What Tea Party Convention Organizers Don't Want You To See

I don't think it's a rip off. Besides the money I'm spending came directly from Obama's stimulus package in the form of a grant to study the effects of adolescent drug use leading to delayed brain growth and people joining the Democratic Party.

So it doesn't bother you at all that your "movement" has been hijacked by a bunch of finks who whore you all out for money? Your grassroots movement that you plan to use to "take back" government in 2010 and 2012 is being run by a bunch of corporate charlatains who all are part of the GOP establishment, and they are leading you and the teabaggers around by the nose.....this is something you're ok with? And you expect to VICTORY in 2012? Lord, do I pity you.

Are these the same corporate charlatans who back the dem running to fill the seat of the late drunk philanderer from Massachusetts (who could even spell the name of her own state correctly)? Being that the Tea Party folks have no affliation toa national convention like the DNC/RNC they dont have the luxury of having the same corporate pimps throwing millions of dollars into their coffers, evenmore if you cant afford it dont go! simple, but all of the lefties who continue to bash the up in coming party ie leg tingler, washed out sports commentator and unfortunately Ms Maddow. Being that this is one of the largest movements in political history to legitimately contend as a third party I find it fascinating. We are watching history yet this movement of Americans; more than likely members of YOUR community are being vilified by the left and the right as being red neck, uneducated illiterate white racists! what strikes me even more is that the opposition to this movement focuses on the 10 percent, both the dem's and the repubs have their ten percent of racist intolerant jerks as well. The hypocrisy of tolerance here is astounding, but it will not stop those of you who cannot help yourselves but speak self righteously to others. Lastly, I just want to add. Both the DNC/RNC are invited events not open to the general public. This event is open to all who can pay the ticket price, which is relatively cheap in comparison to the $2500 plates sold at some fundraiser for whatever party. Sounds kinda cool to me.

Tjknuckles

(who could even spell the name of her own state correctly)

What? Please translate into English so that we little people who only speak one language can follow.

jaywow,

I guess the short answer to my question from Tj is "no". But I agree, that rant was entertaining!

instead of cutting up my comment and cherry picking what you like, how about addressing what i actually said.

Being that this is one of the largest movements in political history to legitimately contend as a third party I find it fascinating.

Show me the difference between the "charlatans" that "hijacked" the teaparty and those that pimp the members of both parties we have today.

Kate thanks for hammering home the self righteousness that I pointed out in 4.3, and I speak many languages :P Mrs Coakley couldnt even spell the name of her state correctly in a ad paid for by the Massachusettes Democratic Party....their spelling not mine. Heres the link dear.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/01/coakley_campaig_1.html

let me be clear....(me being jocular again) I am not a teaparty follower, just fascinated by the movement.

"Show me the difference between the "charlatans" that "hijacked" the teaparty and those that pimp the members of both parties we have today."

Um, b/c the tea partiers were supposed to be DIFFERENT. So much for that "change" you teabaggers wanted, eh? Not only are you getting more of the same; you are willingly lying down and opening wide for the teabagging, and YOU are paying THEM for it!

I actually think it's funny. I don't blame them for making a buck off of all of you. That's capitalism at it's best and it's what this country is all about. (And tea party politics, apparently). I truly have no problem with them charging all that money.

Thanks boons!

The only evidence that I have found of corporate backing was the PAC established by Russo March and Rogers, all GOP backers of course. The Tea Party Express as it was called has also been deemed inauthentic by majority of the tea party members and have moved away from the PAC. Is there something that I am missing? (serious question..I have been following this for a while and cannot find evidence otherwise) The problem with the tea party movement as I see it is that there are too many different leaders across the country shouting similiar ideas with no key figure leading the way and this convention will bring the different factions together too hammer out a unified message. Isnt that how things are done, there are different factions within each of the parties we have currently.

jaywow, where is it that big? have you seen the polls of just whom is identifying with the tea party. Have a look

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/12/16/2154426.aspx

The only evidence that I have found of corporate backing was the PAC established by Russo March and Rogers, all GOP backers of course

Is the Dick Armey group included in this? Many references to their support.

