During the past few weeks, far left funded smear campaigns have fueled a very ugly media blitz against the tea party movement. The effort is in place in an attempt to discredit the movement, and tear it down piece by piece.
The problem, of course, is that the movement has no head. There isn’t a national organization that can claim ownership over the movement, nor can any group claim to be leading the movement. The tea party movement, instead, is ran by thousands of activists at the local level. And that is where the flaw in the far left smear strategy comes to light.
But they’re still pumping their twisted message into corporate media, and unfortunately, some tea party activists are buying into it.
The biggest attack as of late is the lashing out against people who are paid to work within the movement. It’s absurd to suggest that people who do this full time should not be paid, but they’ve somehow spun that to mean that people are “profiting” off the movement. And even more absurd is the fact that some tea party activists within the “free market” movement are upset that some entrepreneurs have created a means through which they can pay some bills through their activism.
Kevin Jackson, one of the movement’s most talented voices, posted this comment on Facebook today.
Friend of mine said that somebody complained that I speak at events for money! I asked if the inquirer wanted me to accept carbon credits? Some of these “grass roots” people are as idiotic as Libs! I have 4 kids, two in college, and this is the way I make my living! But I should do all this for FREE!
Jackson has a very good point. Yesterday we posted some links to books being sold about the tea party movement. These were books we recommended, and we wanted to help the authors make a few bucks for their hard work.
EDIT: You can check out Kevin Jackson’s book “The Big Black Lie” here.
In no less than an hour, I had emails from people complaining that the authors were trying to make money off the movement. Words cannot describe how disconcerting this is to me.
First of all, Richard Behney, John Ohara and Stephanie Anderson, all three of whom are tea party organizers, have worked far more than full time jobs in this movement when the time called. There is certainly justification for compensation. But more importantly, we as “free market” activists should applaud their work in writing these books and we should reward them with our pocket books, not balk at them for doing so.
The reality is, there are many people who now work full time in this movement. The emails you get, the information you’re provided with, the events you see developing, the projects that are underway… much of this would not happen if people were not compensated for some of their time. As Kevin Jackson pointed out, people who travel and speak at events, and those who help build projects and organizations within the movement have bills to pay.
It goes against everything we stand for to suggest that people should not be compensated for anything in this movement. It flies in the face of entrepreneurship, and quite frankly, it would have our founding fathers turning in their graves.
And with regards to the claim of “profit” within the movement. Let’s be clear… being compensated is one thing, “profiting” is another. Yes, there are multiple organizations that ask for donations to fund projects. But that in no way means they “profit” from it. And to assert such is complete assumption. And in some cases, rather slanderous.
The Real Tea Party Profiteers
Now let’s talk about those we know profit from the tea party movement. Corporate media.
Isn’t it ironic that Huffington Post, Politico, Talking Points Memo, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and many other media outlets will title a column with the words tea party movement in it, then line the page with ads, then use the column to accuse the movement as “profiteers?”
I mean, think about it. These people are not working to advance the movement. They aren’t traveling around to work with coalitions at the local level in order to help them be more effective. They aren’t leaving their families for a weekend to go speak at an event that needed help, they aren’t putting out detailed information that activists need in order to find out what to do next, and they aren’t working with the movement to help get liberty minded candidates elected.
Yet, they clearly write what they write for… PROFIT! If what they write is not profitable, they wouldn’t write about it.
Indeed, the real Tea Party Profiteers are those running the smear campaigns against the movement.
We would be wise not to play into their game.
-Eric Odom
I believe in free market entrepreneurs. I am one myself. However, we need to be careful in what we expect from this grassroots movement. The Tea Party was started in part because of Americans disgust with career politicians who were always on the take from lobbyists rather than doing what was best for the Country. So, let’s not be accused of doing the very same thing that turns so many Americans away from the political process. If somebody wants to write a book about the movement and sell it… fine with me. However, to think that people should donate so someone can turn this into a career or charge expensive fees to get into meetings then I disagree and feel it will ultimately ruin the grassroots purpose. That purpose was to save our Country. I put in a lot of time as well but I do it for my Country….not to pay myself. I believe in what Gordon Gecko said …”that greed, for lack of a better word,… is good” …because it motivates entrepreneurs to excel and that benefits us all. However, this Tea Party movement is not the place. Our FOUNDING FATHERS risked their lives AND THEIR FORTUNES to create this Great Nation and paid a price for doing so rather than receiving one. We should heed their example in SAVING this Great Nation.
