My thouhts on the tea party

[Kraig]

Can anyone say hijacked? What a joke. It was just a media run spectacle. The only thing good I can say about it was all the people who showed up, sick of government, not knowing what to expect.

The whole thing was just a big anti-obama circle jerk (which only divides the country). No mention of the problems caused by Bush Jr, or Bush Sr. and Reagan for that matter. No mention of the federal reserve, nothing. At the beginning they did say that "this is not about political parties, this is now about republican vs. democrat, blah blah blah" Then they go on and blame everything on the democrats.

When I was on they way down there, I was listening to the radio and they even went out of there way to say "some people are saying we organized this, but trust me, it really is grassroots!". Then I show up and the same radio station is running everything on the stage. Complete bullshit.

[johnrocks]

Yeah, I gotta admit I was excited until I saw who all were speaking, Romney,Huckabee,Limbaugh,Malkin,Hannity, Ingraham it was like a "who's who" of neo/social cons.

[acptulsa]

Not the one I was at. Don't be too collectivist with the term 'tea party'... ;)

Sorry to hear about that, though. I have no doubt more than a few fit that category. I was all ready to yell my head off if ours was jacked, but it didn't happen.

[Deborah K]

Sorry to hear that. We didn't have that problem at ours.

[Agent CSL]

HiJacked as it may be, it's giving us an opportunity to inject ourselves more. So instead of pouting and complaining that they licked our ice cream, let's do what we can with the cone.

[Kraig]

Sorry to hear that. We didn't have that problem at ours.

Well it wasn't ALL bad. I did pass out several dozen HR 1207 fliers and the people I talked to all seem to be there for good reasons: sick of bailouts. I didn't talk to anyone individually that seemed to think it was a democrat problem (even the "sheeple" haven't forgotten that Bush started them), but as far as the stage and the show, it was horrible.

[AuH20]

Maybe this transpired in the South, but my experience in NYC was rewarding for the most part. We discussed the bipartisan trachery done in Washington over the the last 20 years. Just look at Clinton with Waco, Ruby Ridge, NAFTA, Gramm-Leech-Billey. Then Bush with TARP, the creation of DHS, the Patriot Act, LNCB, medicare Prescription Drug Bill, & the augmentation of the the ownership society/mortgage fiasco pushed by Clinton. We didn't just wake up to Obama creating this maelstrom, but he certainly seems intent on driving us off the cliff permanently.

[Kraig]

HiJacked as it may be, it's giving us an opportunity to inject ourselves more. So instead of pouting and complaining that they licked our ice cream, let's do what we can with the cone.

Definitely, and that's what I was there trying to do. I just wish there had been more of us. Supposedly there was a campaign for liberty booth but I couldn't find it. I'm not trying to pout, I was there and I would do it again, but this is a good thing to talk about.

[Agent CSL]

Definitely, and that's what I was there trying to do. I just wish there had been more of us. Supposedly there was a campaign for liberty booth but I couldn't find it.

Yay! There will be more of us, very soon. :D

[Young Paleocon]

My rally was pretty good. Had 500 people, Obama was never mentioned, Bush was bashed once. They had tried to make it a policy to not to mention names, but a RP member who was representing the NRA was a speaker and he bashed Janet Reno, Eric Holder, and Hilary Clinton. Had another RP supporter who was part of an anit-eminent/pro-property rights group who quoted Murray Rothbard. Rush Limbaugh's brother spoke and he bashed Keynes and Bush and it was just a jolly ole anti-government time.

[Cowlesy]

Maybe this transpired in the South, but my experience in NYC was rewarding for the most part. We discussed the bipartisan trachery done in Washington over the the last 20 years. Just look at Clinton with Waco, Ruby Ridge, NAFTA, Gramm-Leech-Billey. Then Bush with TARP, the creation of DHS, the Patriot Act, LNCB, medicare Prescription Drug Bill, & the augmentation of the the ownership society/mortgage fiasco pushed by Clinton. We didn't just wake up to Obama creating this maelstrom, but he certainly seems intent on driving us off the cliff permanently.

Were we at the same tea party in NYC down at City Hall? You must have had a better spot as I was in neo-con central listening to praising of Lincoln, the War on Terror and how Obama has ruined everything. Not ONE mention that this problem is systemic for decades. Not ONE mention of the Federal Reserve.

[SWATH]

The idiots are angry and they don't even know what they are angry about, they have nowhere to direct their anger except to what is comfortable, and what they are told to be angry about by Fox news, the Dems and libs.

[AuH20]

Were we at the same tea party in NYC down at City Hall? You must have had a better spot as I was in neo-con central listening to praising of Lincoln, the War on Terror and how Obama has ruined everything. Not ONE mention that this problem is systemic for decades. Not ONE mention of the Federal Reserve.

