Talkingpointsmemo: Tea Partiers Forming Circular Firing Squad

[flpoljunkie]

Tea Partiers Now Forming Circular Firing Squad

Zachary Roth
February 17, 2010

The level of internal tension within the always fractious Tea Party is reaching a boiling point, in the wake of yesterday's meeting with RNC chair Michael Steele and amid early efforts to build a third party out of the grassroots movement.

A major Tea Party group has announced its opposition to the idea of creating a third party -- drawing scorn from at least one activist. And a new anti-Steele website warns of the "'hijacking' of the Tea Party Movement by the GOP." Taken as a whole, the infighting suggests intense and fundamental philosophical differences among Tea Party factions, just as the movement is being hailed as a political force.

The Tea Party Patriots -- perhaps the best-known and best-organized of the various Tea Party factions -- today sent supporters a statement, obtained by TPMmuckraker, disavowing the idea of forming a third party, calling such efforts "unproductive and unwise at this time." The statement comes on the heels of news reports about burgeoning efforts to create a third party out of the movement -- most prominently in Nevada.

But it angered some advocates of the third party route. In an email to TPMmuckraker, Jim Knapp, a Sacramento-based Tea Party activist who favors the idea, called the statement "truly disturbing." "These few self proclaimed leaders are helping the GOP hijack the movement, despite Rasmussen polls that indicate the majority support a third party," wrote Knapp.

Meanwhile, yesterday, Everett Wilkinson, a South Florida Tea Party activist, launched Save Our Movement, a website warning that Steele, the RNC chair, "is trying to take over the 'Tea Party.'" The site allows users to send an email message to Steele "regarding the 'hijacking' of the Tea Party Movement by the GOP."

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http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/02/tea_partiers_forming_circular_firing_squad.php

[Cha]

1. They're not patriots ..they're

ignorant racist, bigoted teabags who have nothing but hate for Patriots.

[proud patriot]

4. +1

[firedupdem]

6. +1 n/t

[obamaisbestone]

9. It is time to have counter demonstrations to RACIST-SEXIST TEA BAGGERS ON APRIL 15

Here is a letter I am sending to every officer of every possible Democratic group. Please join me in forwarding this message.
____________________________________________________________________________________


"Not only are they racist they are SEXIST. A tea party leader today called for Washington, Senator Patty Murray to be "HANGED."


It is time for your group to wake up. The Tea Party movement is a masked movement of racist sentiment. Why have you all been so quiet about this? Have you seen the signs that these people are bringing to these events? Did you hear the speech by Tom Tancredo the other night?

If you want this president to be remembered well, you all need to join up with other liberal groups and stand up to these nuts.


http://www.youtube.com/watch#playnext=1&playnext_from=TL&videos=HxEUyFPkrUw&v=S38VioxnBaI

[Cha]

10. Yes, they're fucking disgusting and so are the corporatemediaWhores

who pump them up and don't reveal the racist bigotry.

Some in the media just say the teabaggers are "grassroots":silly: fucking stupid.

[BlueIdaho]

2. Repeat after KO...

"Where are the people of color in the tea party movement?"

[Clio the Leo]

3. The teabaggers' populist message is getting lost in the BS.

... and they dont seem to understand that .... good for them. ;)

[wowimthere]

13. because bs begets more bs. GOP were good at it for 8 years.

[Bolo Boffin]

8. And the answer:

"The same place they were in the Young College Republicans."

[jenmito]

5. I'm gonna go to one of those teabagger sites claiming I want them to be a 3rd party!

:D

[jenmito]

7. You can go here to sign a petition saying you want to stop Michael Steele from

taking over the Teabag Party: http://www.saveourmovement.com/

[Yurovsky]

11. I'll pitch in for some ammo...

gotta love a good firing squad. I might pop some corn & get an RC out of the ice box.

[wowimthere]

12. Wow. Republicans hijacking the Republican party. LOL. Please.... let's stop this.

Seems to me liberals are giving tea partiers the benefit of the doubt of sincerity. They voted Republicans into office in VA, NJ and MA. Come on People. Wake up!!!