Tampa Tea Party flop
April 15, 2009 at 12:17 pm by Wayne GarciaInitial reports are just coming in, but it looks like the crowd size at the downtown Tampa Tea Party is significantly lower than the recent protest in Orlando (4,000) or the numbers that one of my political sources was told when the event was in its planning stages (5,000-10,000).
Via Twitter, 10 Connects reporter Preston Rudie puts the afternoon crowd at far fewer:
I would estimate the crowd at the noon Tea Party in Tampa to be over 500. Organizers expect about 2,000 for the protest/rally at 5pm.
That is in opposition to MB12345 (M. Barabin) who reports a “huge crowd.”
Here’s a TwitPic from the event, taken by Richlionheart:
April 15th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
How about some fair and balanced reporting? The Orlando event was held on a Saturday – people weren’t at work so they could easily attend the event in those numbers. The first part of this Tampa Tea Party was from noon- 2pm today, the second part is from 5-7pm. So…wait to add up the numbers on a WEEKDAY turnout in Tampa. 500 people at lunch time on a Wednesday is NOTHING to sneeze at! BTW, That’s my sign that reads, “Triple our Wealth as a nation, not our debt!”
April 15th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
I guess you have now found your claim to fame! 1 in a crowd of demonstrators/troublemakers.
Are you a Christian too?
Did you spend your stimulus check last year or return it & I presume this year you will be refusing to receive your check altogether because wouldn’t that be hypocrosy?
April 15th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Why such a hater Jill? I’m not looking for a claim to fame…don’t want it, don’t need it. I’m just authenticating the fact that I was there.
The FACTS show that about 500 people were expected at lunch time and about 2000 at the 5pm event. Guess it’s too much to ask you to care about FACTS?
p.s. how stupid are your questions? answer: VERY!
April 15th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
You are the one standing there with a sign & call me a hater?
I do care about the facts. Compared to other Countries, we actually have it pretty good here in the USA. Try paying European Gas Prices, VAT & basically doubling your money for food, restaurants, housing etc. Before you point your finger, research the facts.
April 15th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
I attended the Tampa Tea Party this afternoon. It was orderly, peaceful and spirited!! Certainly not a threat to anyone. I was proud to be 1 in the crowd.
Hopefully Jill’s comments aren’t a sign of the times? How sad for her. If so, you can count on me to attend many more demonstration.
The wonderful thing about America is the freedom to gather peacefully to speak your mind. If America keeps on this track, one day we will all wake up and we will not recognize her. You don’t know what you have until it’s gone.
All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
Way to go Kim!
April 15th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
I have to agree with Jill here. Demonstrating with signs is not the way to go. This country will soon turn into a frenzy of activists & lobbyists like we have seen in London recently.
Everytime we do not agree on something – we will now congregate to display hate on boards/signs? I disagree.
April 15th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Jill,
You are such a bitch!
April 15th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
I was moved to attend my first ever event of this kind based on the very wrong direction our country is currently headed. You don’t have to agree with my view, but clearly, thousands and thousands of Americans do and they stood up today to be heard! If that scares some people, maybe you should ask yourself why? But there’s no reason to be ugly to those who felt they had to do something to save our country from bankruptcy. You can blame Bush all you want, but this administration has already outspent every American president in history in 60 days or so. If that seems “okay” to you, please tell me why? It’s great to have dreams and wishes of things you’d like to have, but I save up and buy them when finances permit. I don’t expect my neighbors and co-workers to help foot my crazy spending bills, which is exactly what this administration is doing to the American people and generations to come. If we don’t stop our government now, then when? (This is not about Repub vs. Dems, this about what one administration started and another is blowing up 10 fold…it all has to stop!!!)
April 15th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
I guess Tony is one of the protesters who attended the rally? This kind of comment emphasizes my comment to back Jill & Morgan. This is the kind of people that are attracted to these venues – foul mouthers!
April 15th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
I thought dissent was the highest form of patriotism. Many people said that before Obama took office. Are the times different now, and are these rallies a waste of time, if not regressive? I was downtown Tampa five o’clock for the tea party. I’d say much more hateful signs have been displayed at antiwar and anti-Israel rallies.
