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February 27 – looking back and moving forward
It was the rant heard around the world. Last year, on February 19th, Rick Santelli gave a rousing speech on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange floor, calling all capitalists to join him for a Chicago Tea Party. The media laughed it off, saying Santelli needed to switch to decaf. Little did they know one man’s cry for financial common sense would ignite a national movement.
Approximately eight days after the rant, there were forty-eight tea party rallies held across the nation, with Cleveland being one of them. For those who attended the February 27th rally, it was more like an ice-tea event with the cold, rainy weather. Phil Ammar, coordinator of the event, and others gave their own Santelli-style speech as they voiced their concerns about the recently passed $787 billion Stimulus Bill. Many of us posted notes on tea bags, which were sent to Congress.
These impromptu rallies led to a concerted effort by several of our national Tea Party Patriot leaders to organize a national Tax Day Tea Party protest on April 15th. The call was for citizens to rise up and host a Tea Party rally in their local cities. The American people answered loudly and clearly. On April 15, 2009, there were approximately 850 rallies held nationwide with more than 1.2 million people participating.
As we approach our 2nd annual Tax Day Tea Party in Medina, it’s important to remember that We the People must continue to speak out, which is why we encourage you to attend the rally. Our goal is to educate citizens, energize Patriots and take back our government.
For more information on the Medina event, visit www.medinateaparty.org.
Declaration of Tea Party Independence
Over the past several months, the media has portrayed the Tea Party Movement as a group that’s “starting a third political party,” “joining the GOP,” “being lead by a select few” and “becoming fractured due to mass infighting.” The fact is we are neither Republicans nor Democrats – we are conservative Americans who stand more united than ever. We are not a movement of one leader, but a movement of millions of leaders.
To combat these accusations, more than 60 tea party organizations and leaders from 22 states came together to create a "Declaration of Tea Party Independence,” which was released to the media February 24th.
You can read the entire declaration at http://policynotparty.com/.
Tea Party Movement receives Ronald Reagan Award
During our weekly conference call, it was announced that the Tea Party Movement received the prestigious Ronald Reagan Award at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) last weekend. Recognized as CPAC’s highest honor, this award is given to those who demonstrate outstanding conservative grassroots activism.
While a group of our national and local Tea Party coordinators were there to receive the award, it was given collectively to the entire Tea Party Movement.
We would like to say congratulations to all those who have made the calls, visited elected officials, marched on DC, participated in town halls, attended rallies, etc. Without your hard work and great efforts this award would not be possible.
Take a moment and relish this wonderful recognition, and know that you are making a difference.
The question about third parties
Third parties – it’s a hot and very controversial topic these day with conservatives. While some believe it is best to reform from within by enfolding true conservatives into party leadership, others want to abandon the “two-party” ship completely. We understand that this is a personal issue, and we respect both sides of the argument.
Due to the situation that has taken place in Florida, our national coordinators felt it was necessary to address this issue, even though we are a principle-based organization.
“There is much talk of the formation of a third political party based on the tea party movement. In Florida, a Democratic operative with absolutely no connection to the tea party movement has filed papers to form a third party called the Florida Tea Party. He has issued legal threats against local tea parties demanding that they cease using the name "Florida Tea Party."
The National Tea Party Patriots organization is issuing this statement in order to make it clear that we are not associated with this, or any other attempts to form a third party….The Tea Party Patriots encourage all citizens to get involved in the party process, and to reshape their parties into something in which they may once again believe. This country does not belong to any one party, nor does it belong to the career politicians. This country belongs to the citizens….”
The conservative alternative to AARP
The healthcare reform debate has shown AARP’s true colors. The so-called non-partisan group has decided to side with politics rather than the welfare of American seniors. Watch the video an AARP town hall meeting in Dallas where the representative walks out of the meeting.
If you are tired of throwing your money to this liberal organization, then consider American Seniors Association, a conservative alternative to AARP. The Tea Party Patriots movement has partnered with American Seniors Association to give our seniors the benefits they want with the representation they deserve. Visit American Seniors Association at http://www.americanseniors.org
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