CEA Party To Challenge Tea Party Event

h/t Instapundit for a link to Politico's latest on a Nashville convention claiming the Tea Party name. Looks like the 527 is on hold and if Palin plans to follow through on doing as claimed with her six figure fee - not that I doubt her - but it either wasn't her intention in the beginning, or she doesn't understand campaign finance laws at all. Of course, that assumes Phillips comes up with the money, he seems to have missed a deadline already.

Okay, I'll say it, I told ya so back in November before talking to a single representative of the group. As for the counter-convention - I agree with Glenn. Maybe they should call it the CEA (Charged Enough Already) Party.

The convention is being held at a fancy resort, features $550 ticket prices, a steak and lobster dinner and a guest speaker with a $100,000 speaking fee. It’s sponsored by a for-profit company with a mysterious wealthy benefactor, and its organizers, who have been accused of secrecy and corruption, have threatened lawsuits against dissenters and clamped down on news coverage.

Sounds like just the kind of thing that tea party activists, whose populist outrage is directed at the Washington and Wall Street establishments, would be up in arms over.

Except it’s a tea party convention.

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.

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.

After she was criticized for the fee, Palin told Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly that she “will not financially be gaining anything from this.” Instead, she suggested she would “turn it right back around and contribute to campaigns, candidates and issues.”

But the only way she could do that under federal election law would be to make maximum contributions of $2,400 to candidates, $5,000 to political action committees or $30,400 to national party committees (she could make larger contributions to independent 527 groups, but those are barred from directly supporting or opposing candidacies).

Comments

[SCSoxFan]

For Chrissakes, give it a rest, Riehl. You don't like Phillips, the convention, or Palin's participation -- we get it already. And, how does what Politico writes indicate that she doesn't understand campaign finance law? Her statement seemed to indicate that she intends to give to individual candidates, PACs, etc. So, how does that mean that she doesn't understand campaign finance laws at all?

[DanielSC]

Upon reading the whole article - my take.

Dude in Tenn. attempts to gather a "national" group of TEA Party (which is purely grass-root and extremely loosely organized - I know with a couple groups) - gets in way over his head, but carries on with an event that I would have to refrain from calling "grassroots" or TEA Party but for the label.

Now it is getting national mud on its face and allowing the MSM to associate the failing, flaws, and mud on a national level so they can keep up the stance that all "teabaggers" are "angry old men" or "racist, right-wingnut-jobs".

I say, "A Rose by any other name would still be a Rose." You see, in our little corner of SC; a very similar thing happened - we had a spur of the moment TEA Party on 4/15/09 that was put together by pure grass roots organizing and word of mouth promotion. The second event for 7/4/09 was overrun by "for profit folks that just ruined the event and took the name MB TEA Party to make a buck off of henceforth... so the original group has reformed under another name and has been traveling to DC and Columbia still protesting while the other group seems to have faded away.

It is a shame, but that's the way stuff can happen when you are trying to herd a group of kittens. *wink*

[Dan Riehl]

STFU SCxf - get your own blog. But don't think for a minute that you, or anyone, will ever tell me what to write on my blog.

[Thomas]

Dan, forget Nashville. It's over. Palin has completely destroyed herself.

http://www.ecanadanow.com/world/2010/01/22/sarah-palin-to-support-john-mccain-in-senate-race/

[Pops in Vienna]

Oh dear, this seems to keep getting worse and worse. Yes, I think it poses a dilemma for Palin for a couple of reasons. First, it will be very tricky for her to effectively disburse large sums of money from her PAC. I believe the best she could do would be to give 41 candidates a modest sum of $2,400 each. I don't think that would even buy an AM radio spot at 4 AM in a major media market. Second, I think many of Palin's supporters have a very uneasy feeling about this event and its organizers. As I have mentioned before, it strikes me as very "un-tea party like".

I used to think that Palin was a very savvy politician. I am wondering if she is aware of this dust up? If she is, then she must feel that there's greater benefit in participating than not. I'm also wondering if Palin makes these decisions on her own, or if she has a cadre of bright young, Ivy League, sparks advising her. If its their advice she is following maybe she would be better off taking her own counsel as the fisherman's wife who was upset about school taxes in her local community.

I want Sarah to succeed and I think many people who have been leaving comments on this topic do as well. A number of us see trouble brewing and we want to protect her.

