Tea Party Express

Don't Raise Our Taxes - Don't Repeal the Tax Cuts

2010-08-16T01:53:00.000-07:00

When the Tax Cuts of 2001 and 2003 expire in 2011 people across the country are going to see the federal government taking more and more of their hard earned money! When Obama, Reid, Pelosi, and the rest of the corrupt Washington politicians claim that these are just tax cuts expiring they are lying – the net effect will be to RAISE our taxes. THIS IS OUR MONEY and THEY HAVE NO RIGHT TO IT!!!!! Our taxes are going up, THAT IS A TAX INCREASE.

Taxes will soar in a number of critical areas, read below to see just how our bloated government plans to take more and more from all of us:

First Wave: Expiration of 2001 and 2003 Tax Relief
In 2001 and 2003, Congress enacted several tax cuts for investors, small business owners, and families. These are all currently set to expire on January 1, 2011:

Personal income tax rates will rise. The top income tax rate will rise from 35 to 39.6 percent (this is also the rate at which two-thirds of small business profits are taxed). The lowest rate will rise from 10 to 15 percent. All the rates in between will also rise. Itemized deductions and personal exemptions will again phase out, which has the same mathematical effect as higher marginal tax rates. The full list of marginal rate hikes is below:

- The 10% bracket rises to an expanded 15%
- The 25% bracket rises to 28%
- The 28% bracket rises to 31%
- The 33% bracket rises to 36%
- The 35% bracket rises to 39.6%

This will affect people of all income levels!

Higher taxes on marriage and family. The “marriage penalty” (narrower tax brackets for married couples) will return from the first dollar of income. The child tax credit will be cut in half from $1000 to $500 per child. The standard deduction will no longer be doubled for married couples relative to the single level. The dependent care and adoption tax credits will be cut. This will affect all people who are married and/or have children.

The return of the Death Tax. This year, there is no death tax. For those dying on or after January 1 2011, there is a 55 percent top death tax rate on estates over $1 million. A person leaving behind two homes and a retirement account could easily pass along a death tax bill to their loved ones.

Higher tax rates on savers and investors. The capital gains tax will rise from 15 percent this year to 20 percent in 2011. The dividends tax will rise from 15 percent this year to 39.6 percent in 2011. These rates will rise another 3.8 percent in 2013.

Join us to demand that Congress doesn’t create a double-dip recession by raising taxes! We the undersigned demand that President Obama and Congress:

1. Keep tax rates at current levels

2. Keep tax rates so there is no “marriage penalty”

3. No cuts in deductions for adoption or dependent care

4. No return of the Death Tax.

5. Keep capital gains tax rate at 15%

2010-05-20T10:08:00.001-07:00

PROGRESS REPORT ON $150,000 MONEY BOMB

FOR SHARRON ANGLE FOR U.S. SENATE

TIME OF UPDATE: Sunday, May 23 - 4:52 AM (Pacific)

AMOUNT RAISED: $ 80,910.05

You can make a contribution to help us reach our goal of $150,000 - CONTRIBUTE HERE.

The $150,000 Tea Party Express MONEY BOMB For Sharron Angle's U.S. Senate Bid

2010-05-16T21:38:00.000-07:00

With early voting in the Nevada GOP Senate race starting this Saturday, May 22nd, we here at the Tea Party Express are increasing our efforts to support Conservative Republican, Sharron Angle, in her campaign to "Defeat Harry Reid."

The deadline for the Money Bomb is 4 PM Pacific this Friday, May 21st - the last chance for us to get ads purchased before Early Voting begins.

To help us reach this goal we will be having a LIVE 1-Hour radio special this Thursday, May 20th direct from the studios of KDWN 720 AM - Las Vegas, NV that will be streamed worldwide at: http://www.kdwn.com/

We'll post the updated tally on our progress in this Money Bomb effort - so keep checking back.

You can make a contribution and help us reach our goal - CONTRIBUTE HERE.

___________________________________________________

PROGRESS REPORT ON $150,000 MONEY BOMB

FOR SHARRON ANGLE FOR U.S. SENATE

TIME OF UPDATE: Tuesday, May 18 - 11:15AM (Pacific)

AMOUNT RAISED: $ 28,606.76

Enjoy! Newspaper Ad to "Defeat Harry Reid" & Elect Conservative Republican Sharron Angle!

2010-05-11T14:17:00.000-07:00

Here's a brand new newspaper ad being published in the Las Vegas Tribune supporting Conservative Republican Sharron Angle and her campaign to "Defeat Harry Reid!" Click on the image to view it in a larger size.

You can help us purchase more of these newspaper ads by making a contribution - CONTRIBUTE HERE.

Thank You Supporters of Sharron Angle - Fighting to Defeat Harry Reid

2010-05-09T18:27:00.000-07:00

In Nevada, Conservative Republican Sharron Angle has been working hard to put together a winning campaign to Defeat Harry Reid.

These great folks have stepped forward to support the Tea Party Express in our fundraising drive to raise $100,000 for our 2nd Round of TV and radio ads supporting Angle for Senate.

This is how true grassroots candidates earn support. These are people giving to support a candidate they believe in, more powerful when united together, and able to take on the Obama-Pelosi-Reid machine when standing together.

Here's the current list of donors to this effort. Add your name to the list by making a contribution - HERE.

