Tea Party Patriots Fall Flat on Transparency and Stupid on Tactics

The Washington Times ^ | Sunday, November 14, 2010 | Kerry Picket

[kristinn]

The Tea Party Patriots have got a lot of explaining to do. Fresh off helping campaigns for GOP wins in the U.S. House of Representatives, members in the Tea Party Patriots organization appear to be playing dirty tricks on Capitol Hill to the dismay of tea party activists who supported efforts of the organization during the midterm elections.

Leaders of the Tea Party Patriots released the private e-mail addresses and cell phone numbers of newly elected Republican members of the freshman class, Roll Call reported on Friday. Urging their members to contact the new GOP’er’s on the hill, Tea Party Patriots leader Jenny Beth Martin attacked the Claremont Institute, a conservative think tank, for scheduling an event for new members that conflicted with the Tea Party Patriots events this weekend.

It should be noted that TPP banned press from their member meeting that was held at the Reagan Building on Sunday. The TPP campaigned on the issue of demanding transparency from members of Congress, but it seems like the Tea Party Patriots fell short on this issue when it came to their own organization.

Furthermore, the group will not reveal who donated the money to pay for the Washington D.C. event; however, they demand equal time with new lawmakers, ban press from their member meetings, won't take questions about their member meetings following the meeting, so it is difficult to take seriously a group that condones publicizing private cell phone numbers and e-mails of lawmakers but wants TPP information to remain private. A hypocritical stance, indeed.

SNIP

A source within TPP told me that a number of members are angry at Ms. Martin for publishing the private contact information of the new lawmakers.

[Don Corleone]

The message here is,”We’re watching you 24/7, stay on message or go the way of the DoDo bird.”

[FrankR]

Actually, the TPP and the TPM did all of the explaining needed on November 2nd when the people cast their votes against the communist regime now occupying the White House.

The media has clicked into kiss-obama's-ass-overdrive and is trying to put the conservatives on defense.

It's a beautiful thing to watch...

[Padams]

The tea party movement has been corrupted.

[Las Vegas Ron]

It's a beautiful thing to watch...

So is your art work, top notch FRiend!

[ShadowAce]

The tea party movement has been corrupted.

Didn't take long, did it?

[Servant of the Cross]

Thanks for posting Kristinn. This controversy was also discussed on this Townhall article thread yesterday. There are true conservative returning incumbents and think tanks (Claremont Institute) in Washington that have been valiantly fighting the good fight for some time now, who are thrilled by the Tea Party movement and the new legislators inspired by this grassroots uprising. These are fellow soldiers in the fight against the socialists, not enemies or 'RINOs'.

[FreeperDoll]

The article was about 0b0z0 not the teaparty, somebody gonna lose there job.....

[WildSnail]

Let me get this straight, Tea Party Patriots:

• Is a national organization
• Is a 501c(4) (non-profit "social welfare" organization) exempt from donor reporting requirements
• Has undisclosed big money doners
• Demands transparency yet holds secret closed meetings
• Publishes representatives' private contact information
• Demands those representatives attend their events
• Encourages the member to use that private contact information
• Members use that private information to send harassing messages

It sounds like they're getting an early start going down the wrong track. The leadership needs to either do some serious rethinking or be replaced. The members who used that private contact information should be ashamed. The members who used that private contact information to send harassing or threatening messages should be kicked out.

Yes, the temptation to head that direction is great. Some of it may even be justified. But if this group wants to represent the common citizen and help bring government back under control, they need to be so clean that they squeak when they walk.

[LibertarianInExile]

I’m sure it wasn’t a real classy move to reveal so-called ‘private’ phone numbers of the new freshmen (I’m not sure anything you have is private once you run for office), but I think what’s sad is that whiny crap buried in the article about how TPP won’t release info to the press just because it’s the press and the press wants it. Why should TPP want to give that info out? The left isn’t held to that standard. Additionally, we know the result of handing out that info would be exactly what the reporter here is carping about—a release of otherwise private info that would be used to harass the donors and members of TPP. Where was this Times reporter during the last DNC fundraiser?

[Outlaw Woman]

This branch of tea party does not represent the movement I’ve seen or been involved with. This is the same group that is demanding the republicans ‘stay away from social issues??’ Just who the hell are these people?

And releasing the private contact information of the newly elected individuals was a stupid thing to do.

It appears to be sabotage. These tactics are not representative of the Tea Party.

[oldbrowser]

I thought the tea party was a conservative way of thinking that had reached the point of frustration with politics as usual and was determined to do something about it. There were no formal structure or leaders or meetings.

Beware of opportunists that try to declare themselves the leaders of the Tea Party such and such. They are trying to usurp the momentum of the spontaneous movement for their own purposes.

[RavenATB]

Message to Tea Party Patriots’ Leadership:

Offer to trade all TPP financing information for release of Obama’s original birth certificate, his college transcripts, his college papers, and his medical history, plus a “how to” manual of how Democrat leaders like Harry Reid go to Washington as paupers and almost instantly become millionaires.

[FrankR]

Thanks man...I appreciate your kind words. I really have fun doing them, it’s a good outlet for me.

[r9etb]

The tea party movement has been corrupted.

The name has, at any rate.

So much for the loud insistence by the Tea Party groups that not being organized was actually a GOOD thing....

So now, anybody who wants, can call themselves a "Tea Party" group, and say or do whatever the hell they want.

Oh, well .... it's not like it couldn't be predicted. It was predicted.

[jimt]

I’ll second the enjoyment. Thanks for your art !

[nutmeg]

...Leaders of the Tea Party Patriots released the private e-mail addresses and cell phone numbers of newly elected Republican members of the freshman class, Roll Call reported on Friday. Urging their members to contact the new GOP’er’s on the hill, Tea Party Patriots leader Jenny Beth Martin attacked the Claremont Institute, a conservative think tank, for scheduling an event for new members that conflicted with the Tea Party Patriots events this weekend...

The tea party movement has been corrupted.

"Tea Party Patriots" isn't the entire tea party movement... they are a company run by Jenny Beth Martin and Mark Meckler.

We met Jenny Beth and Mark last February at CPAC, and have encountered them a few more times at Tea Parties in DC, ie at the three Tea Parties/protests that went on in DC during the weekend of March 20 and 21, 2010, when ObamaCare was passed.

I'm going to be honest here: I do not trust Jenny Beth Martin nor Mark Meckler... I'd be wary of the power-hungry Tea Party Patriots company. I am not alone in my suspicions of these two... I dare not say more, however this little stunt that Jenny Beth Martin tried to pull off (see above) doesn't surprise me at all.

On the flip side, we've also encountered the Tea Party Express several times, in DC and "on the road". We LOVE the Tea Party Express! :o)

That's just my opinion of Tea Party Patriots and Tea Party Express. The grassroots tea party movement is alive, well and thriving from what I've seen...

[r9etb]

It appears to be sabotage. These tactics are not representative of the Tea Party.

Well, see, that's the problem. The Tea Party movement has stoutly refused to organize itself -- it was a point of pride(fulness) with them, apparently.

And, as a result, there's no way to actually say what does or does not "represent" the Tea Party.

[JimRed]

It should be noted that TPP banned press from their member meeting that was held at the Reagan Building on Sunday.

Why let your enemies into your planning sessions?

[nutmeg]

Please see my post #17 if you get a chance...