This story is from Andrew Breitbart’s Big Government
Clinton Plotting Tea Party Counterattack
Last week, former President Clinton was rushed to the hospital in New York for an emergency heart operation. Medical experts said the procedure was “relatively routine” and predicted Clinton would make a full recovery and be back to his regular schedule soon. To the public, at least, that schedule revolves chiefly around earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. In fact, some Clinton associates cited the work in Haiti as exacerbating his heart condition. Clinton money man, Terry MacAuliffe, even noted that Clinton’s Haiti work continued right up until the operation:
Democrat colleague Terry McAuliffe said Mr Clinton had participated in a conference call on earthquake relief efforts as he was wheeled into the operating theatre.
We’ll take Terry’s word on that. But, Big Government has learned of at least one other conference call/meeting around this time. A meeting of former Clintonistas and senior Democrat political operatives to coordinate a push-back to the burgeoning tea party movement. Consider it a Democrat party relief effort.
When tea party, 9/12 and townhall protests and rallies first erupted on the national scene, they were derided by national politicos as astroturf or a small fringe movement. Lefty journalists at MSNBC, CNN and elsewhere laughed away the movement with derogatory, pornographic references.
Then, Scott Brown won election to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts. No one is laughing anymore. In fact, Democrats are facing political annihilation this November. Not only do Democrats face the possibility of losing their congressional majorities, massive losses in state house races could jeopardize redistricting next year and set back the progressive agenda for at least a decade.
So, the Clinton Empire is planning to strike back.
Big Government has learned that Clintonistas are plotting a “push/pull” strategy. They plan to identify 7-8 national figures active in the tea party movement and engage in deep opposition research on them. If possible, they will identify one or two they can perhaps ‘turn’, either with money or threats, to create a mole in the movement. The others will be subjected to a full-on smear campaign. (Has MSNBC already been notified?)
Big Government has also learned that James Carville will head up the effort.
Obviously, there is no love lost between Obama and the Clinton machine. It may at first seem odd that Clinton would rush to Obama’s defense, but the tea party movement poses a threat far beyond the immediate goals of the Obama Administration.
The tea party movement could evolve into a new political realignment, one founded on a belief in limited government and less government interference in the economy. The Progressive agenda, which has been painstakingly built up over the last three decades, could be left in tatters.
As the Clinton’s know, “politics ain’t beanbag.” Expect the counterattack soon. Don’t say you http://biggovernment.com
/capitolconfidential/2010/02/17/clinton-plotting-tea-party-counterattack/haven’t been warned.
“Profit” may not be a dirty word, but when politics is the business, “Profit” IS a dirty word. Just look at the excess of our government, people “profiting” off of their elected statuses and positions through the “revolving door.” People who support the Tea Party full-time should be paid, and appreciated no doubt. But no one except individual voices should be able to claim “more shares” in the Tea Party Movement than anyone else.
Goodness gracious. Are Tea Partiers falling into the leftist trap that “profit” is a dirty word? Yikes. Wake up people. Free-market principles and capitalism are bricks in the foundation of our freedom. You think the hacks over at the Center for Progress are volunteering their time gratis forwarding their leftist agenda? You think George Soros and company are fretting over profiteering on the backs of the American Taxpayer? Get real!
Why are you supporting William Binnie from New Hampshire?
I do not believe that Sarah Palin could be “sent” anywhere by Fox News or anyone else, especially not to destroy the TEA Party movement.
I think Sarah was TEA Party before TEA Party was cool.
It appears to me that Sarah is trying to push politics to the right and that is where I want them. Right now the United States is in danger of falling off into a huge deep crater of liberal/socialist/communist beliefs that we may not recover from if we get caught up in silly comments about who does what.
