Like I said, the Tea Party Express and its cross-country bus tour is nothing more than a front dreamed up by GOP consultants to raise money for GOP candidates and attack their Democrat rivals.
But in doing so, the GOP has secretly undermined real Tea Party groups (which was probably the Republican party's intent):
"'We've worked hard to distance ourselves from the Tea Party Express because of their close affiliation with the Republican Party, the Republican establishment and their PAC,' said Debbie Dooley, a national coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots, a national umbrella group of local activists. The Patriots have supported a strict nonpartisan posture but also have struggled to raise money, and Dooley contends that's partly because of Tea Party Express."
"Adds Ned Ryun, president of American Majority, a nonprofit group that trains local tea party organizers: 'I'm concerned that they're using (Tea Party Express) as a marketing gimmick to line the pockets of consultants instead of actually helping the tea party movement.'"
The GOP is playing with fire in promoting the teabaggers. What is now a very disunited movement with a lot of astroturfed "grassroots" funding from big GOP groups and donors could turn into a real grassroots movement that won't take marching orders from the RNC or support GOP candidates in lockstep. (This is not the most likely scenario, but it is possible.) It'll be interesting to see how much gas the teabagging movement has beyond 2010, and then if they simply get behind the GOP nominee in 2012 without getting anything in return.
By Kenneth P. Vogel
April 14, 2010 | Politico
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