Tea Party At Its Dregs? Major Convention Attracts Few

[ProSense]

Tea Party At Its Dregs? Major Convention Attracts Few

With Fox News host Glenn Beck’s ratings down and the biggest tea party rally eclipsed by a recent pro-labor rally in Wisconsin, could the tea party be losing steam? One new sign: a big tea party convention in Tampa, FL this weekend — headlined by such conservative favorites as Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), Fox News Judge Andrew Napolitano, and former GOP Congressman Tom Tancredo — attracted only about 300 people. The Save America Convention’s website lists 25 guest speakers, meaning there was one speaker for every 12 attendees. If one includes the 13 musicians and other performers listed as entertainment, that ratio drops to one for every 7 and a half.

Joseph Farah, the founder of the birther news website World Net Daily, who spoke at the event, promised “lots of opportunities for interactivity between participants and presenters.” Indeed, this photo from the convention posted by Saint Petersblog suggests attendees would have little competition to meet Farah and the other speakers:



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[rfranklin]

1. Gee, did the Koch brothers forget to send a bus?

I am surprised that the MSM didn't headline this gathering as a massive new movement.

[vaberella]

4. Old people...always looking for a free ride. I don't blame them.

I'd probably be at the rally if there was a free ride and food.

[southernyankeebelle]

10. Am old and I am not looking for a free ride. Whatever I have I have earned working since I was

16 yrs old. I put money into social security, paid into medicare even though I am not eligble yet. These are programs that help the elderly and you younger people should be happy we have these programs because if we had to depend on our kids we would be hurting. Before these programs became into effect old people were dying. Young families have enough to care for their own families they don't need to add their parents to the problem. Thank god for these programs. Seniors don't have to beg their kids and kids don't have to worry about them.

[rfranklin]

20. Unfortunately, the seniors who join the Tea Party are getting taken for a ride...

by billionaires who don't believe in Social Security or Medicare and would like nothing better than to have everyone impoverished and begging for jobs at Third World rates of pay.

[vaberella]

35. And that is definitely the reality. n/t

[vaberella]

33. It's a joke.

I'm far from "old" and I would take it. It's not to be taken seriously.

[patrick t. cakes]

25. stupid post...nt

DU really is starting to suck.

[vaberella]

34. Possibly stupid.

It was more of a, possibly poorly construed comedic statement. It's not to supposed to be taken seriously.

[patrick t. cakes]

42. my apologies then...

DU is a tense place lately.

[TheBigotBasher]

2. Lol, it serves the Tea Party Terror movement right.

They were created for 2010, they will not survive, Faux and Koch will think of something else to please these loons.

[vaberella]

3. This looks like a McCain rally. n/t

[DCKit]

5. I'd feel sorrier if it were a progressive group.

And the solution is clear (to me), but I'll be damned if I'm going to put it in writing on the Intertubes.

[TheBigotBasher]

6. Punch and pie.

It worked on South Park.

[DCKit]

8. Nah, donuts, fried chicken, fried Snickers, funnel cakes and lots of sweet tea.

Medicare might suffer in the short term, but it sure would take a lot of pressure off Social Security.

[Wait Wut]

24. Ouch.

I hate it when I laugh at inappropriate and evil comments!!!

DAMN YOU!!!

[muntrv]

7. The teabaggers should offer free beer to boost its audience.

[polichick]

9. Looks like a tepid tea party.

[Vogon_Glory]

11. Can We Hope That Florida Voters Heard Humbugs Humming?

Can we hope that Florida voters might be hearing humbugs humming. I remember the first time I heard of the so-called "TEA Party," some of the touts INSISTED that they were DIFFERENT from the Republican Party that had been defeated in the 2008 elections and that they repudiated the likes of McCain and Palin. By 2011, it seems pretty clear that the TEA Party was essentially a re-branding for the right-wing Republican Party's extreme right wing, and that a lot of people taken in by TEAb@gger rhetoric about "big government" are finding the costs of being stripped of pensions, union memberships, insurance, and other protections of the half-a@@ed welfare state the US had before the return of the Rethuglies is leaving them vulnerable.

Maybe some voters are getting wised up. I sure hope so.

:dem:

[quaker bill]

36. It was a fad

For a couple of years there were TEA party homes in my neighborhood, festooned with flags and signs. The houses are still there and as best as I can tell, are still occupied by the same folks, but all the tea party decor is gone.

Gov. Scott has been bad for many things, but he might have been good for this.