BTW - I share with you an interest in this group as well although I would categorize it as a "morbid interest" akin to watching decaying and rotting flesh - my analogy to their capabilities of rational thought. (and I am much more vocal about my position on them!) Somehow the F-Bomb just comes a flyin' out without much effort when I get engaged with teabagger discussions. 8^)

TJ,

I know it would probably kill you, but I'd highly recommend you do a google search for Rachel Maddow's reporting on the T.E.A. parties - she has covered the funding and "astroturfing" going on by David Koch and other corporate slugs from the GOP. As I said before, they have hijacked the original "T.E.A. partiers" which initially may have had good intentions. And now, they manipulate the ignorant, angry masses for their own financial gain....Fox News is right with them.

Tjknuckles,

I look forward to a unified message and leadership.  I am all for a fiscally conservative government that stays out of our private lives.  But looking at the speakers representing the TeaParty at this meeting, I don't think that is what you are going to get.

Is there evidence that Fox is dumping money into the movement, it would be disengenious to make the statement that they are financially backing the movement when they are just covering the movement and giving them free air.

Everybody inflates numbers to make their rally look relavent. Is it genuine, absolutely not i agree. I have seen the same thing here in Chicago, to include the number of people reportedly, that attended Obama's acceptance speech downtown.

Hi TJ,

I have seen the same thing here in Chicago, to include the number of people reportedly, that attended Obama's acceptance speech downtown.

Source please.

Giving them free air time just an end run at backing them. What about Glen Beck? He did more than give them free air time.

Erich

Read your post several time now. It is a particularly astute assessment of what I have observed of this so-called movement. Thanks for your post.

I have a similar but yet slightly different view of what the current actions being taken will do for us in the short run - I think it was a necessary evil to deal with the evils passed along from those that started the "fire." I agree as a longterm policy it is not sustainable.

I also agree with the center left or center right range of tolerance for governing. We may endof disageeing on specific issues but in general I was extremely appreciative of your post.

Eric

Excellent posting!

Hi Eric,

Good post!

read some damn history books

Doesn't help that 'conservatives' want to rewrite history...

I am a moderate conservative.

What I find interesting is that the approaches of conservatives and liberals on the matter of policy are often aligned and differ mostly in matter of degree - not approach or desired outcome.

You'll find the most stringent disagreement on fringe issues.

Eric, very good post here. You hit on the many things the Neoconservatives ushered in that are now destroying it. I was a registered Republican long ago. I left it with Reagan. He was the very one that invited in the Jerry Falwell's of the world, purely to gain power. He pandered shamelessly to the Christian Coalition. I read about 4 years ago a very astute Esquire article written by Reagan's kid, Ron, where he said "If my Dad had his complete faculties now and could observe what's going on in the Republican party today, there is none of it he'd recognize".

Ron Reagan was right. The problem is, it was his Dad that let these people in the door. Maybe the wave engulfed him and he had no choice. But Barry Goldwater was appalled that these people gained a seat at the table, and he blamed Reagan for it too. If Barry Goldwater would have been able to absorb some of the zeitgeist he lived in, like race relations, he would have been my kind of guy. He made so much more sense and was so much more intellectually consistent than this crowd it's not funny.

Anyway, I enjoyed your post, one of the best I've ever read on the Vine. It proved there are intelligent conservatives out there! Maybe you could give classes to the current bunch!!! And I'm a proud progressive of 30 years now.

While we argue amongst our selves over the differences in our ideologies and how this country should be run, someone is plundering the country's wealth leaving IOU's in its deadly wake! There is absolutely no arguing this point. Over the last 30 years, the past Administrations and Congress (Both Democrats and Republicans alike) have deregulated just about everything that has to do with finance. Why and for whom???

Below is what I believe the Tea Party is about as I have attended one! From what I have read in this seed, most of the hateful comments come from those who never attended a Tea Party and are simply running down the protestors because Chris Mathews told you so. These are NOT bad people overall. The Media such as Fox and MSNBC are all owned by the elites who control the central bank. They have only one goal, to separate and divide us from one another. Those who will be obedient and those who will not! Here is what I think the protest is all about!

Enron: (Assets 65 Billion) - Within 5 years it was completely liquidated. There stock went from 85.00 per to .26 cents - Fortune Magazine said that Enron was the most innovative company for 6 years straight. They reported this all the way to their bankruptcy announcement. Fortune magazine is nothing more than a front for the elite to sucker us into what they want us to buy investment wise.

WorldCom - (Assets 105 Billion) – GONE! Where did it go?

Bear Sterns - Trying to support close to 400 billion worth of toxic assets with their messily 12 billion in net assets. Their CEO (Schwartz) was quoted as saying”We have no liquidity crisis for the firm" and insisted he "had the numbers to back it up." OK! And the government bought this? His company was sold four days later to JPMorgan Chase at $10 per or something like that. I think their 52 week high was in the 130's per. Where did it go??

