Is There an OWS Branch of the Tea Party?

What's All This About a Grassroots Cruise? Despite "OWS" Backlash, Still Better to Lead than Lose

When the idea for this 7-day conference first began to stir among a small group of independent organizers, the first suggestion was to convene at a resort somewhere, like CPAC does. But a little research quickly revealed that an upscale Caribbean cruise was actually more economical, and probably more fun. With three volunteers, and plans for a social media campaign to get the word out, Freedom on the Sea was born.

Since 2009, activists have grabbed training any way they can to improve their ability to effect change in the political arena. The Leadership Institute, Franklin Center, American Majority and Americans for Prosperity are just a few of the groups that offer fine training and networking opportunities through classes and online interactions, but none last a whole week. For many, it can be hard to digest a lot of information in just an afternoon or weekend.

Freedom on the Sea offers innovative ideas, advanced training, and extensive contact with celebrities who are eager for interactive sessions and opportunities to talk one-on-one with participants. After the disappointments of 2012, sensible conservatives realize that the movement has to reconnect and revitalize in order to chart a course for victory.

Is it possible to pull together all the Tea Party groups with their different agendas, and find common ground with conservatives, libertarians, independents, and republicans? Can we learn how to tell the story of a conservative future, and communicate the left's attempt to recycle their past failures? Are we just waiting for a great leader, or will we challenge ourselves to lead?

One of the disappointments in promoting this event was the appearance of a hitherto unknown OWS branch of the Tea Party family tree. We've had Facebook comments that bely class warfare; Why don't you plan an event we can ALL afford, it shouldn't just be for the rich! Calls for further division; It's not a conservative cruise unless it's Christian-based! And just plain paranoid; Seems like a cruise ship full of conservatives would be a good target for government bombs-just sayin'!

Leaders don't undercut honest efforts to improve circumstances, but losers are perfectly happy to kick each other down. Yes, cruises cost money, but it is by far the cheapest conservative cruise out there. Freedom on the Sea was created for intelligent activists who recognize failure, and are willing to shift strategy and tackle challenges in order to win. It's designed for leaders, not losers.

I really wonder why.

Easy to figure out, sweetiecakes.

It's largely due to your attitude of thinking you are
somehow better and smarter than others and that you are
qualified to TEACH the ignorant masses gems of your wisdom.

You've already admitted that you're "sacrificing" by not
demanding to be paid for taking this cruise.

We’re keeping the cost down by not taking salaries

Bottom line, you think you are "all that" and that everyone
else should be glad to pay your way just to hear you pontificate
about how much more "special" you are than they.

Well to hell with that.

Clear things up for you, sweetiecakes?

Hi Syncro, I just saw your post, and I’m sorry I am only now getting back to you. When did I say anything bad abut the tea party? I’ve been helping tea party organizers since 2009, and the first time I ever heard of this weird, angry class warfare rhetoric among *purported* tea partiers that I’m talking about was over the past few weeks over this cruise.

All the Tea Party people I know personally are fantastic, supportive classy people. I don’t know for sure who these people are who are so negative but claim they are tea party. And I don’t know you, either.

I suspect that most of the people who are freaking out over a conservative cruise are trolls.

This in itself is a big problem for the tea party.

I am very, very tired of all this, and yes, I’m angry that after getting encouragement from my fellow tea partiers, and working my butt off, I now have to deal with a few who prefer to be nasty. I really don’t need complainers on the ship, so if you don’t want to go on a 7-dat trip with John Fund, Steven Crowder, Anita MonCrief, Deroy Murdock, James O’Keeefe, etc., please DON’T. If you want a different kind of event, then for Heaven’s sake, plan it yourself.

I’ve been helping tea party organizers since 2009

Oh, what Tea Party organizations are those?

"I don’t know for sure who these people are who are so negative but claim they are tea party. And I don’t know you, either.
"I suspect that most of the people who are freaking out over a conservative cruise are trolls."

Well that was precisely the point I was conveying to you. And it looked bad that you just assumed they were tea partiers earlier with out knowing that tea partiers do NOT act like that.

So it seemed you had no real knowledge of what the TPM is all about and the character of it's members.

Now you seem to be including me in with those trolls (glad you finally recognize them as such) because you seem to have decided that I am "freaking out over a conservative cruise."

I've done no such thing, just called you on trying to push selling the the cruise to me when ever you reply to my posts.

I now have to deal with a few who prefer to be nasty. I really don’t need complainers on the ship, so if you don’t want to go on a 7-dat trip with ...[removed more promotion]...please DON’T. If you want a different kind of event, then for Heaven’s sake, plan it yourself.

There you go again, making it seem I am dissing your event so I can promote my own.

I have been in on the planning of hundreds of tea parties and rubbed elbows with hundreds of thousands of tea party type people and NEVER believed for one second when any of them acted like OWS, while you seem to have accepted that those types could be legitimate tea partiers

Any tea partiers I know would have spotted the false intruders in a nano-second when they acted like OWSers. You, on the other hand, decided to diss tea partiers by seeing the OWS types as legit.

So again, what tea party organizers (and which tea parties) have you "helping with" since 2009?

First of all, I’m concerned about the tea party looking bad, as you are. My friend who posted on her big fb page got huge blowback from people who are long time followers, who purport to be tea party. They made lots of deprecating comments about the cruise being for the rich, suggested I was getting something for free, were mad they couldn’t afford it, insisted we do something else, like a campground event, and suggested that cruisers were in danger. Some of the comments made the writers look like nuts.

I wondered, do some of the people out there claiming to be tea party actually have more in common with OWS? When I read all the class warfare rhetoric in these fb posts, it infuriated me, because I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from.