April 15th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
1. What does being a Christian have to do with being upset about the inflated spending that our grandchildren will have to pay for?
2. I attended the rally. I did not see any “hateful” signs or language. I only saw and heard people frustrated with the direction our country is going.
3. Last year’s stimulus check was from the Bush administration, not the Obama administration. Obama is not giving us a check, but spreading out the stimulus over a miniscule reduction in payroll taxes.
April 15th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Ron Paul’s devotees could turn out 500 people with two hours’ notice, so 500 for a big nationwide Tax Day event, even on a weekday, is no great shakes. There are 2 million+ people in the greater Tampa Bay area, so 500 is not a significant turnout. period.
April 15th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Shame on you, Wayne, for jumping the gun and deeming the Tampa Tea Party a flop. Did you even attend for yourself or was it too difficult for you to climb down from your ivory tower?
I was there at both rallies and there were probably between 750 to 800 folks at the first one and 2500 at the second on. Great for a weekday when your typical conservative is AT WORK. Of course, this is why there is a perception that the media is slanted left and your article is further evidence that this perception is reality.
April 15th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
I just got back from the Tampa evening event (5-7 PM). Very orderly, friendly crowd. Lots of good signs, good speeches, and I met a number of people and had several conversations with folks in the crowd. I would estimate 2,000 or so at its peak this evening. And I got some information on local organizations and candidates who might help move us in a better direction. There was no hate, no foul language. I find that often people who accuse conservatives of being foul mouthed are simply projecting.
April 15th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Somebody mentioned the fact what does being a Christian have to do with this? In fact, a lot … Christians are not supposed to endorse protests in whatever manner,shape or form! The word demonstrator has the word DEMON in it!!
April 15th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Jill, you stated the below.
“I do care about the facts. Compared to other Countries, we actually have it pretty good here in the USA. Try paying European Gas Prices, VAT & basically doubling your money for food, restaurants, housing etc. Before you point your finger, research the facts.”
I agree with this statement. My question is why does the Democrat Party want to copy Europe if even its own members know how bad that would be?
April 15th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
I love Teabagging. I’d like to organize a teabagging event daily – the more the merrier.
April 15th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
I believe that unfortunately there are 2 names from the British Government putting pressure over here – those names being Tony Blair & the current Prime Minister Gordon Brown. For a small UK country, they certainly seem to carry a lot of weight & have a lot of power & influence over here in the US with this Administration. Tony Blair brought the UK to it’s knees when serving as Prime Minister with Gordon Brown the current leader following not far behind. The Labour Party has ruined Britain & Tony Blair is being considered for the European Super President position which will be the biggest disaster yet. Bush has already endorsed this & Blair changed his religion from Protestant to Catholic in order to get the Vatican vote of approval. Blair is the biggest crook in the history of Parliament in Britain & should not be re-elected at any cost otherwise we as a country over here will crumble.
April 15th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
I was at both events and they were totally flacid for all the teabagging hype. I think most people must believe that our taxes are not all that bad and they must agree with the majority of economists that claim the Federal Government has to spend us out of the economic crisis. I personally love our highways, roads, bridges, schools, air traffic controllers, police, firemen, the largest military protection in the world , etc., etc., etc. All that and I only pay about $50 a week ($7 a day -roughly what I spend on lunch) in fed tax due to my awesome accountant! It’s a bargain! If you don’t like your tax bill, find a good accountant, or maybe try China? But, don’t plan on having more than one child, you won’t be allowed to own land, you won’t have free speech or have the right to be a teabagger…However, you will get a jump on being a Chinese citizen before they foreclose on US.
April 15th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
Mariah Carey’s movie Glitter had a better turnout than the teabagging events. Now we will have to witness the meltdown of the far right extremists. Watch out for the comeback though ~ Emancipation of Palin…
April 15th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
10:53pm – If I didn’t like my taxes, why would I want to trade in the United States for an even more oppressive regime?
I, too, attended both events today and was impressed by both the turnout and the programs. I, too like roads, bridges, libraries, emergency response services, etc. However, what has raised the ire of fellow tea party participants is not taxes per se, but the reckless spending of those taxes. Of Obama’s stimulus package, less than 5% is going toward roads, bridges, libraries, emergency response services, etc.