[SCSoxFan]

Touchy, aren't we? You can make every post about this subject if you want. But you're beating a dead horse and are not convincing anyone who isn't already convinced.

[SCSoxFan]

Pops, it doesn't matter how she or anyone or any PAC gives money. The limits are the limits. So, a PAC with $5 million can still only give $2,400 to an individual candidate. Should they not do it? I think spreading the money around to a lot of candidates is fine.

[Pops in Vienna]

Thomas: Thanks for posting the link. I think most people have the view that McCain and Palin don't like each other very much. I guess this type of phoniness is expected in politics but unfortunately it puts Palin in the category of being just another politician.

I vividly remember how Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage and other talk show hosts despised McCain. Palin is not going to endear herself to those guys by helping McCain. Heck, why didn't she just write him a check or promise not to campaign for his primary opponent?

[Kentucky Colonel]

What do you want, just commenters who agree with you? Your response to SCSoxFan makes you sound like Charles Johnson. You've about beat this subject to death. I think that was his point. How many more times are you planning to write on this subject? Why haven't you attacked Bachmann or Blackburn for speaking there?

And to re-ask SCSoxFan's question, what makes you think Palin doesn't understand campaign finance law? Whether her PAC gets $100,000 for her speaking at the event or 100,000 people send her a $1.00 a piece, what her PAC ends up doing with the money is still controlled by the campaign finance laws.

[Dan Riehl]

"How many more times are you planning to write on this subject?"

As many as I want. When I start banning people for disagreeing you can make the CJ comparison. As I don't, you're being foolish and making empty ad hominen attacks.

There were ways for Palin to structure this for maximum political benefit if her original goal was for those purposes, as she didn't do that, it's fair to ask whether she either simply wanted to profit from a TP event, or didn't know the law. You might not like it, but they are fair conclusions based upon facts.

If you simply want a figure to worship and not question their judgments criticaly, go for it. But don't expect me to do it for Palin, or any one simply because you don't like reading it.

[JadedByPolitcs]

They are missing the "big picture" WE TEA Party Movement people are fine just by ourselves state to state! WE don't need no stinking people trying to co-opt the Movement. It is just US against the Government and WE can only hold via votes our OWN Congresscritters. Those who would attempt to take "ownership" are going to find out pretty quick that is NOT how this works!

[Kentucky Colonel]

How do you know how she structured it? Aren't you being a little presumptive? And what "facts" are you referring to? It seems to me, based on your many previous posts about the speaking fee, your criticism is based on something more than actual facts. Have you considered the possibility that her fee was based on the fact that the TPC was an event put on by a for-profit entity?

Why are you so willing to hammer her and then try to justify it by talking about "facts"? I ask again, what facts? Have you been privy to the internal workings of her PAC? Don't preach to me about facts, unless you can back it up with some actual facts and not just the word "facts".

[Kentucky Colonel]

Dan, I meant to add something else to my last post, but got sidetracked. My criticism of you in this matter is not meant to be an ad hominen attack on you. I usually agree with about 75% of what you write, and no, I don't always agree with everything that Palin says or does. I do, however, believe that on balance, she's way ahead of most political tacticians who seem to think that there's some rule book that must be followed.

[leilani]

What was really damning to me was the revelation that, not only did Phillips ditch the idea of forming the 527 (& everyone's supposed therefore just take on faith that some guy no one's ever heard of will allocate profits to conservative causes with no transparency in accounting whatsoever), it was the new admission by the other wealthy backer Bill Hemrick that he was going to use the event to try to finagle Palin's support to get some auto safety gadget he's marketing mandated by the government.

Um, I thought the whole raison d'etre of Tea Parties was to organize protests aagainst all the sleazy self-dealing by politically connected special interests? A little bit unclear on the concept of reform are we, Nashville?

I think Palin can probably still go & talk to these folks, collect her check & not be too terribly burned. Pols talk to iffy groups all the time. It doesn't mean they're owned by them, although it's troubling she was so quick to help give these questionable people legitimacy, no questions asked.

But some of Palin's supposedly enthusiastic supporters here & elsewhere, who are admonishing everybody else to shut up about the attempted co-optation of the movement by people with less than pristine motives & suggesting all Tea Partiers just hold their tongues as all the questions over the self-serving exploitation evidenced by these characters begin to mount, will probably not escape the hits to *their* credibility.