The people I was talking to before (around 6:30) the speeches started. I talked to about 15 or so.

As far as the speakers, it wasn't too bad. Overall, there were two speakers who made me squirm. The one being the pudgy Neocon spouting off about victory in Iraq at all costs. K.T. McFarland was great. Wilkow was good as well. I wish they touched on why this country is a republic as opposed to a democracy. Its critical in understanding the function of the constitution. The 'power to the people stuff' unnverved me abit as well.

[Kraig]

Were we at the same tea party in NYC down at City Hall? You must have had a better spot as I was in neo-con central listening to praising of Lincoln, the War on Terror and how Obama has ruined everything. Not ONE mention that this problem is systemic for decades. Not ONE mention of the Federal Reserve.

That is really the core of the problem. One side of the argument is that it has been as systemic problem with the way government has been run, this is much less divisive because it means "everyone" is wrong and "everyone" can change. Then there is the side that was presented: recent events and the current administration caused ALL of this, and they are to blame. This is very divisive because it puts supporters of the current up against supporters of the old. The reality is that both old and new have the same exact problems, but until you acknowledge that it is very divisive.

[JeNNiF00F00]

Definitely, and that's what I was there trying to do. I just wish there had been more of us. Supposedly there was a campaign for liberty booth but I couldn't find it. I'm not trying to pout, I was there and I would do it again, but this is a good thing to talk about.

What state are you in Kraig? Thats how I pretty much felt. We had an AWESOME turnout but the peeps have no heart, and thats the difference between RP people and the Neocons. These people are there because they hate Obama. Not because of the Federal Reserve. They were there because Obama does not fit their agenda. When the speakers were through, MOST of them just started walking off like they were trying to get out of church asap. No one rallied on the streets to gain more attention. No one rallied PERIOD unless it was the Republican speaker trying to get people excited.

[Bill M DC]

Washington, DC had a turnout of about 2,000. No radio stations or neo-liberal-fascist-conservatives. The sound system sucked which was compounded more by the few people in the crowd who felt they had something more important to say and the woman who was standing off on the White House side of the park hitting the siren on her bull horn. It was raining like the dickens. I hung out for a half hour, popped into Potbelly for a sandwich, came back to check on the situation then went home. After I left, someone threw a box of tea over the White House fence, which had to be disarmed by a robotic device, subsequently the park was closed.

[Kraig]

What state are you in Kraig? Thats how I pretty much felt. We had an AWESOME turnout but the peeps have no heart, and thats the difference between RP people and the Neocons. These people are there because they hate Obama. Not because of the Federal Reserve. They were there because Obama does not fit their agenda. When the speakers were through, MOST of them just started walking off like they were trying to get out of church asap. No one rallied on the streets to gain more attention. No one rallied PERIOD unless it was the Republican speaker trying to get people excited.

Texas, the San Antonio tea party.

[Bill M DC]

In the future we should tomato those who try to hijack the Liberty message and run them off the stage.:D

[Kraig]

In the future we should tomato those who try to hijack the Liberty message and run them off the stage.:D

I wondering who paid for the stage.

[TastyWheat]

I was pretty pleased overall. Most of the sentiment was policy-based and not so much party or Obama-based. I do agree with the op a little though. I was expecting a stage, a podium, and a sound-system. I wasn't expecting forklifts holding up dual big screens or bleachers. Those may have been held over from the Glenn Beck show [at the Alamo] but it did kind of diminish the grassroots feel of things.

I handed out about 100 flyers on HR 1207 and heard generally positive responses. When you hand out stuff at rallies you'd be surprised how many people approach you and ask for your flier.

[ronpaulhawaii]

I was amazed when I heard Keynesian Economics being parodied. Quite a bit of Fed bashing at ours...

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showpost.php?p=2078256&postcount=42

Sorry to hear others weren't as good...

First they ignore you
Then they ridicule you
Then they attack you
Then you win...

[BlackTerrel]

I can't imagine that Obama is shaking in his boots about this. All that hype, all those cities and what did it result in? 100,000 overweight middle aged white people who aren't even 1/10 of the number of people who came to only one city for his inauguration.

It was supposed to be a show of strength but I saw it as a sign of weakness. As the demographics of this country change, unless they become younger and more diverse they aren't going to affect any change at all.

[AuH20]

I can't imagine that Obama is shaking in his boots about this. All that hype, all those cities and what did it result in? 100,000 overweight middle aged white people who aren't even 1/10 of the number of people who came to only one city for his inauguration.

It was supposed to be a show of strength but I saw it as a sign of weakness. As the demographics of this country change, unless they become younger and more diverse they aren't going to affect any change at all.

What you're missing is that GOPers and Conservatives never take to the streets. This isn't a WTO protest or a fabricated "yes we can" lovefest.