Tea Party group concerned Palin, others using movement for personal gain

The Hill ^ | 09/06/11 | John T. Bennett

[rob777]

Wary that some are joining the grassroots conservative movement merely to sell books and enhance their celebrity status, a Tea Party group is putting the heat on former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to make her presidential plans clear.

In a Tuesday statement, Armed Forces Tea Party Patriots paints former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin as the prime example of that kind of behavior. The group, which consists of former military members, wants Palin to announce whether she will seek the White House or sit out the 2012 race.

“If not we are at risk of having major Tea Party speeches and events used as political rallies for a selected candidate [versus] a citizen based movement that forces the legislative agenda and serves as a fundamental check to the current corrupt culture in Washington, D.C.,” the group said in the statement.

...

[PA Engineer]

The name alone suggests that it is a liberal plant organization looking to cause trouble from within.

Yep. A new group reported by the Hill to sow division. Dutifully reported however without critical analysis of occupation media manipulation.

[meadsjn]

Who is Armed "Forces Tea Party"? Looks like just two members, and not growing so rapidly.

Here's the entire list of News links from their About page:

Press and media 07-29-2011
Debt Position Presser July 29, 2011
DoD Cuts presser 08-03-2011

[going hot]

I am a tea partier. I like to hear what Sarah Palin has to say. If she runs for prez, I will support her. If she does not, I will not.

"When" she announces is her choice, for whatever reason she sees as a good reason to time it the way she wishes.

Anybody who rags on her because she has not announced has more on their mind than the fact that she has not announced. The announcement/no announcement is nothing more than a stepping stone to launch into the "therefore she is weak yada yada non electable yada yada.

Those who dwell on her announcement or lack thereof, her "quitting",, the concern of I like her but...your very words expose you for what you are.

Further, if in fact her non announcement and quitting will make her a non entity, or if she in fact is not even running, then why so shrill in your tone and anxiety?

[PA Engineer]

Great. A two person blog with the first posting in August. Notice there are no comments or feedback to the posts. Yep. They found two people who want Governor Palin to declare.

[rob777]

One other thing. Who are the “Armed Forces Tea Party Patriots”?


They appear to be based in California and are an Armed Forces group loosely aligned with the Tea Party Patriots. http://www.teapartypatriots.org/GroupNew/9f77818c-b728-415b-b103-f9540027fc6e/Armed_Forces_Tea_Party_Patriots The Tea Party Patriots are a loose coalition of some 3500 local Tea Party groups: http://www.teapartypatriots.org/allgroups.aspx As far as I know they are not anti-Palin, but have taken exception in the past to Palin being put forward as the "leader of the Tea Party". As I pointed out in a previous post:

... the concern that people like Sarah Palin not be seen as the sole face of the Tea Party is not new. Last year when Sarah was paid a hefty sum to speak at the Tea Party Nation convention there was a lot of media chatter that she was the leader of the Tea Party. The following was the response to that perception by the Tea Party Patriots: http://www.teapartypatriots.org/BlogPostView.aspx?id=2d180076-dcee-4106-8aca-8991b2722fa1

Again, this is not about putting Sarah down, but making it clear that no one person speaks for the Tea Party. The article posted here is expressing a similar concern to the one expressed by the Tea Party Patriots last year. Both responses followed a high profile Palin speech sponsored by a Tea Party group where the media then proceeded to paint Sarah off as the leader of the Tea Party movement.

[DJ MacWoW]

Well that would explain a lot. Remember there was an article about them slamming Palin for selling books in NH on either Monday or Tuesday. And it stated that the group wasn’t even there.

[Mach9]

Not so sure it’s just libs. Texas is high on the list of resident veterans and active duty military. My guess is that quite a few of them support ex-AF Perry.

[dennisw]

My prediction is that on October 15th 2011 we will be having the same discussion. Sarah Plain will not have announced she will run or will not run. October 30th will be the same with no announcement. We will see sporadic “campaigning” from Sarah Palin in the form of Facebook pronouncements and another three day bus tour.

[smoothsailing]

>>>Who is Armed “Forces Tea Party”? Looks like just two members, and not growing so rapidly. <<<<

The website doesn’t tell the whole story.