Because it certainly strikes me as odd that some of Palin's self-described fans seem more intent on protecting the reputations of Judson Phillips and Bill Hemrick than they are about protecting Sarah's.

[sanjuro]

A similar thing happened with the GATHERING OF EAGLES, the Vets who organized to stand up against the antiwar/antiUSA activities in DC.

In March 2007 it was similar to the Tea Party movement, thousands of Vets from all over the nation, organizing at the spur of the moment, converging on The Mall in DC, outraged at the previous "Peace March" and their desecration of memorials and ready to thrown down.

It was a glorious, flying by the seat of your pants, we're all in this together time.

Next year another march was organized only this time the leaders had split because of disagreements and there was now two different groups. Luckily the rank in file had little idea until they arrived and few gave a hoot, except to be a bit disgusted at the ego trips that would cause such a split. But the march took place.

I STRONGLY agree that the Tea Party movement is NOT a national movement per se but a county by county, state by state one that is an attempt by the people to take back their local, state and national govt.from party machines and the self appointed patrician class.

The movement needs no spokesman or face except the face of the average American citizens who made it happen.

The Tea Party movement must continually exercise caution that it NEVER becomes what it despises.

[labwrs]

STOP picking on Dan for this reporting! I live in Nashville and this "Tea Party Convention" is not ONLY a phony joke it IS becoming a SCANDAL and possibly a SCAM! To further educate yourself on what is going on, try reading this link as Dan has done his homework on this and it is TRUE!

There was a FRONT PAGE article on the Sunday Tennessean this past week with all the dirt on this Phillips guy.

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/tennessean/access/1941542611.html?dids=1941542611:1941542611&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&fmac=28dfcc12538aa32614fdc7054a6a1ed7&date=Jan+17%2C+2010&author=&desc=Squabbles+erupt+over+Tea+Party

[inspectorudy]

labwrs, I just read the link you offered and I don't see the "Scandal" you refer to. It looks like the whole thing got a lot bigger and garnered more attention than anyone expected and the whole group was caught flat footed. To go back into someones background and find all of their faults is a real unfair way to treat them. All of you who are so down on this gathering seem to have an agenda that is not apparent or explained. What is it? Dan, do you just have it in for Palin and this guy Phillips or is this just boring blogging? Hell, you are not beating a dead horse, you are beating a skeleton!

[labwrs]

inspectorudy,

Try this link with much more. I live in Nashville and this is big news with the Tea Partiers. This thing was nothing more than an enrichment scheme for this guy and his backer from day one. Do some homework, open your eyes! I too am a TP and SP fan but there ARE people out to corrupt/use/co-op both.

http://www.melissaclouthier.com/2010/01/15/tea-party-nations-judson-phillips-i-want-to-make-a-million-from-this-movement/

[mojo]

CEA : "Career Ends Abruptly"

[unseen]

You might not like it, but they are fair conclusions based upon facts.

If you simply want a figure to worship and not question their judgments criticaly, go for it. But don't expect me to do it for Palin, or any one simply because you don't like reading it.

Posted by: Dan Riehl

Or you can continue to sound like a little child that didn't get the cookie. I find it interesting that you start to bash Palin at the same time she snubbed CPAC and made a grab for the mantle of A leader of the TEA party movement. Maybe she ruffled "your" feathers.

[leilani]

"I too am a TP and SP fan but there ARE people out to corrupt/use/co-op both."

labwrs: exactly! I wouldn't be a bit surprised that there are people out there posing as Tea Partiers & Sarah Palin fans with the goal of trying to discredit them both! I've said it before: if I were Rahm Emanuel, I'd consider myself incompetent if I didn't have my peeps out on the ground trying to do just that at this very moment.

Who are these people who're saying Sarah & the Tea Party Movement should blindly jeopardize THEIR own credibility just so a couple of the TPN meeting promoters nobody's ever heard of can evade scrutiny by anyone else.

That's just astonishing to me. Perhaps it's they who should answer the question of whose side *they're* really on?

[callingallcomets]

Even more evidence of corruption at the TP Convention - that shady bunch of crooks at Judicial Watch have stepped in as sponsors. Everybody knows that they just a front organisation for the Palin zombies who want to destroy America and proclaim John McCain as Emperor of.....blah blah blah blah....
http://www.judicialwatch.org/news/2010/jan/judicial-watch-sponsors-national-tea-party-convention-february-4-6-2010