TEA Party people are independent and conservative. We will pay what we want for what we want. No one is forcing us to do anything. We are against the policies in D.C. and this includes both parties unless we can push the GOP back to the party platform and even farther to the right!
A TEA Party political party would go the way of the Ross Perot effort and he had tons of money to spend!
Fox News has sent Sarah Palin to discredit and destroy the Tea Partiers while exploiting the media attention for profit. Palin is the opposition’s best weapon against the movement. 71% believe she is not fit to hold office.
With the salaries and bennies our reps in congress receive they seem to ‘profit’ from many ‘political causes’ and ‘political parties’ as well.
TPMs are simple folk not elitists. We know less is more especially when it comes to government regulation and spending. Politicians need to know that there is a constituency they need to court. Our simple and positive message reached a tipping point that politicians must not ignore. All those snide teabagger attacks just proved to my progressive friends that they should rethink their sources and positions, since they know me. I am not the greedy, Xenophobic, intolerant voter that is portrayed. I admit I have profited from this negative communication.
I love good book, music and lecture recommendations. It is a free market for a while at least.
Maybe we need a look at the 1st tea party for answers and see how this should work:
The Boston Tea Party was a direct action by colonists in Boston, a town in the British colony of Massachusetts, against the British government. On December 16, 1773, after officials in Boston refused to return three shiploads of taxed tea to Britain, a group of colonists boarded the ships and destroyed the tea by throwing it into Boston Harbor. The incident remains an iconic event of American history, and reference is often made to it in other political protests.
The Tea Party was the culmination of a resistance movement throughout British America against the Tea Act, which had been passed by the British Parliament in 1773. Colonists objected to the Tea Act for a variety of reasons, especially because they believed that it violated their right to be taxed only by their own elected representatives. Protesters had successfully prevented the unloading of taxed tea in three other colonies, but in Boston, embattled Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson refused to allow the tea to be returned to Britain. He apparently did not expect that the protestors would choose to destroy the tea rather than concede the authority of a legislature in which they were not directly represented.
The Boston Tea Party was a key event in the growth of the American Revolution. Parliament responded in 1774 with the Coercive Acts, which, among other provisions, closed Boston’s commerce until the British East India Company had been repaid for the destroyed tea. Colonists in turn responded to the Coercive Acts with additional acts of protest, and by convening the First Continental Congress, which petitioned the British monarch for repeal of the acts and coordinated colonial resistance to them. The crisis escalated, and the American Revolutionary War began near Boston in 1775.
Is this the goal of this party?
or are we just using the name?
George Hathaway is right. If you build your base then you can take over the County Republican Party. If this happens state wide then you advance and take over the state, which in turn advances to the national party.
Back in 1988 just with a video tape I mass reproduced we took control of 66% of the precincts in my county. This happened all over the state.
Be alert because the RINO’s will come with flattery dripping from their mouths. They will tell you how wonderful how great you are. I have seen it destroy a person and bring your movement to a screeching halt.
Empower the people, give them education, small action goals to accomplish and you can move moutains.
The fact that the TEA Party’s are not control by a central organization is one reason we are powerful. It’s hard to hit a moving target and especially one that is as allusive as the TEA Party.
If you can resist in becoming a legend in your own mind we can take this nation back.
Join the movement. Go to the hardware store and buy a number 3 for the bumper of your car. Show politicions that we feel the American people have become the third (3) party in America. This simple idea cannot be hijacked by either existing party or power. Show them we have had enough of the same old stuff from Government. This clearly will show signs of unity. If we cannot even make this simple show of support then we just as well bow down to the masters. This MUST happen to show we can unite.
Amen, Douglas Estes. Amen.
George Hathaway says:
February 9, 2010 at 3:55 pm
I share your concern that somehow we will all be absorbed by the GOP.
————–
There are two levels to things. What is best for the country. And what I, in the moment, think is best for me.
The GOP is useful as a check on Democrats. Let’s not deny that.
But come on. They’re fascists. What kind of organization opposes instant runoff voting? The only reason to do that is to suppress the will of the people. And divide the people amongst themselves.
You don’t need Republicans to debate the merits of tax cuts. You need humans.