For the record, the term tea party is preferrable. The sexually vulgar term you apply to disparrage the event is only invoked by mind-in-the-gutter liberals who seek to discredit tea parties.
April 15th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
I don’t think you are a bitch Jill. Don’t forget the clothing prices in Europe, my god my friends that visit from overthere are gaga when you take them to the mall(especially the outlet malls) what would we do if we couldn’t get bargain banana republic and gap and jcrew well mabey not gap?
Regarding the Christianity thing I only have one thing to ask – What would Jesus’s sign say?
April 15th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
teabaggers, teabaggers, teabaggers, teabaggers, tabaggers, teabaggers, teabaggers, teabaggers, teabaggers, tabaggers, teabaggers, teabaggers, teabaggers, teabaggers, tabaggers, teabaggers, teabaggers, teabaggers, teabaggers, tabaggers,
Jason face it you have nuts on your face. If you know where the 5% went, why don’t you itemize where the other 95% is going? tell us teabagger…
April 15th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
liberals aren’t the only ones with minds in the gutter. Teabagging is commonly know as balls in your face. What kind of idiots would name a national event something like this. I’m a confederate flag flying, heterosexual, god fearing christian that voted for W twice and for McCain. I ain’t going to no teabagging event.
April 15th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
Thank You Mike!!
Things like Britannia Jeans, Reebox Shoes that are manufactured in the UK are more than 1/2 the price cheaper over here. There are no refills on drinks there, you pay per drink or cup of coffee & it is hard to return purchases even with a valid receipt, no getting a credit on purchases being cheaper & keeping the difference plus you have to pay to park to shop, charged parking to shop at a mall, there is no such thing as eating out for breakfast unless you happen to be staying in a hotel where they charge per person plus VAT for a hotel room & charge you 20.00 GBP per day for the internet plus in order to eat out over there, there are not much choice of restaurants plus you can only afford to eat out for a special occasion. McDonald’s is expensive over there too – things we take for granted every day here. Forget restaurant coupons or flyers in newspapers with weekly sales – they do not exist. Sales are once or twice a year – after Christmas. Gas prices are outrageous – being charged per litre not gallon. Have to pay a tv licence fee every year in order to watch tv, expensive car insurance, I would not trade our luxurious lifestyle over here for anything & see nothing to gripe about when we get things over here we take for granted!
April 16th, 2009 at 1:57 am
My friend Chris and I attended the 12 PM event and interviewed some participants and I took some photos. Here is a link the the photos. I will post up the video here tomorrow morning. While I did expect more people I think it was a grass roots participation, with folks of varying backgrounds. Certainly a interesting event
April 16th, 2009 at 1:58 am
whoops forgot the link to the photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/devastationmotorsports/sets/72157616838615342/
April 16th, 2009 at 2:26 am
Speaking of tea bags, I ran into ol Brian Blair down at the tax day tea party downtown yesterday and we had a good laugh. He told me that the original “tea bag” was actually invented by him back in his WWF wrestling days as a secret weapon knockout for use in his tag team matches with “The Killer Bees.” He used the devastating maneuver against such menacing opponents as “Macho Man” Randy Savage and the Iron Sheik. Brian sez he developed the assault as a “finishing move” in a televised Pro Wrestling bout against Rowdy Roddy Piper in which Brian claims to have bodyslammed Roddy into the mat and then dangled his testicles against his forehead while beating his chest and grunting. According to eyewitnesses of this legendary matchup, Roddy then grabbed ahold of Blair’s penis and flung him to the floor in what has been since christened “The Lover’s Touch.”
Brian denies this last part of the story but adds “we were so pumped up and greased up in the locker rooms in those days, who knows what happened after the show…”
One can only imagine.
Brian coyly shrugs off the origins of the act as just another one of his patriotic achievements but seems proud that such an athletic feat has captured the imagination of pop culture.
“Mohammed Ali had the butterfly, Mike Tyson the ear munch, and me, I’ll forever be known as the original tea bagger”
April 16th, 2009 at 2:40 am
Brain appeared confused when it was pointed out to him that people came to the rally, not to drink tea or practice homo-erotic wrestling moves, but to voice their disgust that the US spends 1.5 Trillion annually on military expenditures-more than most of the rest of the world combined…
“What the Hell’s the matter with these faggots?” Blair pondered.
