The country’s Tea Party movement proved to stalwarts in Washington D.C. they had the will of the people and the capability to send a strong message to all lawmakers. The grassroots organization engineered historic midterm election results while daring their dissenters to heed ordinary citizens or face the consequences.
The 2010 midterm election cycle focused on cleaning house of Republicans who acted like Democrats – check. Step two of Nancy Pelosi’s so-called Astro-turf movement was to dethrone the Speaker herself- checkmate. The Tea Party kept its word and focus – Democrats and Republicans beware.
More than 200 Tea Party leaders met in Washington D.C. this weekend to share their “action plan” with the nation’s newest freshman and are optimistic the new members will vote in line with the Tea Party wave that got them elected.
The weekend meeting was the largest collaboration of Tea Party representatives, many of whom are new to politics. The Tea Party gained steam after Chicago’s Mercantile Exchange Rick Santelli’s now famous call for a tea party during the country’s biggest financial meltdown since the Great Depression.
Fox’s Glen Beck also played a big role in encouraging Americans to step up and fight back after his 9-12 rally bent on recapturing the compassion all citizens felt for one another after the devastating attacks in New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania.
Now it’s “love her, hate her” Sarah Palin who empowered to the Tea Party challenge and became the GOP’s biggest fundraiser as well as a mythical figurehead for the grassroots movement.
That being said Tea Party leaders contend there is no one leader and it’s up to individual chapters scattered across America to influence local, state and national lawmakers to listen to the people.
Tea Party Patriots, the nation’s largest and original grassroots group, has been working with more than 3,000 local tea party coordinators to meet with incoming Congressional members for a “Tea Party orientation meeting.”
In addition to the “Freshmen Orientation,” tea party leaders spent the day sharing ideas, brainstorming new agendas and voting on items that will be included in their “action plan.”