Jean ,what bullying, what name calling? I just pointed out that this paranoia with anything outside of the TEA party literature reflects badly on us. We should embrace and use the media to our advantage. The name calling is not me, but the majority of the public I talked to. If trying to enlighten is bullying I need to get a new dictionary.
Profit is the very thing we need in this county right now and by someone working in a area they believe in and receiving payment and making a profit, then they are doing the right thing.
I’d like to make what should be an obvious Fact: profit is not a dirty word! Profit is what makes possible things like libraries, parks, schools - profit is at the heart of our great capitalist system. When our elites look down their noses and say they tell young people to go into public service, I want to ask “Where do you think the money comes from to finance public service? Government is a leech, sucking money from people who work, and the companies that provide jobs, and spreads the money among the lazy and the malingers to buy their votes, and defames the capitalist system that supports it. Just who is nuts?
In response to Douglas Estes,
You will recall that most of the tea party organizations, including Tea Party Nation, morphed from other conservative and libertarian organizations. This change happened after the Obama election but I doubt very seriously that it was in response to having an African-American in the White House. I saw several people of color at the convention…they just didn’t seem to be of African descent. This whole business of us being a bunch of racists is a liberal red herring. Let’s not play the race card…instead let’s reach out to all people in all communities who share our values.
I share your concern that somehow we will all be absorbed by the GOP. There is some effort to take over the party but I fear that organizational momentum will prevent this from happening. I think the organizations, from Patriot Caucus, to TPN, to 921 organizations must try to remain fiercely independent. We should welcome ALL people who believe in the limited government you mentioned.
We should not be afraid to support (not endorse) candidates in primaries but neither should we be afraid to support third party candidates when the major parties offer no choice. I remember one of George Wallace’s mantra when he was running for President…the major parties don’t offer a bit of difference…they are tweedle dee and tweedle dum. When this happens we should aggressively support 3rd parties whenever possible. We can actually elect 3rd party people to Congress in places like New York (look how close we came, with no organization, in NY23).
Last, I think that we should temporarily forget about having significant impact on national elections until we have built a solid enough base at the local level. Christie in NJ and Browne in MA were nice but remember that they are no raving conservatives. They were probably the best we could expect in those liberal states. However, MA’s legislature is solidly Democratic and New Jersey’s Democratic composition is virtually identical despite the Christie success. In NJ, we’ll probably have a stalemate until the next election cycle. In the meantime we can work at the grass roots to get positive change at that time.
I would like to say that I support paying people like Eric salaries, if they need the money.
This is a full-fledged third party movement. I don’t mean to put words in Eric’s mouth, and I’m sure that he has his own feelings on the matter. He’s not very vocal about them, though!
But the simple truth is that Americans don’t get enough representation being bounced around between Democrats and Republicans. This cannot last.
To our friends on the Right, I say let’s see if tax cuts increase tax revenue.
To our friends on the Left, I say GROW UP. Your reckless spending is destabilizing the country.
To the 80% in the middle, I say, um, what do you want?
Oh, “Douglas” you little wolf in sheep’s clothing, you!
(It’s the name calling and bully tactics that gave you away, honey.)
It appears you forgot paragraph one by the time you finished reading my post for it is not me you wish to call a “nut.” You meant to call Samuel Clemens a.k.a. Mark Twain, the famous writer of timeless classics a “nut.”
Wow Jean Meyer no wonder people think we’re (Tea Party) are a bunch of nuts. Listen to yourself.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain) explained the character of the pygmy scribes in Hartford, Connecticut at the Monday Evening Club with his speech entitled “The American Press” in 1873…
“The press has scoffed at religion till it has made scoffing popular. It has defended official criminals, on party pretexts, until it has created a United States Senate whose members are incapable of determining what crime against law and the dignity of their own body is - they are so morally blind - and it has made light of dishonesty till we have as a result a Congress which contracts to work for a certain sum and then deliberately steals additional wages out of the public pocket and is pained and surprised that anybody should worry about a little thing like that….”
Nothing has changed. The media was not worthy of respect then and it is not worthy of respect now. In fact, by its own actions, throughout the ages, it has proven time and again that it is an enemy of a free and moral people. It is also an enemy of children.
