nedryun's blog

One of the drums I've been beating for weeks is that the Tea Parties need to be seen as just the starting point of something long term, not just as one day protests. What I'm trying to do with After the Tea Party is just that: help give legs to make the parties more long term by challenging people to run for local office. I was reading Wesley Pruden's editorial in the Washington Times yesterday, and he was making much the same point I've been making: if we want to maximize the results of the parties, and the hundreds of thousands that attended, if not over a million, we need to channel the passion into getting people to run for city councils and school boards. I applaud the organizers of the Tucson Tea Party for taking the energy from their party and focusing on the city council races this fall.

Think about the 800 or so cities that had tea parties on the 15th. What if those tea parties did the same and decided they were going to focus on taking over their local councils and school boards? Why not? You would have a ready made volunteer base for starters.

And think about the fact that usually half or more of our government spending every year is at the state and local level. I know in 2005 that 53% of government spending was at the state and local level (you can make the argument that federal mandates and some federal money are pushed into state and local to be spent there, but the point is, there is a great deal of government spending that takes place at the local levels). What I'm trying to do is tell people, "Channel the passion, move from protesting to implementing, and thru AftertheTeaParty, American Majority will help empower you to do that." I think it would be great if all 800 cities focused on their local government, all ran on 3-5 of the same basic points: Transperancy, Fiscal Responsibility, and Accountability for starters.

I think if the organizers of the local parties start thinking long term, they can make the parties the beginning point of something very, very good.

Ned Ryun is absolutely correct about this.  The Tea Party protests are getting people engaged, and that's good.  But it is not sufficient.  The Tea Party protests will be valuable if the participants remain engaged; if this activity begets more activity - grassroots-directed activity.  This is an opportunity for a reformational insurgency on the Right, but it has to be organic and sustained. - Jon Henke

I’m amazed that what began as a single anti-stimulus protest organized by one blogger in Seattle, Washington in February has now turned into a revolution sweeping the nation. Eric Odom of the DontGo movement and others seized on the idea, and now nearly 1,000 (or more) Tax Day Tea Party events are planned for April 15th, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to show up and protest the government’s out of control spending. It’s about time people publically demonstrated enmasse at the stupidity of the current political leadership (and I fault both major parties and their current and former leadership for the mess we’re in).

But I have one concern: We show up; we protest; we go home. But what comes next?    There are events in history that impact the direction a nation takes. This could be one of those moments. I know the organizers of the National Tax Day Tea Party have begun to think about it, and I am convinced that if done right, this could be the MoveOn.org moment for the conservative movement. Think about it: MoveOn.org began as a simple petition and email list, wanting people and leaders to move on from the Bill Clinton impeachment. Consider what it is today.   To help keep the momentum of the Tea Party Revolution going, American Majority has developed an After the Tea Party plan. My challenge to those attending the Tea Parties is this: we’re showing up to protest on behalf of freedom and limited government. But that should just be the beginning. We need to take it a step further if we want to see true freedom and limited government here in America. We need implementers of freedom and limited government. If people are really fed-up with the current elected leadership of this country, then they should think about becoming the next generation of leadership. We need people to channel their passion into part of a long-term approach, and run for local office (or become more effective activists). What if we have 1,000,000 people show up on the 15th? What if 5% take up this challenge to run for state and local office on free market, limited government principles? It would be the beginning of something very, very good for this country.   That’s what After the Tea Party is about. We want people to go to www.aftertheteaparty.com and sign up. American Majority will then train those who sign up to run for office or to become a more effective activist.   I’m posting this so I can help get the word out about After the Tea Party. I need those reading this to do a few things:  

1. Attend a local Tax Day Tea Party near you (visit www.taxdayteaparty.com to find a nearby event).
2. Pass out literature at the event to let others know about American Majority’s After the Tea Party plan. Contact Jaoni Wood at jaoni@americanmajority.org, give her the city of the event you’ll be attending, and your name and snail mail address so that we can send you the literature.
3. Forward this to family and friends. Help recruit others to take part in the cause.

The Tax Day Tea Parties represent one of our greatest opportunities to motivate, encourage and engage citizens in the fight for freedom.   Let’s seize this moment and make the most of it.