Lehman Brothers - (Assets 570 Billion) GONE! Where did it go? The Lehman failure really bothers me. I mean there is nothing said about where their assets went. Not a word. Here today and gone tomorrow with no comments on the money. Hush was the word!!!

AIG: 100 Billion plus has been pumped into that company of our tax money. They could have been bought out for 12 times less than what was just handed to them.

GM: (Assets 100 billion) 50 Billion pumped into that company of our tax money. General Motors is finished and so is our money that was pumped into the company. Last I checked, GM trades for less than .50 cents per.

Fannie & Freddie: The "Powers to be" (Paulson, Bernanke, Barney Frank) all quoting that Fannie/Freddie were “adequately capitalized" and "in no danger of failing." Paulson or Bernanke was quoted in mid “07” that “we were on the bottom of the housing crisis and that it will have no effect on our economy”. Knowing all this was going on, the powers to be continued recommending to the country that Fannie and Freddie were solid and a wise investment for us. I consider this criminal intent on behalf of the financial elite and the central bank! Fraud and Racketeering comes to my mind.

Tyco, Bernie Madoff and the list goes on and on. Our politicians who we have elected to watch over our financial system have ALL let us down. Please put our social differences aside, ideology has nothing to do with the criminal intent that has been going on for decades. Both Democrats and Republicans have sold themselves out to the banking elite for their own piece of the pie. By the way, The Federal Reserve has recorded its biggest year of profit for the year of 2009 since its founding in 1913. Wow, good for them, BAD FOR US!

TOTAL US Debt in 2001: 6 Trillion

Total US Debt as of 2010: Approaching 13 Trillion

Total US (Unfunded) Long Term Liabilities as of 2010: 59 Trillion and GROWING. Do you really think this is recoverable?? And we are now talking about flipping our entire Healthcare system upside down for now. NewsFlash: The Healthcare Bill will not be debt natrual as promised. Cap n Trade?? More Stimulus, Spend, Spend and Spend some more! This is what the Tea Party is about. It is not all about beating up on President Obama. It’s about beating up ALL OF THEM and their reckless abandonment of our Nations Wealth and pride.

Summary: I was promised a very big "Change" in our newly elected President, but as usual, hearing and seeing are two different things. The only that I see is Obama has continued from the Bush/Cheny era with world record setting porky pet projects, bailouts, worthless stimulus bills, WAR, Nationalizing banks and financial institutions with Take Over’s and broken promises again and again. The Dollar will never make it! Our beloved Sound as a Dollar will go its way into the history books just like GM. Do the masses truly understand what is at stake and how it will affect our lives if the Dollar crashes? There will be Death and Dying in the streets. There will be Martial Law on all of us. Your constitutional rights are freaking history man!! We will have to beg Obama to feed us! Please give me some bread! Fact or Fiction? All I can say is the balance sheet looks real, real BAD for the United States of America. Everyone knows and sees these numbers, but the mass majority of people (voting democrats and republicans alike) does not have a clue how to digest this information and then how to fix it, this is why we elect officials. I am confident to say at this point, Borrowing more and more money is not the answer at this point, so I will now say with much confidence to stop with the Keynesian full court press.

Stock Market Prediction: I believe the financial elite will crash the market by the end of the 1^st quarter when the central bank ends the “Quantitative Easing Program” for the US some time in March. The stock market and its growth from 6400 last March to 10,500 today is nothing more than VOODOO. Its an illusion! If no one is buying our debt anymore, how else is the US going to shed hundreds of billions of dollars worth of it this year. And this debt must be off'ed immediately!! I just do not think Hillary can keep going back to the Chinese and Japanese to beg for more money and I mean that literally. Foreign governments are running from our debt! The Feds can't deal with it in fear of being pitch forked and the individual investor is scared to death as well. That basically leaves no one to invest in the United States and our financial system. So what other options are there???????????? Can someone make me feel better and throw me a bone on how the US is going to rid itself of its current debt if no one wants to invest in our country?

MY GUESS>>> The shadows behind the curtain will crash the market and that will be more than enough to cover (for this year anyway) what they need as everyone goes running for cover in Treasury's. I am not the only one who thinks this either! Be careful with the Gold recommendations. The government has confiscated our Gold before. See Roosevelt and what they (the Federal Reserve) did in 1933 during the Depression era. You are talking about “Kicking you” when you are down.