Their main online activity seems to be on their facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/ArmedForcesTeaParty

[Mach9]

Let me see if I understand this. Sarah Palin, as yet undeclared, should refrain from addressing tea party gatherings to which she’s been invited to speak? Or are you advising that tea party gatherings refrain from inviting as speakers all “undeclared” individuals—like, say, Jim DeMint, Glen Beck, Michelle Malkin, Chuck Norris, prominent bloggers or columnists, or the local preacher?

We’re more than a year away from the election and at least 6 weeks short of any filing deadlines. What’s the rush?

[dirtboy]

The Tea Party must remain a movement centered o principle and not become one centered on personality.

As opposed to, say, what, the cult of Ron Paul?

[Kandy Atz]

How many Tea Party groups and self-proclaimed leaders can a movement have?

I’m as TEA’d up as you can be and these guys don’t speak for me.

[rob777]

"Sarah Palin, as yet undeclared, should refrain from addressing tea party gatherings to which she’s been invited to speak?"


No, the problem is not addressing Tea Party gatherings. The problem is two fold. One is the largely media generated perception that she is the leader of the Tea Party. That is the issue dealt with by the Tea Party Patriots in the wake of Sarah's keynote address to the Tea Party Nation's convention last year. The media then ran stories giving the impression that she was the leader of the whole Tea Party movement. The Tea Party movement is a loose coalition of some 3500 local groups. Many of us have moved on from high profile rallies with popular speakers to organizing around local issues. While individual members do endorse candidates, a lot of the local groups do not.

The other matter is the perception driven by certain ads that the Iowa speech was going to be some kind of campaign announcement. The speculation is drawing attention that some believe is more productively focused on having a hearing on those who are actually running. A growing number of Tea Party members want the field to be settled so that they can fully evaluate the candidates and start supporting someone. Some groups, like our local group here in NW Vermont, are already mapping out districts where by streets for literature distribution. So far that distribution has been focused on local issues, but some might want to use the network being created to support their candidate of choice.

[dirtboy]

Spare us all of your concern trolling. You have a long history of Palin-bashing. And give lots of hints that you are also a Paultard.

So don't lecture us about political cults of personality when from all appearances you are part of one of the most whacked-out of such cults.

[itsahoot]

Audie L. Murphy rose to national fame as the most decorated U.S. combat soldier of World War II. Among his 33 awards and decorations was the Medal of Honor, the highest military award for bravery that can be given to any individual in the United States of America. He also received every decoration for valor that his country had to offer, some of them more than once, including 5 decorations by France and Belgium. Credited with either killing over 240 of the enemy while wounding and capturing many others, he became a legend within the 3rd Infantry Division.

Vic retired from the military in 2005 with over

40 medals

and decorations. wow, just wow

[rob777]

"How many Tea Party groups and self-proclaimed leaders can a movement have?"


There are at least 3500 local Tea Party groups. Many of them have coordinators, but no real central leadership. Our group focuses of local issues and does not even endorse candidates. Individual members endorse candidates, but the group as a whole does not. Some of us are tired of seeing national groups like the Tea Party Express, or the Tea Party Nation endorse candidates/have events with high profile speakers and then see the media portray such events/endorsements as representing the Tea Party movement as a whole.

There is a book that has become popular among local Tea Party members. It is called "The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations" and a number of us want the Tea Party movement to resemble the starfish rather than the spider. In short, a movement with no centralized leadership.

[VeniVidiVici]

wah, wah, wah.

People bitch that the process is too long. People whine that the candidates start campaigning months too early. People moan that the candidates don’t declare early enough.

Why in the hell do we continue to let the Liberals define our process and select our candidates?

[ex-snook]

‘There are at least 3500 local Tea Party groups. Many of them have coordinators, but no real central leadership. ‘

---

Are they self financed, or fat cat funded?

[smoothsailing]

If you’re addressing me, you should know that I’m just providing info, not “advising that tea party gatherings refrain from inviting as speakers all “undeclared” individuals”. What individual TEA Party groups do is their business, that’s the position I take.

[rob777]

"And give lots of hints that you are also a Paultard."


That is interesting. If you went back through my posting history, you would realize that I was hoping that either DeMint or Pence would get in. When they did not, I took a look at Cain but ended up supporting Bachmann. I do think that Ron Paul brings a consistent and principled focus on limited government to the campaign, but do not support him due to what I perceive as a naive position as it relates to the Jihadis. Nice try though.