William Temple, one of the lead organizers for the Freedom Jamboree, said many tea party activists were not prepared to travel to the Midwest for the event.
Quote:
Organizers of the Freedom Jamboree announced Wednesday that they have canceled the tea party convention planned for this fall, citing low registration.
They had hoped the event would serve as a stage for Republican presidential candidates to court the conservative movement, and two ? Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) and former Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.) ? had already confirmed they would attend.
The weekend of reflection and strategizing was scheduled for Sept. 28 to Oct. 2 in Kansas City, Kan., and included a straw poll. Twenty-one local tea party groups started it with the intent to reclaim the movement from national umbrella groups and offer an alternative to the annual fall tea party rally on the National Mall.
?We were doing it because we were fed up with the infighting that these umbrella groups have done in 2010,? William Temple, a lead organizer who lives in Georgia, told Roll Call.
He cited low registration in an email Wednesday informing activists about the cancellation. He said that finances weren?t an issue, but a June financial report posted on the organization?s website showed that only about $10,000 had been raised for an event that was supposed to attract hundreds of tea party groups from across the nation.
Only 62 tea party groups had committed to attending, well under the 350 that Temple estimated would be needed to break even.
The $10,000 was raised through sponsorships, donations, registration and vendor fees, and Temple?s email said it all would be returned.
?Unlike the federal government, we decided that we didn?t want to do any deficit spending,? he told Roll Call.
The jamboree is the second national tea party event to be canceled because of low registration numbers. Last year, the Tennessee-based Tea Party Nation nixed plans to host a gathering in Las Vegas. At the time, the group blamed summer travel plans and the heat for driving attendees away.
As it turned out, the Midwest didn?t prove any more ideal.
?The majority of the responses that we?ve gotten in the last month were that although [tea party members] support it, they are not prepared to travel all the way to Kansas City,? Temple said.
He added that the movement has lost some of its steam since tens of thousands of activists protested on Capitol Hill against the health care overhaul in 2009 and 2010. But Temple, who has been active since the beginning of the movement, said it is far from over.
?You?re going to see a lot of very active people in 2012,? he said. ?I think that?s what people are waiting for. 2011 may not be what they wanted to spend their energy on.?
He struck a less optimistic tone in his email to fellow activists and warned about fractures in the movement.
?It appears the Tea Party horse is riderless, and riding off in all directions at once,? he wrote. AmbreenAli@rollcall.com
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I'll believe corporations are persons when Texas executes one.: LBJ's Ghost
Maybe this signifies that people are finally waking up to the absurdity that is the "tea party", maybe I am just being too hopeful.
It was intended to be a grass roots movement. Democrats would love to make it a part as third parties historically don't fare so well. Nanny-Staters of both parties would like to vilify the movement, seems that the TEA party doesn't favor freebies at our great-grandkids expense.
Agh they're hypos just the same as many of them, picking and choosing what serves them best, and condemming the rest...........Easy to scream and throw yourself on the pavement for attention though!
It was intended to be a grass roots movement. Democrats would love to make it a part as third parties historically don't fare so well. Nanny-Staters of both parties would like to vilify the movement, seems that the TEA party doesn't favor freebies at our great-grandkids expense.
it realistically would favor the rich receiving government services paid for by the working class - later on, so yeah it just moves the benefits around to the rich instead of the average worker
it realistically would favor the rich receiving government services paid for by the working class - later on, so yeah it just moves the benefits around to the rich instead of the average worker
My point exactly! See the bit I put up in another thread about just that topic!
Agh they're hypos just the same as many of them, picking and choosing what serves them best, and condemming the rest...........Easy to scream and throw yourself on the pavement for attention though!
A 3rd Party is one thing. A party catering to ignorance, bigotry and violence is a travesty.
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I'll believe corporations are persons when Texas executes one.: LBJ's Ghost
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