It is time that members of the media begin to step outside the role of immoral servitude to which they have succumbed.
Until that time…
DAMN THE LIARS!
FULL SPEED AHEAD!
We the People,
We should be thanking the tea party movement and anyone else who puts in the time and research to help educate and remind us of our responsibilities under the United States Constitution. Some of you may snicker but I’ll be the first to admit that until I started listing to Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck I paid little attention to politics. I relied on our politicians and the main stream media to keep me informed HA! I have found I couldn’t deny the validity of Glenn’s research and reporting or Rush’s insight, if you don’t take it in snippets. I thought my only obligation to my country was to pay my taxes without questioning why was I paying so much and where the money was headed, obeying the law and voting when elections came around.
It’s a shame that so many Americans have put their faith in our government and the so called main stream media for the truth when, in reality they have been pushing their personal policies and beliefs rather than protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States of America.
I remember in grade school studying the constitution and saying the pledge of allegiance with my hand held over my heart ”Dear God where have the good ole days gone?” Now, because of the tea party movement, I know, I’m not alone and I thank God for them bringing people like myself together. The force of this movement and the people who have joined it one way are another is it has begun to shine the purifying light of day on Washington’s cronyism, lies and corruption..
The tea party movement wants to hold no claim by attaching any political party to its agenda and rightfully so because the tea party movement is an ‘All American movement and the only profit it seeks is to uphold our constitution and reform our government by reminding them who they really work for “We The People of the United States of America”.
I originally supported TEA Party idea of lower taxes less spending, a return to the Constitution. But after watching hours of the convention on C-SPAN, I became very doubtful.The founder of the orginazation stating himself that he set up TEA Party Nation as a for profit group. Hence the .com. Then I see the party wasn’t organized until after Obama had been elected.Eventhough Bush and the so called conservative republicans squandered a surplus budget into record national debt. where were we at then. Then after watching the convention and seeing no one of color, I begin to wonder what is this movement really about? Then when they brought Sarah Palin in to give the big speech, I figured it out. The TEA Party is nothing more than a fund raising arm of the Republican Party. Wake up fellow Patriots!! Our movement has been taken over by the establishment. George Washington warned against political parties. Now we’ve been taken over by them. GOD Bless America.
The in-fighting between conservative groups and those within the tea parties themselves needs to stop. There has been so much name calling and ugliness between certain organizations, like Tea Party Patriots and Tea Party Express. Then you have a local group in Texas, the San Antonio Tea Party and Tea Party Support. As conservatives we are forgetting what our mission is and are acting no better than the left that we abhore. People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. We need to bite the bullet and unite; without a third party.
I think those who sacrifice their time to this movement should receive monetary compensation for their service, but I’m leery of “professionals” because they wind up becoming politicians and we have enough of their ilk. The sport shooting shops who support the NRA have a very effective round up program that supports Second Amendment rights. Every time a customer has a transaction with the business they ask if the customer would like to round up the amount to an even dollar amount with the round up change donated to the NRA. We should get conservative business to offer the same program for the Tea Party movement, with the proceeds going to help fund the organization’s goals and qualified candidates who represent our point of view. I would also like to know what businesses support liberal left agendas so that I can avoid them. For instance, I won’t go near a Citgo (Hugo Chavez) gas station nor will I give a dime in donations to NPR radio.
Isn’t the Tea Party meant as a centeral position? Not left nor right?
I think much of what the Tea party movement is great and I hope people continue to speak out.
My problem is that this is a political event, and when politicians give speeches at political events they aren’t generally paid and shouldn’t ask for pay, especially a movement of the people.
I have no problem with organizers and others who have put this together being paid so long as it is within industry norms. But I have a real problem with Sara Palin getting $100 grand to use this to launch her political career.
Take this as a hint folks, if you want this movement to survive and not be hijacked by exploitative political animals, you have to speak out at crap like this. Otherwise, meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
As soon as we define people as this or that and claim any group has the voice of the people, it’s no longer a democratic movement. The Tea Party is becoming a political party and, like the Republicans and Democrats, its “leaders” are starting to set rules and dictate how members should think on issues. As soon as anybody starts pointing at the other guy and saying he’s not patriotic because he doesn’t think like me, the libertarian roots of the movement are in trouble.
