.
Once people start speaking the same, I worry.
I couldn’t disagree more actually. While the initial foundation started as a ground up operation, if you expect real power, there needs to be an organized structure lest it becomes chaos.
The populist-structure type movement doesn’t work. You need people who have experience in national level fund-raising, organization, marketing, advertising. If not, it doesn’t grown beyond what you see and over time it starts to faction.
Groups popping up, like the Tea Party Nation are trying to coalesce all these local groups into a power force instead of a bunch of factions.
They were successful at turning the conservative base against Bush.
Plouffe is heading the whole thing again so he, of course, is going to continue with what worked last time.
I’m not looking for a third party and the kind of structure you’re talking about is exactly what this will morph into.
you have to have leadership, period.
and convention centers cost MONEY to rent, thus you need to pay.
I will however say that I have been suspecious of some of the profiteering going on at tea party events from the start.
Palin: "Well, I can't wait to be there, and there's always that controversy it seems surrounding whatever it is that I announce I'm going to do. There's controversy involved in this one because the Tea Party offered me a speaking fee. I will not financially be gaining anything from this."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.