CNN and Tea Party Express to host first-of-its-kind Tea Party presidential primary debate

cnn ^ | December 17th, 2010 | Shannon Travis

[Syncro]

CNN and Tea Party Express to host first-of-its-kind Tea Party presidential primary debate

By: CNN Political Producer Shannon Travis

Washington (CNN) – CNN is teaming up with the Tea Party Express for a first-of-its-kind presidential primary debate, both organizations announced Friday. The Tea Party debate, featuring 2012 Republican presidential candidates, is scheduled for Labor Day week 2011. It will take place in Tampa, Florida – the site of the 2012 Republican National Convention.

Since the spring of 2009, the Tea Party movement has been increasingly vocal in advocating for less government spending, lower taxes and shrinking the deficit. The Tea Party debate will place specific emphasis on those issues.

Tea Party Express Chairman Amy Kremer talked to CNN about what activists hope to hear from Republican presidential candidates. "We want to hear what their ideas are – what their thoughts are – on turning this economy back around and getting us on a sound economic footing, paying down some of our deficit, getting a balanced budget, and reining in the spending," Kremer said.

[EternalVigilance]

The Tea Party Express was instrumental in helping many conservative candidates into office

Yeah, like Scott Brown. Real "conservative" success there, let me tell ya.

But hey, at least they finally backed down from their endorsement of the Dem congressional incumbent in ID-1. I'll give them that... /s

[Syncro]

Will do pepe la pew!

[Syncro]

It's a Presidential Primary Debate for candidates for the position of President of The United States of America.

It has nothing to do with the people you mentioned.

Those people can't sacrifice something that they don't control or have any say in.

I hope that clears it up for you.

[Kimberly GG]

“Please leave this to the professionals.”

Well, at least you admitted it.

[Kimberly GG]

...”but you are correct in that the GOP RINOs are just as capable.”

IMO, apparently they already have. As they say...follow the money.

[Syncro]

I read your FR profile page, apology accepted.

[RonDog]

C-N-freaking-N?!?

What, you couldn't get Pravda to partner with you?

Seriously, if this were anybody else but YOU promoting this, I would be breaking out the pitchforks, and heating up the tar.

I'll give you a LOT of grace, since I know from personal experience that your heart is in the right place.

But I agree with many of the others who have voiced their concerns on this thread.

In particular, do we know yet who exactly will have the final decision on:

1 - Which CANDIDATES will be invited?
2 - Who will be the MODERATORS?
3 - What will be the FORMAT?

Will the TPX leaders have any "veto" power, if they do not like the direction this thing takes?

It's nice to see the Tea Party Express breaking into the "big time" -- but PLEASE reassure me that SOMEBODY knows what they're doing with this.

When will we know MORE?

Is there a way for us to provide input -- on an ongoing basis, preferably here on FR -- as the details of this event start to take shape?

PS: Thank you for "taking the point" on this, here on FR. At minimum, you have the courage of your convictions. :o)

[ballplayer]

Ive had enough of the So Called Professionals,I will Take some amateurs with Common sense thank you very Much

[dforest]

CNN will probably put big red X’s over the candidates faces like they did Cheney a few years ago.

Or accidently add a toilet scene from Dumb and Dumber.

I would not put that past them.

[SC_Pete]

This will be orchestrated by the Left—media, academia, activist groups, and think tanks to do as you say: assassinate the candidates (except perhaps for RINO Mitt Romney), and to severely damage the credibility of the Tea Party movement. They can’t destroy the Tea Party in one night, but they will make a damn good attempt.

The Tea Party Express will be at the mercy of the Journolistas; radical professors; the Center for American Progress; Media Matters; Huffington Post (and researchers funded by Soros); National Public Radio researchers (funded by Soros); union consultants and investigators; and every other RAT resource they can throw at it. We can also expect the Obama Reelection Campaign to be involved in some capacity. This is a potential disaster for the Tea Party movement and our election chances in 2012.

[cranked]

Since when has CNN been for the Tea Party? This smells to high heaven.....

