Billed as a pivot point to transition the tea party movement from a chaotic uprising to an organized and sustainable political force and featuring Sarah Palin as its star attraction, the first-ever convention in Nashville from Feb. 6 to Feb. 8 is insead shaping up as a reminder of the problems inherent in holding together a fractious coalition of local groups resistant to authority and pursuing often-conflicting agendas.At least two national groups that have emerged as major players in the movement rejected requests to buy sponsorships for the convention — which were going for as much $50,000 — while three other groups have recently withdrawn as sponsors, with two citing concerns over organizer infighting and questions about the convention’s unusual finances.
Meanwhile, about 50 local tea party leaders from across Tennessee are planning to attend a sort of counter-convention caucus set for this Saturday in Nashville, while some activists are discussing staging protests outside next month’s convention, which will be held at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center.
Organizing a bunch of individuals who are suspicious of ALL organizations is obviously going to be an exercise in futility. But I am not sure these people care, since the goal of this particular convention seems to have been to make a hefty profit.
It was the brainchild of Judson Phillips, a Tennessee lawyer who — as first reported by POLITICO — is running the event through a for-profit Tennessee corporation he controls called Tea Party Nation. Most political conventions are conducted by nonprofits. Yet Phillips originally intended to turn a profit from the endeavor, with the cash going to fund a so-called 527 group that would air ads praising conservative candidates or criticizing their opponents.
But Phillips now concedes he didn’t fully grasp the complexities of pulling off the convention and is merely hoping to break even, despite recently selling out the last remaining tickets. In addition to 600 tickets at the $550 level, which will admit attendees to the convention and Palin's speech, Tea Party Nation offered an additional 500 tickets to Palin’s keynote for $350 each.
Perhaps the beginning of the end for Mr. Phillips was in his choice of a keynote speaker.
POLITICO has learned that Phillips obtained a $50,000 loan to pay a deposit towards the $100,000 fee Washington Speakers Bureau charged to secure Palin as the keynote speaker at the convention. Much of the loan came from Bill Hemrick, a baseball card tycoon whose loan contract didn’t call for interest but did set a deadline last week for repayment, which Phillips missed.
Don't these people get it yet? EVERYTHING Sarah Palin touches falls apart.
That is why I am so pleased to see her join Fox News as a commentator.
Now if only we could get her to join the Taliban.
(You can read the rest of Politico's very informative article on this event by clicking the title.)
that term is coming to slap you all in the face.
ReplyDeleteIt is showing all over the country . I know it's painful but sometimes reality is that way.
Palin is already a part of the Evangelicalban. Or the Dominionban. Or the Fundyban.
ReplyDeleteI know you get my point. We need more of the witch doctor/preacher video to egt out and go viral again. Just to keep reminding people that if she ever held real power, we'd be a Theocracy, KKKristian style.
BTW, I just got my copies of "Going Rouge, An American Nightmare" and "Sarah from Alaska". "Going Rouge", I read in less than a day. Great book. I just started the other one, read 90 pages in a few hours. It doesn't take long (into the book) to see how she is only concerned about herself. Loyalty from friends be damned!!
Palin is soooo pathetic.
I am trying to be patient waiting on the rest of the skeletons to fall out of the Palin closet. All the different blogs leave a lot of hints, but it would be better if someone just came out and tells. Even if they have to stay anon.
Gryphen, The teabagger rally that had been scheduled in San Antonio Texas that was cancelled--was cancelled due to infighting and accusations of fraud between the different organizers also too. The article I read online was tied into Kens5 ( a local news affiliate).
ReplyDeleteWhat happens to these kinds of activities or projects now that corporations can spend freely on ads? Will they really need to pay for activities such as this?
ReplyDeleteAll they really need to do is saturate the radio, TV and internet with ads for the corporate candidates and those who are vulnerable to ads such as those will be theirs: Poli-zombies or corp-zombies not to be confused with Palin-zombies. Ah, the semi-brain dead will rule the earth.
What is clear from the state of today’s GOP/conservatism is that outside of congress, there is virtually NO unity among these folks. The teabaggers, who have emerged in the last year with a very unfortunate - but oddly appropriate - self adorned moniker are really just the same old bunch of the slobbering idiot base that the GOP has been turning to since at least Nixon’s “Southern Strategy.” The only thing really new about these folks is that they now actually appear to be somewhat sentient, that and their nifty handle as “teabaggers.”
ReplyDeleteWhat I have been somewhat stunned by is the reaction to the teabaggers by the “capitalism at all costs” wing of the GOP. Rather than simply exploiting these hapless teabaggers as the cannon fodder of the political process, herding them deliberately by creating panic over imaginary liberal boogeymen, they have sought to exploit them only for short term profit. Since at least Reagan’s presidency, I have been critical of the GOP for being incredibly short sighted economically. The GOP seems to be unable to look beyond the next couple of quarters when making financial decisions. If there is profit to be made today, then do it and we’ll worry about next year later. It never occurred to me that they would apply the same sort of logic to their own base and begin cannibalizing their own foot soldiers. This strategy seems to be working against their own long term self interest. “No matter, there is profit to be made NOW!”
