Mother Jones: Tempest in the Tea Party

[marmar]

Tempest in the Tea Party
Conservative activists decry GOP consultants for dropping $1,600 on a fancy meal—while hijacking their grassroots movement.

— By Stephanie Mencimer

Wed Dec. 30, 2009 8:47 AM PST


Would a true Tea Party patriot drop nearly $1,600 in donor money for a small meal at a fancy steakhouse? Robin Stublen says no, and he's mad as hell about the profligate expenditures of a GOP political organization that has glommed on to his grassroots movement. Stublen is the organizer of the Punta Gorda, Florida, Tea Party and a member of Tea Party Patriots, a national grassroots organization that has no offices, no president, raises virtually no money, operates largely on volunteer efforts, and, most important, doesn't endorse candidates. But unbeknownst to many, there's another outfit claiming ownership of this conservative movement. It's called the Tea Party Express, and it has dominated Fox News coverage over the past year with its multistate bus tours and political rallies.

Behind it is a well-established Republican political action committee that has raked in tons of money fundraising under the "Tea Party" banner—and it has also spent a lot of that money in a fashion unbecoming a supposedly grassroots insurrection. For instance, according to recent filings with the Federal Election Commission, the PAC that created Tea Party Express dropped $1,597.29 over the summer for a meal for six at a tony Sacramento Chops restaurant, an expenditure that has Stublen seeing red.

"Six people averaged $266; that's not grassroots. I kill bugs and cut grass for a living. I'm splurging when I spend $19 at Chili's. Outback Steakhouse is reserved for Mother's Day," Stublen says.

For Stublen the pricey Chops tab is only the latest evidence that Tea Party Express is trying to capitalize on the movement for crass and self-serving political purposes—mainly as a fundraising machine for Republican causes. Starting in August, Tea Party Express organized two cross-country bus tours that bashed the Obama administration's health reform and attacked members of Congress not deemed conservative enough. Fox News heavily promoted the first tour, even embedding a reporter to cover the trip. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://motherjones.com/politics/2009/12/tempest-tea-party

[SpiralHawk]

1. Republicon Family Values

Always skanky. At least they are consistent.

[rfranklin]

2. Now, if they could extrapolate from this to see the big picture...

It would be the end of the Republican party.

Of course, these days the Democratic Party is pretty much the same. The foot soldiers are used as needed for the elections and then ignored until the next one.

[billybob537]

3. Stublen you've been scammed!

The tea party was set up for "crass and self-serving political purposes" Now the fools who were duped in to acting against thier own interests are revolting. Astro turf meets grassroots. How interesting.
I love bathing in the warmth of a good firefight.

[tanyev]

4. Note to self: Avoid Outback Steakhouse on Mother's Day.

[sarge43]

5. Warren G. Harding: I have no trouble with my enemies;

I can take care of my enemies. But my friends, my goddamn friends, they're the ones who keep me walking the floors at nights.

[izzybeans]

6. Cart is before horse.

They were the movement and brought a few unwitting fools to the parade. Now the fools realize the game, but refuse to recognize they were pawns.

"Now dance monkey, the cameras are rollin'!"

[yellowcanine]

7. I have already proposed a solution: One group can be teabaggers, the other group, douchebaggers.

Everybody wins.