Tax Day Becomes Protest Day

cnredd · #1 (**permalink**) 04-15-2009, 03:19 AM

Sorry to burst the media's spin on this...

HERE is what it's all about...

Quote:

The protests began with bloggers in Seattle, Wash., who organized a demonstration on Feb. 16. As word of this spread, rallies in Denver and Mesa, Ariz., were quickly organized for the next day. Then came CNBC talker Rick Santelli's Feb. 19 "rant heard round the world" in which he called for a "Chicago tea party" on July Fourth. The tea-party moniker stuck, but angry taxpayers weren't willing to wait until July. Soon, tea-party protests were appearing in one city after another, drawing at first hundreds, and then thousands, to marches in cities from Orlando to Kansas City to Cincinnati.

As word spread, people got interested in picking a common date for nationwide protests, and decided on today, Tax Day, as the date. As I write this, various Web sites tracking tea parties are predicting anywhere between 300 and 500 protests at cities around the world. A Google Map tracking planned events, maintained at the FreedomWorks.org Web site, shows the United States covered by red circles, with new events being added every day.

The movement grew so fast that some bloggers at the Playboy Web site -- apparently unaware that we've entered the 21st century -- suggested that some secret organization must be behind all of this. But, in fact, today's technology means you don't need an organization, secret or otherwise, to get organized. After considerable ridicule, the claim was withdrawn, but that hasn't stopped other media outlets from echoing it.

There's good news and bad news in this phenomenon for establishment politicians. The good news for Republicans is that, while the Republican Party flounders in its response to the Obama presidency and its programs, millions of Americans are getting organized on their own. The bad news is that those Americans, despite their opposition to President Obama's policies, aren't especially friendly to the GOP. When Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele asked to speak at the Chicago tea party, his request was politely refused by the organizers: "With regards to stage time, we respectfully must inform Chairman Steele that RNC officials are welcome to participate in the rally itself, but we prefer to limit stage time to those who are not elected officials, both in Government as well as political parties. This is an opportunity for Americans to speak, and elected officials to listen, not the other way around."

Likewise, I spoke to an organizer for the Knoxville tea party who said that no "professional politicians" were going to be allowed to speak, and he made a big point of saying that the protest wasn't an anti-Obama protest, it was an anti-establishment protest. I've heard similar things from tea-party organizers in other cities, too. Though critics will probably try to write the tea parties off as partisan publicity stunts, they're really a post-partisan expression of outrage.

Of course, it won't be the same everywhere. There are no national rules, and organizers of each protest are doing things the way they want. And that's the good news and the bad news for Democrats. It's not a big Republican effort. It's a big popular effort. But a mass movement of ordinary people who don't feel that their voices are being heard doesn't bode well for the party that positioned itself as the organ of hope and change.

MrLiberty · #2 (**permalink**) 04-15-2009, 09:13 AM

I'm glad that the organizers have decided against politicians from speaking, at this time they need to listen. Unfortunately I think most of what will be said will fall on deaf ears as the powers that be have an agenda and nothing we the people do will deter them.

MrLiberty · #3 (**permalink**) 04-15-2009, 12:46 PM

Over two thousand in Lansing Michigan's tea party, plus smaller ones across the state.

mlurp · #4 (**permalink**) 04-15-2009, 06:54 PM

Just nice to see our citizens get out and say something!

dabateman · #5 (**permalink**) 04-15-2009, 07:45 PM

Nice to see the irony of a demand for tighter spending controls on the steps of the new city hall and the new convention center... Not to mention the cops standing around for crowd control. And here, here it was nothing but Republicans. I'm glad that they filed their taxes early so they could have time to publicly complain about taxes!

Gordon Shumway · #6 (**permalink**) 04-15-2009, 08:07 PM

The organizer of the one in my hometown invited our representative, Jim Jordan, & he showed up & spoke a few words of encouragement to the crowd of a couple hundred.
In those words he brought up the fact that he proposed a balanced budget but that it was defeated.
He also made this quote: "When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty." -Thomas Jefferson
And then asked if someone showed up to our home or office & said I'm from the IRS would you think oh great one of my faithful government servants; or would you be fearful?

I got a chance to speek with Mr. Jordan for a few minutes.

I told him I appreciated his correct votes on the various bailouts.
After telling me he's voted no on all of them I told him I knew that because I check on his votes.
And, that he needs to convince a few more of his colleagues to vote the same way.
I told him he's gotten some Emails from me & will likely get more in the future everytime an issue I feel passionately about comes up.
I thanked him for his hard work & told him that I looked forward to seeing him lead the way with fiscal responsibility.
We shook hands & he thanked me & said that he will continue to work hard for me.
(there were more things said between us but that was the basics)

A very nice conversation.

And, a pretty good turnout for the tea party considering I live in a rather small town (Findlay, Ohio - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

cnredd · #7 (**permalink**) 04-15-2009, 08:19 PM

California Tea Party to California GOP: Smackdown

Quote:

Something hugely significant just happened here at the Sacramento Tea Party. Organizer Mark Meckler singled out GOP opportunists who wouldn’t give him the time of day weeks ago — and then wanted to hitch their wagons to the Tea Party bandwagon at the last minute.

Meckler said he heard that California GOP chair Ron Nehring was in the audience. Meckler invited him to say hi to the crowd — and then ripped him for waffling on the massive tax hike ballot measures (particularly Prop1A - $16 billion tax hikes).

Massive boos from the crowd of thousands here against the Calif. GOP establishment.

Will this make the MSM coverage? It doesn’t fit the narrative. But it’s yet another demonstration that this movement is not partisan and equal opportunity when it comes to holding politicians’ feet to the fire for fiscal irresponsibility and fecklessness.

Of course it won't be covered...

To do so would force people to accept the truth...

mlurp · #8 (**permalink**) 04-15-2009, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gordon Shumway

The organizer of the one in my hometown invited our representative, Jim Jordan, & he showed up & spoke a few words of encouragement to the crowd of a couple hundred.
In those words he brought up the fact that he proposed a balanced budget but that it was defeated.
He also made this quote: "When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty." -Thomas Jefferson
And then asked if someone showed up to our home or office & said I'm from the IRS would you think oh great one of my faithful government servants; or would you be fearful?

I got a chance to speek with Mr. Jordan for a few minutes.

I told him I appreciated his correct votes on the various bailouts.
After telling me he's voted no on all of them I told him I knew that because I check on his votes.
And, that he needs to convince a few more of his colleagues to vote the same way.
I told him he's gotten some Emails from me & will likely get more in the future everytime an issue I feel passionately about comes up.
I thanked him for his hard work & told him that I looked forward to seeing him lead the way with fiscal responsibility.
We shook hands & he thanked me & said that he will continue to work hard for me.
(there were more things said between us but that was the basics)

A very nice conversation.

And, a pretty good turnout for the tea party considering I live in a rather small town (Findlay, Ohio - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

I only checked last year. He hasn't been as bad as our 6 pork spenders. OH. has a good one in Jim.
Citizens Against Government Waste: pigbookintro
Everybody check their own reps.

mlurp · #9 (**permalink**) 04-15-2009, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnredd

California Tea Party to California GOP: Smackdown

Of course it won't be covered...

To do so would force people to accept the truth...

This isn't over and at least people took a stance for what they feel. If you watched it wasn't just about taxes. Plenty of ideas and emotions. And this is only the beginning.
I felt better because peole let out their feeling. Maybe just maybe we will see change after all.

Reverend_hellh0und · #10 (**permalink**) 04-16-2009, 09:31 AM

there was 300 or so in Newark NJ.

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