In all my time with tea party networks and groups in my home state as well as my work with national groups, I’ve had mostly good experiences. I’ve worked closely with AFP, Leadership Institute in D.C., American Majority, and Franklin Center, as well as a state-wide CPAC. I’ve also managed a state senate campaign. I got kicked around a little during the union riot in Lansing Michigan, when union thugs knocked down the AFP tent. I participated in the first big tea parties of 2009, and continue to support the tea parties today. I’ve done a lot of documenting for tea party rallies throughout my state over the years.

Just because someone says they’re tea party doesn’t mean they’re not divisive. I am trying to bring attention to the fact that this crabbing about my event is an example of a negativity that is not good for us. The left is laughing at us. The divisiveness will destroy the movement if we’re not more circumspect.

I would think that nice tea party folks wouldn’t automatically try to shoot down ideas from fellow conservatives. Hence my confusion and anger when they apparently did.

We’re really on the same side, Syncro. I didn’t know you did events too until your last post. I’ll make you a deal: you organize a conservative event, and I’ll help you promote it. I don’t care what kind of an event it is, and I don’t care if you make money on it. i don’t care if we disagree on details of whatever platform you stand on. I will promote it.

Please don’t reply back with demands for more details of proof of my affiliation with the tea party is. I believe you when you say that of the hundreds of thousands of TPM you’ve rubbed elbows with, no one acted like OWS. That’s been my experience too. Once again, I referred in my article to internet blowback, and one conservative lady that snarled at me. I didn’t accuse tea partiers of bad behavior, just bad opinions that are similar to the class warfare rhetoric of the OWS. Once again, this is not good for us.

The cruise isn’t for everyone, just as a camping event or trip to D.C. isn’t for everyone. I never said it was.

I would think that nice tea party folks wouldn’t automatically try to shoot down ideas from fellow conservatives. Hence my confusion and anger when they apparently did.

*sigh*

I see my words seem to be falling on deaf ears.

It WAS not tea partiers. They just do not act like that. Oh some that call themselves that do, such as the Tea Party Patriots (who tried in the beginning to shoot down other large tea party orgs,) but their main purpose is to be seen as the leaders of the TPM and making money.

I still have no idea what tea party groups you worked with, except AFT which is a good organization but I don't think they call themselves a tea party group.

Which tea parties did you go to in 2009, we may have seen each other as I was at many tea parties in that year.

OWS and the TEA Party ar probably closer cousins than either side would really care to admit. Talk of “crony capitalism” is, after all, not that far off from decrying the Wall St. oligarchy. Too much power does indeed rest in the hands of a relative few, and massive wealth generally determines who that few are.

Where the two groups diverge is on how to address the problem. OWS wants more government in an effort to control and punish “the 1%” and to redistribute their wealth. (Two fundamental flaws in this approach, by the way: 1) it ignores the fact the the government is intertwined with the wealthy interests, and by no means is interested in harming its buddies, and 2) even if they were able to do as they wish, they become more dependent on “the 1%” than they already claim to be, as a parasite depends on its host.)

The TEA Party, on the other hand, recognizes that the government making policy to specifically affect their friends and allies is a major part of the problem. They want a smaller government that gets out of the business of picking winners and losers.

Thoughtful post, kevkrom. May I add that I think the greatest strength and greatest weakness of the tea party is the fact that there is no central leader or organization that determines the platform? It’s a huge strength because the leftists have never been able to target and destroy s central leader. However, all these tea party groups that formed in 2009-2010 have diverged in their goals, and at least here in my state, groups have fractured because of internal disagreements and personality conflicts. One friend likens running a tea party group to “herding cats”, because tea party activists tend to all be leaders. Several of the original tea party folks I trained with in DC have just called it quits.
Another poster had a negative comment about the Tea Party Patriots, so there is disagreement even here on who lives up to the ideal tea party model.

My original point was that I had received some blowback on a tea party FB page for planning a conservative event. The administrator told me she was shocked by the comments, and even deleted some as being too crazy. She assured me that these people had followed her site for years. The general tone of the negative comments (which were a small, but vocal minority) seemed to center around the notion that an event like this was only for the “rich” and therefore not anything a decent tea partier would have anything to do with. Considering the fact that I got the cruise idea from some tea party leaders, I can only conclude that there are people out there who have been active in tea parties, but harbor some sympathy to class warfare. They felt perfectly comfortable making remarks designed to make conservatives ashamed of having the audacity to combine a vacation with a conference.

I strongly support the tea party ideal, and part of that is I don’t say things like, Good luck with that expensive CPAC where all those rich people and Conservative leaders could be taken out with a drone! or, People like you are just trying to get rich off the poor with this event.

For Heaven’s sake, no matter what event I volunteer to help with, there’s always someone who gripes about the cost, and it’s usually because they don’t know the financial details.

At our state CPAC 2 years ago, we charged $50 for a great daylong event-but some people complained bitterly, thinking that because it took place in a church, the organizers must have profited. Well, like most tea party events, it actually lost money, but the bills were picked up by a generous benefactor.

I guess my point his that you’re always going to get people who disagree, or who don’t have all the facts, or who make wild assumptions, but we need to all agree to be careful about shooting down each other’s events and ideas. We should not support class warfare rhetoric. Our biggest challenge is creating a unified front so the lefties can’t divide us further.

If we could only learn to say, I don’t agree with everyone on the details, but we all agree that #1 Government is too big, Freedom is too small, and we need to balance the budget. And refuse to engage in political conversations about abortion, gay marriage or any other issues by referring back to #1

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