Who’s Behind These “Tea Parties”?

Contrary to the myth that this is some kind of grassroots movement, and neither left nor right, three conservative organizations are driving the tax day “protests.”  They want to be seen as non-partisan, but what are they protesting if not that the conservatives behind it are not in power any longer?  In fact, in Orlando during a March tea party protest, “Impeach Obama” signs abounded.

The Atlantic explores who’s greasing the wheels behind the movement, and it’s three conservative organizations.

They are: FreedomWorks, the conservative action group led by Dick Armey; dontGO, a tech savvy free-market action group that sprung out of last August’s oil-drilling debate in the House of Representatives; and Americans for Prosperity, an issue advocacy/activist group based on free market principles.

Freedom Works began actively organizing months ago with tutorials on writing press releases, calling talk shows, carpooling, and what to do the day of the protests; don’tGO began as an effort to attack Democrats who didn’t subscribe to their detailed energy plan of “drill, drill, drill.”  Americans for Prosperity (as opposed to Americans who are anti-prosperity) is gathering names and organizing locations.  This is the group that most recently had Republican Party spokesman Joe the Plumber rallying against the Employee Free Choice Act.

And if there is any further doubt that this isn’t a GOP-supported operation, the Republican National Committee is asking supporters to send a virtual tea bag to President Obama.

At Huffington Post, Tina Dupuy has perspective on the so-called “movement,” explaining the difference between the original Boston Tea Party and this ersatz event.

The Boston Tea Party was standing up to tyranny after years of neglect. Not standing up to being mad that your candidate didn’t win. The tea was a symbol of the tone deafness and arrogance of King George. Everyone knew Englishmen (which the colonist were) could never live without tea, so British Parliament imposed a huge tax on it. So instead of Liptons being thrown into various bodies of water around this country – the symbolic equivalent would be cutting up your credit cards. Credit card companies are taxing Americans with no representation – but they know that Americans can’t live without them. So where’s that mutiny?

The dontGO folks think they’re “brewing a revolution” and that they’re the “silent majority no more!”  The problem is, besides them not being silent, they’re not the majority.  The majority spoke quite loudly in November, and they ain’t it.

But heck, if you’re an ear piercing minority calling yourself a ‘silent majority’ what’s a little fact fudging between friends. It’s a little archaic throw back to the Bush Misnomers (titles for things that don’t match what they actually do) – the Clean Sky Initiatives (that aided in pollution) – The Patriot Act (that squashed The Constitution) or my favorite The State of the Union Address (the wedge for the divide was more like it).

So, have your fun, “teabaggers.”  I will always stand up for your right to speak and assemble, (even though when my side waved the First Amendment in your faces, we were called unpatriotic).  But if you really want to “take this country back,”  get yourself some good candidates and some positions on issues that actually resonate with the majority of Americans.  And you can then be a very non-silent majority at the voting booth.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.