Want to know why most left leaning people see the tea party movement as nothing but racist ranting?
Where were you all when Bush turned a budget surplus into a multi-billion dollar defecit? Where were you all when Bush drove our national debt up more than all previous American presidents combined? Where were you when Bush gave massive tax cuts to the richest Americans and corporations and threw only a bone of a few hundred dollars per household to everyone else? Why the sudden outrage?
People, we must realize that we must pull this wagon together. The left and the right both have their progressive socialist agendas and they don’t want each other or the Tea Party movement messing up their programs of overthrowing our constitution and country.
We want accountability of our elected officials and I would support a salary of $0.0 for the ones who don’t do what we want them to do not $1.000.000.00 for doing it. We already pay them too much for not doing what we elected them to do. We need to start holding them criminally liable for their graft and corruption and derilection of duty. These people are suppose to protect this countries economy, constitution, and people, Not line their pockets with our money, Not create crisis to help them get their socialist agendas thru, and not insult the people who keep this country running every day, (The working people who have entrusted them to do what they were elected to do but haven’t.).
We can not expect, nor should we, the people who are giving their time, money, and effort to helping us in this cause to do it for nothing. I know they have to pay their bills also and can’t afford to finance our fight for us even though they are willing to do as much as they can. I thank the lord for them and will do all I can to help.
I am a Viet Nam Vet and retired on a fixed income but above all I am a American Patriot who took an oath to defend the constitution against all enimie’s Domestic and Foreign. I have every intention of keeping that oath and will help all I can.
God bless America and PALIN in 2012!!!!
Tea Party is funded by the repig-Repubs party, and most Americans know it! You can fool some people some of the time, but you cant fool all people all of the time! proof=Palin- neo con dictator is speaking tonight! True American;s will fight against your anti American lower class effort to keep the rich, and corrupt in power! Go Saints!!
Any group that will expose those elected officials for their self gluttery and offer real change, I am behind 100%. I for one would also support Sara Palin for any position she might run for.
Michigan Patriot says:
February 4, 2010 at 11:41 pm
It’s simple we need to keep doing what were doing, because its working. Get involved, inform others, and empower people with the truth.
————————–
As many of you know, I am running a parallel website to taxdayteaparty.com. We don’t have a general thread here, so I just kind of jump into other threads. This is not in any way to diminish what taxdayteaparty is doing. Come November 2, and in primaries, we are going to have to cast real votes for real candidates. As far as I can tell, that is what Eric and many others are feverishly working on.
However, we also don’t have a third party, or a platform, which I see as an enormous problem. I think we all believe in the value of competition.
Tea Party platform? as of February 5, 2010
1. Do you support taxpayer approval of spending? If not, why not?
2. Do you support instant runoff voting?
How behind-the-times are Democrats and Republicans looking for opposing this? How anti-voter are they looking?
3. Do you support public seed money for new candidates?
4. Do you support public debate on the economic consequences of our debt?
5. Do you support raising the salary of Congress to $1,000,000 if they debate these questions?
The rest of the site can be found at http://www.usatoday.com/community/profile.htm?UID=52c6d8fe12a511c3
In the interest of competition and debate, I will track any votes for these, or other, platform planks here as they are posted. I also encourage people on the left to come to this site and post. Stop being little Huffington Post babies.
Regarding a third party, people still aren’t stepping forward. If you’re not ready to step forward yet, at least check out the ballot access rules for your district. In Virginia, I read from one source that they are 4-5 months before the election.
Rasmussenreports has a new “book” out on Americans desire for self-government.
The New York Post gives the Tea Party credit for stopping ObamaCare.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/rebels_with_cause_UcDzkQio1dYmdETCSvEByI
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-02-04-tea-party_N.htm?csp=hf
ongoing instant debate 1,119 comments in 12 hours, dominating front page of USA Today
I also challenge Sarah Palin at tomorrow’s keynote speech. Don’t make it an Obama speech. Make it actually mean something.