[Free_at_last_-2001]

Oh man you are the first to notice! - Oh good it is satire. I was concerned some blue rinse Republicans from the party of stupid had infested the Tea party movement to forward their policy of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

[Syncro]

Sorry, I thought you would have noticed my post to you was tongue in cheek.

This debate is a serious happening, probably in Sept 2010.

Pay no attention to the blue rinse Republicans

They are greeters at WalMart

[Syncro]

I see your last post to me was removed.

I think it was because of your use of the street term for rectal orifice.

Sorry if it brings you down to street level communication when you get called out for posting misleading information to make the TPM look bad.

I was about to post a reply, but it wouldn't take

Fortunately, I had copied it so I could respond.

Yes, TPX is widely “known” for “making a lot of cash off their PACs”

On DU and other leftist websites yes, here it has been refuted over and over.

Thanks for doing all the research to bring down TPX, but you left out a few important facts.

If you study how PACs work, you will see that some have a Corporation or other entity that starts them as in the case of the Our Country Deserves Better PAC (AKA Tea Party Express)

In that case some times monies are spent using corporate credit cards as is the case with TPX

I was a part of every one of OCDB’s cross country tours, and can attest that Russo Marsh Etc used hundreds of thousands of dollars from their money, and also that of Russo's and other participants.

When you see in the official papers that money went to Russo Marsh etc (and other individuals), it is mostly money that is being reimbursed to those that used their own funds.

If the amount of money that you mentioned went into the consulting firms pocket what was left over wouldn't even come close to the expenses incurred during the period of time you mentioned.

I hope this clears it up a little for you.

Sorry you didn't like my curt answer to your first post to me, but I have dealt with the same uninformed accusations many time over the last few years here and am sometimes surprised that Free Republic posters aren't aware of the facts of the matter.

But really, to call me a rectal orifice...that was a little over the line lady!

Merry Christmas to you also Noamie@

[Syncro]

Thanks for you comments RonDog, they are welcome

We're saving partnering with Pravda for a debate over the START treaty.

Obama will be on their side.

: > )

Yep, as the messenger the usual suspects...and some posters that surprised me...took a myriad of shots at me, and of course the Tea Party Express.

PLEASE reassure me that SOMEBODY knows what they're doing with this.

Oh my RonDog you underestimate me and the TPX people.

They do know what they are doing with this trust me.

I'm not going to go into it on this thread, but in the near future I will post a new one with all the answers that will put your concerns to rest.

For those that wish to post their negative comments, I will refer them to this thread...heh

Constructive criticizm welcomed of course!

[lentulusgracchus]

I am very suspicious of those who went out and registered organizations and set up 501(c)3’s to tap into this uprising .....

The "Tea Party Express" is a group of professional conservative-Republican campaigners from California. They come from various backgrounds, but some of them have Reagan Administration experience and/or GWB Administration experience. They are not RNC RiNO types, but instead are associated with the Gray Davis recall of a few years ago for the most part. One or two of the executive group has experience helping with the Prop 8 campaign as well.

These people should be associated with the loose "conservative wing" of the California GOP, the people who challenged Gray Davis and wanted Davis's job for Congressman Tom McClintock, before they were euchred by the RiNO's who went out and recruited Ahnuld once it became apparent that Davis could very well be recalled.

I worked with Tea Party people in Texas myself as a poll-watcher, and the group I affiliated with were not the Tea Party Express.

It looks like the Tea Party Express may be making a bid for leadership of the movement as a whole (good luck with that --- famous aphorism about conservatives and herding cats applies here), but at least the Express people are in fact genuine conservatives, if tainted with the name of "political professionalism".

[Onelifetogive]

Reminds me of the story of the frog and the scorpion...

[Noamie]

Sorry syncro - I appreciate this post and I see now what you are talking about. I guess I got a little caught up in the argument.

Merry Christmas, man.

[Syncro]

Thanks for you kind reply, Noamie!

There are a lot of people that are trying to besmirch good tea party groups because the have an agenda opposite of what TPX and FR have..

I'm glad to see that you are not one of them, and now have a better understanding of the Tea Party Express.

I have been working with them since their inception, and do know their intentions and goals and they are very Conservative and on the mark.

Merry Christmas again!