Hi Marc,

Below is what I believe the Tea Party is about as I have attended one!

Would you pay $550 or whatever to go to this one?

jaywow67...All that marc said there and that is all you have to say? No more bold?

Sorry for the bold. Bad habit!

I am right on topic. This is what the Tea Party protest is about. Money flying in every direction! These are the things that upset the common folks. They want to become an actual party and I imagine this is just the beginning. I would love to see another force to shake the Democratic and Republican stranglehold on us all. Other than Independents.

Hey Meso -

I wish I knew HOW the profits (if any) would be distributed. If the surplus was moving forward to advance their cause, maybe. My business has been so decimated, I just do not have this kind of money anymore.

I have seen cost much higher than that to attend Republican and Democrat political functions. I have been invited to political functions over the years if I was willing to spend $1500.00 per plate. That was just for dinner! I did not even get a room out of it. I have been to that Hotel by the way, it is HUGE (no bold)

Would the average Democrat pay 80K to have lunch with President Obama? It has been offered!

Last I checked, GM trades for less than .50 cents per.

If you were a thinker and a doer instead a complainer you might realize that this would be a good time to buy that stock. GM is considering reopening several plants.

Bull. 99.9% of these teabaggers can't tell you what it's about and their signs prove just what I said.

Not only that, but my question is, where were these teabaggers when Bush was running up a trillion dollar deficit? He was spending money on needless wars, on Blackwater and Halliburton, like he was a drunken sailor.

That is just plain proof that these people are partisan kooks. No more, no less. They didn't mind when THEIR idiot spent money left and right, just when someone they despise (for all the wrong reasons) spends money.

I'm neither thrilled nor completely sold on all the money going out, but the basic difference between right and left is clear, and these teabagger nutballs prove it. The right loves to spend money on war and war profiteers and their own cronies. And Corporations are King to them. The left loves to spend money on people, often misguidedly and often too much. An example of this right at the moment is Haiti. My heart goes out to them, but I wonder if 100 million in cash, plus another half a billion in services, strikes the proper balance right now, given our financial state.

I'll stick with the people side though. With all it's people side mistakes.

"Stock Market Prediction: I believe the financial elite will crash the market by the end of the 1^st quarter when the central bank ends the “Quantitative Easing Program” for the US some time in March. The stock market and its growth from 6400 last March to 10,500 today is nothing more than VOODOO. Its an illusion! If no one is buying our debt anymore, how else is the US going to shed hundreds of billions of dollars worth of it this year. And this debt must be off'ed immediately!! I just do not think Hillary can keep going back to the Chinese and Japanese to beg for more money and I mean that literally. Foreign governments are running from our debt! The Feds can't deal with it in fear of being pitch forked and the individual investor is scared to death as well. That basically leaves no one to invest in the United States and our financial system. So what other options are there???????????? Can someone make me feel better and throw me a bone on how the US is going to rid itself of its current debt if no one wants to invest in our country?"

Excellent research. Very well put.

The solution is simple actually. Return to constitutional money. Restructure the central bank so they have to borrow the money from us! We charge them interest and the basic banking structure still remains intact. Unfortunately they have to much power and it will never happen.

Here is the relationship of the public and private sectors. They have conflicting interests. The people will always want everything for free, and the business sector will always want all their money. In comes government. By this measuring stick however, every administration in my life has been an abject failure.

I told someone in a post recently that you can't be both a communist and a fascist at the same time. They are at opposite ends of the political spectrum. I'm thinking I was in error. Obama is a communist to the rich and a fascist to the poor. Just like every other president in the last 50 years or more.

The nature of the conflict is such that without a regulatory government in the middle, one sector will quickly win out over the other. The scale will shift from one end of the political spectrum to the other. We don't want to live in either extreme. The government's job is to balance the separate interests and keep the playing field even to prevent it from spiraling toward either end. Extremism is the enemy. Being a moderate conservative or moderate liberal is all we should ever be.

Hi Marc,

I wish I knew HOW the profits (if any) would be distributed.

Me too!

I have seen cost much higher than that to attend Republican and Democrat political functions.

Indeed. I guess it would also be important to find out if the organisation involved in said function is operating as a 501(c)(3) entity. This is because there are rules these entities have to follow regarding political activity.

Would the average Democrat pay 80K to have lunch with President Obama? It has been offered!