Jab ‘em with taxpayer approval of spending. Right hook them with taxpayer approval of spending. And then serve them some tea.:)
Amanda Grosserode says:
February 4, 2010 at 6:13 pm
You are so right, Eric. I spent so many weeks putting in 40-60 or more hours of unpaid work organizing tea parties and other events as well as gathering information to pass along.
—————
Which is valuable. But we need to be in this to win it.
There’s always going to be Republicans and Democrats to vote for. Vetting is important, so we know what we’re getting - especially after Obama, yeeesh!
This is a “whole country” effort, and we need to be in touch with the whole country.
That may mean asking questions:
1. Do Republicans stand for small government?
2. Do Democrats want to represent the people?
3. What are the economic consequences of massive debt?
It’s simple we need to keep doing what were doing, because its working. Get involved, inform others, and empower people with the truth.
Indy - Thanks for the info, I just forwarded it to my friends there!
Kevin Jackson says:
February 4, 2010 at 11:13 am
I left a high 6-figure job to do this full time in SACRIFICE for this movement.
————
I’m probably supposed to read the book - but it still sounds like you have plenty of money!
What do you hope that the movement achieves?
You are so right, Eric. I spent so many weeks putting in 40-60 or more hours of unpaid work organizing tea parties and other events as well as gathering information to pass along. You and others probably put in more time. This whole movement was put together with many volunteer local leaders. Grassroots events and movements don’t plan themselves. We shouldn’t begrudge those who have found careers for themselves from their work in this movement.
I do find that people get caught up in a lot of different things.
In my opinion, this isn’t all that complicated. If we have a problem, we propose a law to fix it. And if the current politicians won’t enact it, we elect people who will.
This wasn’t supposed to be about “spreading the Gospel of Conservatism” or “people working full-time in the conservative movement”! (Both of those things which are important and I support. )The tea parties were originally anti-taxation without representation movement speaking out against the first bailout of Wall Street under Bush and Paulson (TARP)! It was also about Obama doing the same thing with TALF!
If these events have morphed into “”spreading the Gospel of Conservatism”" then God bless it! But stop calling it a tax protest when it has become the traveling circus of the GOP!
Why in the world would anyone think people who are trying to save our government should be beggars and yet the “other side” has untold numbers of full time employees working to turn this into a socialist state. I have no problem with salaries that are commensurate with the position and fees for speaking. I must say I am still trying to wade through all the information and mis-information on the Nashville gathering and if there is actually some financial mismanagement going on there, but anyone who does not believe this movement is not under attack better wake up. Question EVERYTHING you hear because if we lose the whole country and our children lose (sadly most of them haven’t a clue yet:).
dcm
Here here! GREAT article on how the LEFT is taking something and spinning it, however it’s not just them. Many on the right become self-righteous about people earning a living spreading the Gospel of Conservatism, as they sit cloaked in the luxury of jobs…and watching many of us wage battle against the evil Left. I left a high 6-figure job to do this full time in SACRIFICE for this movement. I wrote a book which helps finance part–a very small part–of what I do, only to hear the cries of “profiteering!” I’d like to show people my W2 from a couple of years ago as compared to now, and have them show me the PROFIT! Further, I have spent $150K of my own money producing a product that is part of my mantra. And I can’t count the number of FREE events, etc that I have donate to the cause of Emancipation II. The next person that says I’m profiting from this will get pimp slapped. I work my butt off for the sake of others, and it is THEY who are profiting. SHAMELESS PLUGS: theblacksphere.net The BIG Black Lie, Amazon best-seller! How’s that for profiteering!
Great article. We have to consider what we’re up against… the Left certainly has tens of thousands of individuals working against us full-time… for us to really be effective we Must have good people working full-time in the conservative movement.
I just want to add to this post…I know for sure that Richard Behney did NOT write the book for PROFIT, but rather as a way to fund the campaign. He really is putting his life aside and running for office, and is asking for others to support him financially. He is not receiving any money from the GOP, PACs, or large donors, but from grassroots Patriots, wanting to get their voice (through Richard) into Washington DC.
It is more difficult to use the politics of personal destruction when there is no one or few people to destroy. Without people to destroy the Lib/Progs may have to confront issues instead of people. What a novel idea!