First, here's an example of persistence -- a guy with a weird costume and weirder sign who was at the Tea Party Express event in Albany this week, and also at the D.C. event (I saw a photo of him there, really).
My guess is that he was as popular in D.C. as he was in Albany -- a veritable magnet for cameras and angry anti-Obama types.
Now, a little history.
Local teabaggers got started on April 15, with an event in Albany that, according to the local media, attracted 2,000 or so (I did not attend).
They haven't got that many out since, but they have been a regular presence at Scott Murphy's (NY-20) meet-and-greets (diaries about two of those here and here) and Paul Tonko's (NY-21) big town hall.
They also hosted, at our photogenic state Capitol, a statewide gathering of teabaggers and a visit Thursday by the nationwide Tea Party Express road show.
Despite lots of free advertising on local talk radio, the local teabaggers only mustered two buses (less than 100 people) from here for yesterday's D.C. thing.
But they have alerted their e-mail list to an "audit the Fed" event Tuesday, targeting the Albany offices of Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.
And they have planned a 10-hour "Great Awakening" event in Troy on Sept. 26, that, according to the flier passed out at the Tea Party Express event, will deal with issues like treason, tyranny, socialized health care, inflation, war, income tax, and "the lies."
There is nothing on the locals' main website yet about this, but I'll bet my house they'll be organizing an event for Nov. 2, when national Tea Party types, and their Republican allies, are planning a "Countdown to Judgment Day."
National Tea Party leader Amy Kremer (part of the Tea Party Express show) preached to the choirs in Albany and D.C. that:
going forward, we have another Tea Party in November.
You know, Nov. 2, 2010, is Election Day. This year, Monday, Nov. 2, why don't we have another nationwide round of Tea Parties and call it "Countdown to Judgment Day."
That'll be their official notice.
Good luck with a Monday rally around here, in November.
Interestingly, "Southern Belle" Kremer said she traced her initial activating moment to when "Rick Santelli had his rant."
Which, like the Tea Party movement, got a lot of unwarranted media attention.
The largely he-said/she-said coverage of the teabaggers has given them a level of media credibility that the same people -- mostly Ron Paul government-haters -- did not get in last year's Republican presidential primary.
No matter how many people did the 9/12 event, and how far-right they are, there is no denying the persistence of teabaggery.
They have activated many people to come to rallies and town halls, and they have been inspired by that and are working to keep those people activated with more events in the future.
Here's what one local organizer wrote today at the Albany Tea Party message board:
This is still just the beginning. Look how far we've come in six months. We are going to be impossible to ignore by election time.
The fact that I couldn't be there has energized me. Nothing is going to keep me from this stuff from now on -- too important.
The teabaggers will be working 24/7 to elect Republicans next year.
Those of us committed to electing and re-electing Democrats should be forewarned about that, and committed to working harder than ever next year. |