If I had that kind of money to spare.... You know what? If I had that kind of money to spare, I'd like lunch with all 4, Obama, McCain, Biden and Palin. (Group discount perhaps?) :)

No joke, he's a theocrat who would like to turn this country into the Christian version of Iran or the Taliban if he got his way. Should scare the crap out of anyone that believes in real democracy.

truthseeker,ninbyo...Exactly...Scarborough is a cross breed between a Radical Muslim Cleric and Fred Phelps! These are the kind of people who should be taken out of the political picture. Also Eric...good posting BUT,..there is no such thing as a radical "left wing"!...just thought you should know this fact.

Actually there is a radical left wing, when I was young and undereducated I was a socialist and a hippy radical left winger. I wanted to see the end of all capitalist aspects to our country. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Lisa - you might want to find more reliable "news" sources.

We do need to be very concerned about our ties with the UN if we intend to stay a sovern nation and also to keep our government within the confines of the Constitution.

I'm not quite sure what you are trying to say there. Are you?

Bill Clinton does not have an office at the UN. What is your source for that?

If the tea parties are about keeping our country out of the clutches of the UN I am all for it and if is not about that then there needs to be an up rising about it.

Again, I suggest you find more reliable sources. I don't scare easily. What does scare me, however, are people talking about uprisings over things that may or may not even be factual.

Please do yourself (and the country) a favor and get some facts.

Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't. Allllmond Joy's got nuts. Mounds don't.

Ron Paul is as big an idiot as crazy as a sh-thouse rat bachmann and the rest.

This is mentally challenged fool who believes in the Austrian School of Economics, which DENIES that any usable facts or evidence can be gathered for analysis or testing of economic theories, and therefore 'correct' thinking on economics can only be done by 'logical' reasoning - without reference to pesky old FACTS or DATA.

Sort of the same thing Aristotle thought, like when he came up with the perfectly 'logical' proof that small objects fall more slowly than large objects when dropped.

And if you don't know what's wrong with that - then you are the ideal teabagger mentally deficient twit.

Lisa -

I agree with your first paragraph. I often question whether or not Palin and other Republican's truly have the sincerity of the whole concept of what these folks are trying to achieve. The Tea Party participants are amateur in their ways, but their message is very strong and any politician should understand that their numbers are big and still growing. They have received a lot of support from independents and libertarians who believe much of their message. The liberals who bash them and call them names has done nothing more than strengthen their resolve. The hardcore liberal media and their supporters have isolated themselves even further from the everyday American with their elitist views and their very nasty comments.

I liked the movement better too when it was run by everyday people for the people. It made it more genuine to me. Now some of the GOP is only jumping on the band wagon to save their necks!

tea parties started by Ron Paul's people was a good thing

That doesn't mean that it remains a "good thing". Alfred Nobel invented dynamite and nitro glycerine for blasting rock. Look where that went!

Unfortunatly for the tea party, they have a long list of complaints but no leader, and no real solutions. It's easy to say, "I got mine, screw anybody who lost theirs, close the borders, give us back our country (whatever the Hell that's supposed to mean.)"

My grandkids can complain. It takes work to solve the problems.

Sale on tinfoil, Aisle 9.

Obama is totally involved with the UN do you want to be the North American Union?

Oh Noes! Should I go hide under my bed?????

Be Afraid! Be Afraid! Be Afraid! Be Afraid! Be Afraid! Be Afraid!

Actually that's a bit refreshing. I haven't heard the "North American Union" rally cry in many, many months!

Maybe, more likely discussing whether to throw the GOP under the bus.

Not so much Nazis, but militant fundamentalists, just like the Taliban and the Iranian Revolutionaries.

This is a political party convention, which by definition is a public forum, and yet they are handpicking journalists allowed in.

It seems to me that when journalists permitted to attend are hand-picked they can no longer be considered journalists.

Propagandists is a more apt term in this case.

They just don't buy for Sarah. The ultra-wacko-conservatives buy and sell Sarah every day. It's the majority of Americans who don't.

Blocking knowledge. Please get off your holy high horse!

Kind of like Barry O's open and transparant Health Care Reform negotiations carried live on C-span. Woops. I meant cutting dirty deals in the back of Uncle Harry's office in the dead of night, on the night before Christmas. Talk about hiding the truth and blocking knowledge. Change we can believe in. Bush/Cheney couldn't have done any better.

Sorry,

Just had to reply to total idiocy. Ill go away.