April 16th, 2009 at 2:53 am
Ok well here is the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZogxLGfzf18
April 16th, 2009 at 5:35 am
Well I see the tea party event has inspired the morons like Kombatrock to stretch their tiny imaginations in attempts at snark. Yes, yes, yes, call us teabaggers and poke fun at Brian Blair. How clever. How perceptive. Yawn.
April 16th, 2009 at 7:36 am
good point kombat on the military spending that will now be an honest item in the budget. while we are keeping America safe, thousands die from lack of healthcare access, or live facing bankrupcy. I wish the teabaggers would protest our healthcare system – funnel all of their pent up anger from the reality of having a black president to do something all americans will benefit from.
April 16th, 2009 at 8:27 am
Gina – Leave the identity politics out of this. Nobody at the tea party yesterday made an issue out of Obama’s race. That is not the critical issue here. The issue at present is wasteful spending. The other 95% of the stimulus bill goes to pet projects rather than building infrastructure ($400 million to researching STDs, $34 million to renovate the Dept. of Commerce, $650 million for digital TV coupons, etc.). This is something I think all Americans would be in opposition, Republican, Democrat, or Independent.
And, yes, Blair’s a buffoon. Blair did not have anything to do with yesterday’s rally, although he did try to take credit for it.
April 16th, 2009 at 11:10 am
I love the teabaggers: A bunch of people who voted for W. twice — happily supporting his relocation of $1 trillion from the treasury to the richest one percent (aka, his friends), and who committed at least $1 trillion to
the murder of a million or so brown folks in the middle eastthe wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — but now protest intrusive government and higher taxes because the money is going to social services and solar panels.The teabaggers make me laugh. You want to get government off our backs and out of our lives? How about protesting a military budget that is the shame of the developed world or the never-ending BS war on drugs that locks up non-violent citizens for no reason at all? Want something more simple and close to home? Try protesting the full-body scanner at TIA. In what kind of a world do citizens protest more money for energy efficiency but support and rally behind taking naked pictures of kids and grandmas? This is a sick, sick country.
And Teabaggers, I’m sorry to report that all your tiny gathering did was provide cover for the motherfuckers who continue to rape and pillage this country. Deal with it.
April 16th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Joe,
I’m confused. When you reference “tea baggers”, do you refer to the protesters or to Rep. Barney Frank? From what I hear, Rep. Frank is an expert at receiving them.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Derision and snark is what Bardi thinks constitutes wit.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
There was an astonishing amount of both wit and snark among the teabaggers yesterday in downtown Tampa. So much that I’m still shaking my head today. Here’s what I saw:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08ug3xah1fc
April 16th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Wayne, you did this by design I suppose yes?
You just wanted to call this event a “flop” based not on the quality of the event or the tremendous, passionate turnout, but because it didn’t live up to a “nameless source’s” fabricated numbers or compared to a different city held on a different day of the week?
Would the nameless source have the initials W.G.?
April 16th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
I have to disagree with Wayne’s assessment, this was not a flop but the visceral live comedy I’ve witnessed since the Glen Beck Clear Channel pro-war rallies a few years back. I’m still trying to figure out if this is a political movement or extreme satire.
April 16th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
For those confused by why people may be upset about fiscal irresponsibility in Washington by both both political parties, have a look at this video: “Why Tea Parties, The Trillion Dollar Question”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HJjEERXXgk
If you think its smart to add 9.3 trillion dollars in debt that neither stimulates the economy (in fact does great harm) nor makes for a safer world then perhaps you will continue to be confused.
April 16th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Hoss, oh yeah, I am sooo obsessed with discrediting the Tea Parties that I made up a number. I will check with my source and see if he will go on the record about his assertion to me. But my initial numbers are really irrelevant; the turnout was unimpressive, not matter what the expectation was or wasn’t. It was a good crowd but not an impressive one.
