The Tea Party, much maligned in the national media, is coming together, Save Jerseyans.
Focused on the upcoming election and a desire to set the nation on the right path, over 25 Tea Party and 6 other grassroots conservative groups in NJ have banded together to form the American Tea Party Congress (ATPC).
The Tea Party movement, born in 2009 to protest government over reach and the public subsidy of private mistakes, swept a wave of conservative freshmen into the House delivering the GOP a huge win and a black eye to the Democrats big government agenda. What started in the “heady days” of 2009 as a group of individual activist’s sounding the alarm of economic and individual liberty became a plethora of Tea Party groups who “in 2010 and 2011, matured and evolved” observed Gene Hoyas, an unaffiliated conservative blogger.
Mr Hoyas is the original draftee of the ATPC proposal, and the moderator of the groups planning committee currently fleshing out its rules and bylaws. Though Mr. Hoyas has “always voted for the most conservative candidate”, it was not until the election of President Obama that he took a more active role.
To this date the American Tea Party Congress has had 3 organization meetings with several of its committees up and running. The ATPC exists to bring local and regional Tea Party groups together to assist each other and assert themselves using a bottom-up methodology meant to avoid infringing on the independence of any constituent group. According to several NJ Tea Party activists, past attempts to unify the groups behind national organizations failed because of the top-down command structure of these organizations.
Anthony Diorio, the Vice President of the Jersey City Tea Party Alliance (JCTPA), who is also sitting on the marketing committee for the ATPC said he wants the group to “hold office holders accountable” and that “this is a long project”. Indeed, if the ATPC continues grow we could be witnessing a truly grass roots national conservative organization that can mobilize a huge volunteer base for phone banking, door knockings, get out the vote operations, fundraising and much more.
“The Tea Party is becoming part of the process” said Mr. Hoyas, which couldn’t be more true than in the Bay Shore Tea Party, one of the ATPC affiliated groups. Led by Barbara Gonzalez and Robert Gordon, the group endorsed Hermain Cain for the Republican nomination but isn’t letting Romney’s perceived lack of conservativism get in their way. In fact the ATPC on August 22nd issued a press release with their endorsement of the Romney/Ryan ticket and as Ms. Gonzalez said, they are “willing to make phone calls to battleground states to help defeat Obama”. Ms. Gonzalez, a supporter of Mr. Hoyas’s proposal to unite the Tea Party groups, said the structure allows every group to “keep their independence and still unify”.
Ms. Gonzalez, a resident of the Bay Shore area for 27 years, first began organizing rallies to support the troops in 2003. She likened the individual Tea Party groups to “threads that have been wound together into a strong, thick rope”. Her goal, like all on the right, is “to do whatever I can to see Obama and Menendez defeated”.
The several Tea Party group leaders I spoke with talked of the many members of their groups who served on the local Republican County Committee. The American Tea Party Congress has an almost unlimited potential to expand across the nation but even if (however unlikely) it stays within the state, in NJ the Tea Party groups are independent and here to stay – and the GOP needs to take notice.
This is an important first step in helping to reclaim what was once the greatest republic on earth. With this organizational effort, we on the right can begin to nullify the left's "top down, bottom up and inside out" approach to fundamentally ruining our country. Kudos to all putting forth this effort of "unifying for real change". In closing, thanks especially to Gene, Barbara, Bob and all representing the "tip of the spear" of what will, I am sure, become a potent political force here in NJ and perhaps even across the nation!
"…In fact the ATPC on August 22nd issued a press release with their endorsement of the Romney/Ryan ticket …"
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"….swept a wave of conservative freshmen into the House delivering the GOP a huge win and a black eye to the Democrats big government agenda. "
They still don't get it.
The freshmen "thank you" gift for TP support was to vote for NDAA, the final death knell of our Bill of Rights.
Independent, vetting and validating is a great goal. But when it translates into "Let's get the GOP into the Majority" Party, then the endeavor is doomed to failure.
Why? Even most registered GOP voters can't stand the GOP anymore.
If the ATPC were smart, they'd write a list of grievences that the GOP needs to rectify with notification that are disassociating themselves with the GOP until the GOP conforms to the peoples' demands.
This strategy of endorsing the shove Romney down our throats candidate chosen by the GOP and forced by the "top" on down, is to conform to ALL they claim to stand against.
jtsgrandmom, while you make great points, we would much rather take a shot in the leg and limp and crawl to fight another day, than to take a shot to the heart and die. I may not be around to fight another day for my kids and grandkids. This does not mean we have forsaken our principles….we are using our heads! Obama MUST NOT WIN! Again, I do agree that there is a war on the conservative movement, but I will take my bullet riddled leg and drag it along to fight while I can. Four more (or endless) years of Obama means the end. I WILL NOT leave that to my kids without a fight.
PS – THANKS FOR THROWING YOUR COMPATRIOTS UNDER THE BUS. BUT THEN….YOU KNOW IT ALL, DON'T YOU?
So, instead of taking your toys and going home like a petulant child after one meeting, why don't you show up at another and tell us to our faces how much smarter you are than we? It's so easy to belittle and look down your nose at people through a comment on a blog.
Delegate Press Conference
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/25070730#