[JoePhilly]

12. Citizen's United made the Tea Party irrelevant.

There is no reason for an elected official to ever subject themselves to an angry town hall ever again.

All you have to do is signal to the big money folks that you will do what they want.

In return, the big money will set up front groups that will run endless ads claiming that YOU are the family values candidate, and that your opponent sleeps with unwilling farm animals.

There is no reason for any GOP member to every actually speak to an individual Tea Party person. And the Tea Party dopes helped make that true.

[craigmatic]

13. They won the house so fox has stopped hyping them like they did last year. nt

[Puzzler]

14. It's not needed for now... wait until next year

[applegrove]

15. Oh that is good news. I can almost picture a teabagger saying to themself

"but but but the gop is going after the collective barganning my parents fought so hard for! why would I go"

[MrScorpio]

16. A mile wide and an inch deep...

When reality sets in, nobody has any stomach for their bullshit

[Keith Bee]

17. The Tea Party CANNOT be "At Its Dregs,"

as it has always been comprised of the dregs of American political life.

[8 track mind]

18. "13 musicians"

Wow. looks like some a-list talent there........

:sarcasm:

[tanyev]

21. People are going to kick themselves for missing out on Kevin Quinn, Impersonations and Narrations.

[old mark]

38. He probably does a great Obama impersonation....It's hard for me to imagine

teabaggers with a sense of humor or a taste for music anyway...


mark

[HillWilliam]

27. If we look behind the headline, we'll probably find out it was

that tiredass Lee Greenwood whining out his Greatest Hit 13 times.

[8 track mind]

39. Oh thanks a lot....

Now i can't get that nasaly reagan era tune out of my head

:puke: :banghead:

[Dawson Leery]

29. That is the alt-a list. The a-list was paying tribute to the criminal GHW Bush

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydTBEAloNV4

[8 track mind]

40. What blows me away to this day is

Reba McEntire. She came from dirt ass poor Atoka, Oklahoma beginnings and she turns into a a fucking cool-aid drinker

[Dawson Leery]

41. She is also a shallow narcissist.

From her view, you should not criticize people that she likes.
That was her argument as to why we should not criticize the Bush's and oddly enough gay people.
And she is called a "queen" (of country) :eyes:

I am very much against the country "music" establishment for many reasons including what they did to the Dixie Chicks.
It seems to be that in country, one must a jingoistic, blood lust worshiping bigot to be accepted. Being anti-war and against right wing politicians is
unacceptable.

[opihimoimoi]

19. Despite Tons of FREE GOUT FOOD...BEER...Sausages, lobsters, etc...poor turnout?? OMG

[hatrack]

22. Anybody read the listings of the musicians and entertainers?

Talk about your "throw-up-in-your-mouth" magic!

(Exception made for the classical guitarist who appeared to be w/o RW loon status).

http://saveamericaconvention.com/entertainment/

[Blue Owl]

23. Look at that Teabag Tidal Wave.

Just look at it.

Yep, this is what we're up against.

[BobbyBoring]

26. Damn!

I would have gone just to see the Tonettes!

[Blue Owl]

28. The Tonettes -- are those Scott Walker's 5 wives?

Pretty tough keeping track of all the Republican family values these days...

:evilgrin:

[Dawson Leery]

30. Romney's?

[girl gone mad]

31. Just like the DLC..

they are nothing without their corporate backers.

[tom_paine]

32. The Kochs and the rest of the Corporate Aristocracy are just powering down the Reality Show for now

No need to waste money during down periods, not when the followers are so automotamatic and can be wound back up and place foresquare 24/7 in the Subject Populace's mind and un-raised consciousness by a compliant and mighty Corporate Media Wurlitzer.

Not to worry, they will spring to life as needed in full bloom in a few months - bet the house and farm on it. The marketing demands that there be some down-time before the 2012 RW Propaganda Offensive - marketing research on "OJ Fatigue" has long confirmed that. Which is one of Corporate Media's prototype modern infoganda techniques back in '94 when control was only partial and I think the Bushies did not yet realize just how dumbed down and docile the American Subject Populace had become.

Anyhow, don't get your hopes up. The False Reality Bubble of Fraud and Lies that is the sad and degraded lunatic state of what was once the United States of America only grows stronger by the year.

To put it another: Star Wars - Episode III has just begun...

[rasputin1952]

37. Missing from the pic:

Crickets

A couple of tumbleweeds