April 16th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Hoss, I really am confused by the fact that these same folks who rail against big government and high taxes don’t seem to complain about the neocon (and neo-liberal) agenda of dominating the world militarily which eats up the single largest chunk of our tax dollars. I never hear mentioned that the Federal deficit skyrocketed during Reagan’s administration and continued successively through the Bush 1, Clinton, and Bush 2 years. That we have an insatiable appetite for cheap Chinese products and cheap oil, and endless warfare that fuels our massive debt. To complain that Obama is responsible for this is absurd with the past 8 years of leadership that went all out on a quasi-permanent US occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. I imagine it’s easy for the the right to scapegoat the current administration without any introspection on the sick self-gratification and excess that dominates the American lifestyle and hurls us full speed into the collapse.
April 16th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
If you want to know what the numbers are from the police who were there:
750 for noon event.
2500 for the 5pm event.
April 16th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Komba, that’s a legitimate concern. And in fact the Ron Paul libertarians among the Tea Partiers would agree that the wars are not what the government should be doing.
Others, conservatives mostly, would say: look at that Thomas Jefferson quote that starts the video.
Founding fathers and the Constitution say protect Americans. That’s fundamental. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happines.
Killing terrorists and harborers of terrorists is a valid & necessary safeguard of American lives many contend.
April 16th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
That some Tea Partiers, such as the libertarian and democrats among them, are upset with the Iraq war that is the part that I’m saying we are in agreement.
And some conservatives among Tea Partiers may disagree.
But you are wrong to assume that Tea partiers are ONLY angry at Obama. That is not the case.
There are tried and true conservatives PISSED at Bush era spending. The media you view may not want to portray the Tea Parties that way – but it is at the CORE of the Tea Parties.
I would contend that Tea Parties have more in common with Libertarian principles than with Conservative principles.
April 16th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
I would also say: Reagan, he had Democrats in congress who still wanted to spend like democrats – but yes he spent a LOT on defeating Communism.
But again, same thing: defeating the greatest oppressors of the world: Communist nations – was a good thing for America and everyone’s sake.
Some would say: money well spent.
Interfering with energy markets and health insurance markets by creating government monopolies that despite goo dintentions will be unsustainable and as mismanaged as Medicare/Medicaid and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Money VERY poorly spent.
April 17th, 2009 at 7:54 am
Seriously Jason, you’ve now identified about 6% maybe 7% of the spending – are you just adding to the rhetoric? And, all “tea party” jokes aside – you have to admit it is a poor choice for a name. I am for a fair tax and would participate 1) if it was really about changing the tax code and 2) not a fertile ground for the extremist haters with racist/devisive agenda (I know Tampa’s demonstration did not have that element, but nationally it did). It appeared to me to be a Fox news event/rally – I do follow Hannity, Bill O, Greta – but I also watch Keith O and Rachel Maddow, Lou Dobs, Anderson Cooper and C-Span and NPR. I try very hard to keep an open mind, however most of Hannity and Bill O’s coverage comes across as fear mongering to me. How can this country get over the divide? It really all ends up being about positioning for the next election, not about how to be the best we can and solve problems.
April 17th, 2009 at 11:21 am
to all you teabaggers:
first of all, it was really a poor choice of words to rally your protest around. it is hard to take a movement seriously when all it does it make people snicker. tip of the day, use google next time you want a word to encompass your movement and avoid this rookie mistake.
second, the sour grapes / fox-centric / fear mongering that is really at the root of this protest is just poor form. if you are truly upset with the country hemorrhaging money, then where was this passion when we pissed away billions on an unjust oil/land grab with a phony war on terror premise.
finally, blaming someone who has been in office for less then 4 months for the 8 years of fuck ups from the previous administration is incredulous. at least some of the spending he is inking will actually improve our world and not just make his cronies wealthy. while i don’t think some of the conglomerations and bail outs are a really great thing, the fact remains that the train was already on the path for derailment – its sad that Obama was at the station when it finally jumped the track. the only smart move my party did was to make sure they weren’t at the helm when all hell broke loose… now they can point fingers and say “told you so”
April 26th, 2009 at 7:58 am
Why would someone against tax increases refuse a tax rebate? It’s our money they are giving back in the first place. And I didn’t get to attend because I had no one to go with. I will one way or another for the next one though. We need as many people as we can get. I think we should wear Red shirts for republicans Blue for democrats and white for independent to show the different parties attending