The Villages Tea Party - April 28, 2014 - Speaker: Kevin Freeman
Short intro of Kevin Freeman speaking to our club about economic issues on April 28, 2014. To see a video of this entire meeting as well as many others, please visit our website at http://www.thevillagest...
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The Villages Tea Party - April 28, 2014 - Speaker: Kevin Freeman - Video
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD - MARCH 08: Jenny Beth Martin, president of Tea Party Patriots, speaks during the 41st annual Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord International Hotel and Conference Center on March 8, 2014 in National Harbor, Maryland. The conference, a project of the American Conservative Union, brings together conservatives polticians, pundits and voters for three days of speeches and workshops. (Photo by T.J. Kirkpatrick/Getty Images) T.J. Kirkpatrick, Getty Images
Buzz erupted over the weekend after analysis by the Washington Post found that out of $37.5 million disbursed by six major tea party organizations, less than $7 million has gone toward directly helping candidates they've endorsed. Tea Party Patriot's super PAC, specifically, has spent three-quarters of the $7.4 million it's raised since the beginning of 2013 on direct mail and small-donor fundraising efforts; only $184,505 has been funneled into helping elect conservative candidates.
In an email blast to supporters Monday night, the hands-off-government organization said the claim that the Tea Party Patriots and its super PAC "spend too much money on fundraising, with little left over to actually help drive our issues and help our endorsed candidates" couldn't be "further from the truth."
Further underscoring the apparent disconnect between the group's expenditures and its signature message of reining in government spending, the Washington Post's report also notes that between her consulting fees and salary brought in through her work in the group's nonprofit arm, Patriots co-founder Jenny Beth Martin could personally rake in as much as $450,000 this year.
Tea Party Patriots spokesman Kevin Broughton told the Post that Martin "probably works 90 to 100 hours a week" and therefore her salary can't "objectively be considered unreasonable." He also said the group plans to ramp up its participation in actual 2014 races during summer and fall months.
In a statement provided to CBS News, the Patriots defended its heavy reliance on direct mail, calling it a tool to not only drum up smaller-dollar contributions but also to "communicate directly with our members about important issues" like the IRS targeting scandal, Obamacare and Benghazi.
"Because we (and our allies) cannot rely on being able to spread our message through ABC, CBS, NBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post, or scores of other so-called 'mainstream' media outlets, we have been forced to create our own channels of communications. Our main way to do this is through direct communication with them," the statement said.
"In less than 5 years, we have placed over a quarter of a billion (with a b) email messages directly into inboxes of conservative Americans," the group went on. "In the mail, we have disseminated over 34.7 million messages into mailboxes of our citizens. Over 1.2 million people have signed online petitions or taken some other activist action from email communications and over 600,000 have signed hard copy petitions or taken some other step in activism related to our principles. Since October, we have generated over 3 million calls into Congressional offices supporting our issues.
Any money the group spends on travel or staff salaries, the statement concluded, is to "work toward our mission."
"While the Tea Party Patriots is grassroots-based and volunteer driven," the organization said, "altruism inevitably meets reality; it costs money to operate an organization of this magnitude."
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Tea party group defends controversial spending habits
Rep. Ralph Hall and Rep. Michele Bachmann at an award ceremony hosted by the American Conservative Union, April 3
WASHINGTONTea party favorite and former GOP presidential hopeful Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., has endorsed Rep. Ralph Hall in his Republican primary runoff against former U.S. Attorney John Ratcliffe.
It is a great honor to endorse Ralph Hall, a fellow Constitutional Conservative, Bachmann said in a statement. He is a true patriot who has fought for our great country in defense of the values and principles we hold dear. In Congress, Ralph Hall has been a leader in the fight against Obamacare, a strong advocate of enforcing our immigration laws, and stood firm on securing our borders. The people of the 4th District are fortunate to have Ralph Hall fighting for them.
Bachmann is a staunch conservative and important figure in the tea party movement. First elected to her House seat in 2006, she was a key advocate for the movement during its initial surge in 2010 and founded and led the Tea Party Caucus in Congress.
Her profile spiked further when she ran for the GOPs 2012 presidential nomination. Bachmann fared well initially, but eventually faded. She recently announced she will not seek another term.
Congressman Hall is honored to have the support of Michele Bachmann, his campaign said in a statement. This sends a clear message as to who the true conservative is in this race. Ralph Hall has a consistent record of standing up for family values, defending the Second Amendment and working to repeal and replace Obamacare.
Hall has scooped up a number of endorsements from conservative notables, including tea party-affiliated historian and activist David Barton and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.
But tea party sentiment is hardly unanimous. Ratcliffe has garnered some high-profile endorsements of his own, including a nod from the influential tea party group Club for Growth.
Hall, who turns 91 on Saturday, was elected to Congress in 1990 and is asking voters for one final term. Hes facing his toughest challenge ever from Ratcliffe. The primary runoff election is May 27.
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Michele Bachmann endorses Ralph Hall over challenger John Ratcliffe in 4th District runoff
Lincoln tea party leader Bob Bennie on Tuesday endorsedRepublican gubernatorial candidate Pete Ricketts and GOP Senate candidate Ben Sasse.
"I'm not speaking for everybody in Nebraska that supports the tea party movement," Bennie said."This is simply one man's opinion."
But, he noted, he has been"a leader of major tea party activities in Nebraska, having organized the largest events in the history of the movement in Nebraska."
The tea party, Bennie said, is "not really an organization, but an idea that many conservatives share." And that, he said, is freedom from government.
Sasse, he said, has "proven he has the courage, intelligence and persistence to fight for freedom in the U.S. Senate," aggressively pursuing repeal of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.
"We can tell the type of senator Ben Sasse will be by the senators who have endorsed him," Bennie said, pointing to endorsements from Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Sen. Mike Lee of Utah.
Ricketts is "a trustworthy conservative (who) has achieved tremendous success in business outside of government," Bennie said.
"We can simply look at the freedom fighters who are supporting Pete Ricketts," he said, including Cruz, 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, former Nebraska Gov. Kay Orr and Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin.
The primary election is May 13.
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Lincoln tea party leader endorses Ricketts, Sasse
Posted:Today Updated: 12:32 AM Four years after using her position to propel the tea party wave of 2010, the conservative stalwart is a diminished figure in the Republican Party.
By Robert Costa The Washington Post
CLIVE, Iowa Inspired by the possibility of a Sarah Palin presidential run, Peter Singleton moved to this suburban community from California in November 2010 and booked an extended stay at the Days Inn on 114th Street. Palin was a tea party queen-maker at the time, and true believers such as Singleton could sense a bid for the White House. For the next 10 months, he rallied Iowans to the cause.
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Then-Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska basks in the spotlight after being introduced as the Republican vice presidential candidate by presidential nominee Sen. John McCain.
Reuters
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Sarah Palin 2012 buttons at the Americans for Prosperity summit in 2010
Reuters
But there would be no second political act for Palin, and many supporters have moved on. Singleton said he still admires the former Alaska governor and follows her on Facebook, but politically she holds little sway over him.
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Sarah Palins political star dims as others garner spotlight