This little tableau reminds me of the story of the Frog & the Scorpion. The feckless Frog teabaggers willingly allow the Scorpion capitalists to hitch a ride on the Frog’s back, being that they are both headed the same direction. We are now witnessing the series of stings that the Scorpion is meting out to the naive and bewildered Frog. I can almost hear the furtive cries of “Why?” from our hapless Frog. To which the Scorpion replies, “I sting you because it is who I am; it is in my nature.” What our Scorpion capitalist friends don’t seem to realize is that if they alienate their Frog, to whom will they turn when they need political support?
Will the teabagger Frogs wise up and realize that they are being used and abused by their own masters? Maybe, maybe not. The teabaggers seem largely unaware that they even have masters. They have not exactly exhibited any sort of overt mental acuity during the last year. One is compelled to wonder: precisely how great are the depths of teabagger ignorance?
Will the teabaggers teabag the Teabagger Conference, which might not be teabaggy enough? Á la the Olympics, maybe they should light a torch at the opening ceremonies. I didn’t think that wrastlin’ was a Winter Olympic sport, but the teabaggers appear bent upon grappling and taking themselves down. As if teabagging weren’t kinky enough, now they want to grapple with themselves.
Let the games begin.
Hey, Anon @ 7:35 AM
ReplyDeleteDid you even read the Politico article? Seems the teaparty can't break even on the convention. Mrs. Palin is charging her full speakers fee. If she was really that into the teaparty, don't ya think she would speak for much less or even for free? I really like the way she is soaking up all that teaparty money for herself. It's not even going to the SarahPAC. Just right into her pocketbook. Gotta pay for the new McMansion, the new caddie, and lawyers (yes, plural).
Oh, and by-the-way, tea-bagging is when they are slapping your face.
It is a good point and I certainly wish them the worst.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to get a giggle out of anything thing after the screw Americans decisions of the supremes yesterday.
I though Nixon's reelection was the worst day in American history in my life, but yesterday beats it by a mile.
Do you realize that any legislative or amendment action attempted to define what a legally recognized "person" is will have the Republicans tacking on their definition of when a fetus is a "person." And the whole process will grind itself to death?
I'd feel sorry for the organizer if her weren't such a would be grifter himself.
ReplyDeleteReading the whole Politico story it appears that the guy who loaned the money has his own angle he's trying to work.
Teabaggers are just angry old white people.
ReplyDeleteNot a whole lot of surprise that they can't get their acts together--it's the fact that it's not act but acts, plural; each is so riveted on individual power, gain and greed that they'll soon be like a half-dozen hogs fighting for the same ear of corn: no trick will be too dirty.
ReplyDeleteIt didn't even take as long as one would have thought to see the beginning of serious deterioration.
I've been saying for a couple of weeks I didn't think this expensive "convention" would break even and might wind up in the red. Just too damned expensive for the "average joe" they're trying to attract.
ReplyDeleteIt's been falling apart for the last few weeks, from tidbits I've read here and there.
Nice to see all the in-fighting. These types may show up to a town hall to vent, but you can't organize them any more than you can organize cats (and they're nicer).
Gasman....h/t to you. What a great post & a great mataphor.
ReplyDeleteOne of things maybe we can do is go to any rally with Tea Baggers and join in with them carrying signs like "Return Our Freedom! Impeach John Roberts! Or "Get Corporate Money Out of Our Elections. Support new amendment!"
ReplyDeleteWhatever happened to the millions of alleged fans of Sarah Palin willing to pay anything to see her? It looks as if they don't want to pay to see her after all. I love how everyone else who is even considering a run for President would speak to a GOP group for free, but not Sarah. Oh, no, she has to make money to pay for all those things she bought, the Escalade, the new McMansion right next to the old one, the face lift, Bristol's silence, Track's silence, Willow's silence, and everyone else she has paid to keep quiet about her real past and motivations. I hope it comes back to bite her in the ass and soon.
ReplyDeleteI just watched $arah and Bristol on Oprah.
ReplyDeleteAll they talked about was Bristols sex life. They were on, counting commercials, about 12 minutes.
Anon 7:35. "It's coming to slap..." etc. Do you mean Rupert is going to fall in love with all of us? Wow. Just Wow.
ReplyDeleteCod. Can you think of anything more boring than standing around with a bunch of morons. Even their signs are dull. Stop boring American with such dull disagreements. Cod. They're boring. Their dull little white signs saying "zip". You know, they ought to all wear ringlets or something. That at least would be interesting. Dull, Dull, Dull.
ReplyDelete