Report: Tea Parties created as GOP political ploy

[dtotire]

Report: Tea Parties created as GOP political ploy



The Tea Party has been billed as an organic grassroots operation, but a newly uncovered document obtained by Politico suggests the movement has been successfully co-opted as a Republican fundraising ploy.

GOP political consultant Joe Wierzbicki floated the proposal a year ago today to create the Tea Party Express, a nationwide bus tour to "give a boost to our PAC and position us as a growing force/leading force as the 2010 elections come into focus." His idea eventually became one of the best known brands in the Tea Party movement.

The document cautioned planners to be careful when discussing the ruse to use Tea Parties for political gain. "We have to be very, very careful about discussing amongst ourselves anyone we include 'outside of the family' because quite frankly, we are not only not part of the political establishment or conservative establishment, but we are also sadly not currently a part of the 'tea party' establishment," Wierzbicki wrote.

Wierzbicki, who works for the Sacramento firm Russo Marsh + Rogers, went on to outline how conservative media including Fox News could be leveraged to hype the Tea Party Express. He recommended using "mentions and possibly even promotion from conservative/pro-tea party bloggers, talk radio hosts, Fox News commentators, etc..."

Citing Michigan as an example, he noted that one of the plan's primary goals would be to elect Republican candidates. "It is also worth considering making a return run to Michigan. Former Republican Michigan governor, John Engler, has recently stated that he believes the Republican Party will do quite well in Michigan," he continued....MORE
he Tea Party has been billed as an organic grassroots operation, but a newly uncovered document obtained by Politico suggests the movement has been successfully co-opted as a Republican fundraising ploy.

GOP political consultant Joe Wierzbicki floated the proposal a year ago today to create the Tea Party Express, a nationwide bus tour to "give a boost to our PAC and position us as a growing force/leading force as the 2010 elections come into focus." His idea eventually became one of the best known brands in the Tea Party movement.

The document cautioned planners to be careful when discussing the ruse to use Tea Parties for political gain. "We have to be very, very careful about discussing amongst ourselves anyone we include 'outside of the family' because quite frankly, we are not only not part of the political establishment or conservative establishment, but we are also sadly not currently a part of the 'tea party' establishment," Wierzbicki wrote.

Wierzbicki, who works for the Sacramento firm Russo Marsh + Rogers, went on to outline how conservative media including Fox News could be leveraged to hype the Tea Party Express. He recommended using "mentions and possibly even promotion from conservative/pro-tea party bloggers, talk radio hosts, Fox News commentators, etc..."

Citing Michigan as an example, he noted that one of the plan's primary goals would be to elect Republican candidates. "It is also worth considering making a return run to Michigan. Former Republican Michigan governor, John Engler, has recently stated that he believes the Republican Party will do quite well in Michigan," he continued.
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But the primary goal was fundraising for the founding firm's PAC. Despite quadrupling their take in March they told Politico, "We're hardly making any money at all."

Ken Vogel, who broke the story, discussed it on MSNBC's Countdown With Keith Olbermann Wednesday.

"The firm, Russo Marsh, and its operatives have really pushed back hard against this idea that they're making a lot of money off of it. They say, yes, we received $1.9 million in payments from this PAC, which is now the Tea Party Express, but a lot of that was for overhead," Vogel told Olbermann.

He said there's "no doubt" the plan "has been a wild success beyond the sort of most ambitious expectations of these operatives." The GOP has successfully "tapped the Tea Party for a sustainable revenue stream," he added.

http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0415/report-tea-parties-political-ploy/

[OHdem10]

1. This is why I have been insisting that we separate Tea Party Activists

from Tea Party Rank and file grassroots.

The Activists have been around for a long time--not called
Tea Party.

Referred to as Conservatives--never named.

[Doctor_J]

2. Everything about the Repukes is fake

this is news?

[Alcibiades]

3. We have seen these folks before

They are the John Birch people, the Goldwater people, the George Wallace people and, yes, the Reagan people. Expect a "reconciliation" between the Teabaggers and the GOP leadership, wherein the "grassroots" will be asked to work to reelect every single GOP MC, including the ones behind Paulson's bailout.

This isn't a movement: it's a rebranding.

[h9socialist]

4. The Tea Party thing IS a Republican Fraud

That was obvious to me when I perused their Indianapolis Rally on 4/15. Just a bunch of party-hacks, and a lot of old rich folks with too much time on their hands . . . sprinkle a few redneck racists in and you have the Tea Party!

The truth is that these folks are primarily pissed off that a black man is President. They don't know how to handle it because it doesn't fit their cosmology.

FOR ONCE, Democrats could do us all a big favor by playing to OUR BASE -- progressives, workers, women, people of color, and so on. They could also remind the white middle class that their taxes have gone down under President Obama, that the healthcare system was a trainwreck that the Republicans never had the.political guts to do anything about, and they obviously think of Wall Street as old buddies.

The Democrats folded in 1994 because our base didn't see the point in supporting Clinton. I contend that there are tons of reasons for our base to stick with President Obama . . . and Congressional Democrats need to understand that.

[bergie321]

5. You mean

This is just another Brooks Brothers Riot?!?

:wow: <-my shocked face

[happygoluckytoyou]

6. GOLDMAN/SAX shows GOP true colors... sorry teabaggers... sometimes you're the BAG