$500 - Julia from Spring Hope, NC

$500 - Jim from Chanhassen, MN

$500 - Susan from Santa Rosa Valley, CA

$300 - Lois from Cambridge, MA

$250 - John from Grand Junction, CO

$200 - Bobby from Lubbock, TX

$200 - Byron from West Sacramento, CA

$200 - Glen from Wapiti, WY

$200 - Douglas from Troy, MI

$200 - Elaine from Cedar Grove, WI

$200 - Katherine from Hinsdale, IL

$200 - Julie from Friendswood, TX

$200 - William from Indianapolis, IN

$200 - Gene from San Clemente, CA

$200 - John from Satsuma, FL

$200 - James from Austin, TX

$200 - Ralph from Modesto, CA

$200 - Tom from Shreveport, LA

$200 - David from Orlando, FL

$200 - Michael from Randolph, NJ

$200 - Justin from Copperas Cove, TX

$200 - John from Hauppauge, NY

$200 - Margaret from Dallas, TX

$200 - Leonard from Dundalk, MD

$200 - Doris from Pasadena, TX

$200 - Lawrence from Lakewood, WA

$200 - Zeb from Las Vegas, NV

$200 - John from Chatsworth, CA
$200 - Marilyn from Saint Louis, MO
$200 - Charles from Englewood, FL
$200 - Nancy from Montgomery, TX
$200 - Jeffrey from Fairfax, VA
$200 - Anthony from Wilmington, DE
$200 - Alan from Fullerton, CA
$200 - Robert from Glendora, CA

$150 - Debbie from Bentonville, AR

$150 - Suzanne from Fairfax Station, VA

$100 - James from Creighton, MO

$100 - Cheryl from Carmichael, CA

$100 - William from Cupertino, CA

$100 - Kathryn from Seattle, WA

$100 - Chuyen from The Colony, TX

$100 - Janis from Fullerton, CA

$100 - Joan from Napa, CA

$100 - Melissa from West Nyack, NY

$100 - Gwynne from New York, NY

$100 - Norma from Pinehurst, NC

$100 - Charles from Largo, FL

$100 - Kim from Concord, CA

$100 - Marie from Houston, TX

$100 - Nancy from Colleyville, TX

$100 - Brian from San Diego, CA

$100 - Matthew from Arlington, VA

$100 - David from Saint Petersburg, FL

$100 - Christopher from Seattle, WA

$100 - Richard from West Chicago, IL

$100 - Floyd from Rome, GA

$100 - Dean from Milford, CT

$100 - Neil from Lincoln, CA

$100 - Steve from Henry, SD

$100 - Raymond from Highlands Ranch, CO

$100 - Ted from Carson City, NV

$100 - Robert from Irvington, NY

$100 - Luis from West Palm Beach, FL

$100 - Richard from Newport Beach, CA

$100 - Vincent from North Andover, MA

$100 - Robert from Fort Worth, TX

$100 - Janice from Jackson, NJ

$100 - Linda from New Hudson, MI

$100 - Marv from Mt Juliet, TN

$100 - Charles from Walnut Creek, CA

$100 - Henry from Bartlesville, OK

$100 - Lee from Mesa, AZ

$100 - Frank from Abingdon, MD

$100 - Robert from Gilford, NH

$100 - Betty from Lexington, KY

$100 - Gayle from Fort Worth, TX

$100 - Jeff from Milford, OH

$100 - Gerald from Fairfax, VA

$100 - Robert from Merrick, NY

$100 - Martin from Baton Rouge, LA

$100 - Michelle from Jupiter Inlet Colony, FL

$100 - John from Gahanna, OH

$100 - Mary from Sarasota, FL

$100 - Jo from Abilene, TX

$100 - Anne from Mclean, VA

$100 - Pam from Solon, OH

$100 - Robert from Tucson, AZ

$100 - Rhoda from Summerville, SC

$100 - Steve from Stinnett, TX

$100 - Stephen from Elk Grove, CA

$100 - Gary from Groton, MA

$100 - John from Scottsdale, AZ

$100 - Lawrence from Santa Clara, CA

$100 - Michael from Cincinnati, OH

$100 - Vincent from Victorville, CA

$100 - Linda from Concord, NH

$100 - Alan from Port Orchard, WA

$100 - Allen from Mesa, AZ

$100 - Joel from Springfield, VA

$100 - Robert from Norwood, CO

$100 - Scott from North Caldwell, NJ

$100 - Barbara from Houston, TX

$100 - John from Stamford, CT

$100 - Dale from Apo, NY

$100 - Carolynne from Lake Kiowa, TX

$100 - Ed from Blackshear, GA

$100 - Konn from Gig Harbor, WA

$100 - Stephen from Encinitas, CA

$100 - Robert from Huntington Beach, CA

$100 - Patricia from San Clemente, CA

$100 - Gail from La Mesa, CA

$100 - Liz from Aubrey, TX

$100 - Robert from Doylestown, PA

$100 - Randall from Maitland, FL

$100 - Harry from Carlinville, IL

$100 - Will from Lone Tree, CO

$100 - Lisa from Westcliffe, CO

$100 - Lora from South Lake Tahoe, CA

$100 - Elizabeth from Lake George, NY

$100 - Geri from Georgetown, CA

$100 - Stephen from Brainerd, MN

$100 - Lynn from Indianapolis, IN

$100 - Jerry from Tyler, TX

$100 - Joyce from Frisco, TX

$100 - Susan from Rochester, NH

$100 - Rand from Los Angeles, CA

$100 - David from Davidsonville, MD

$100 - Carlo from Whiting, NJ

$100 - Ron from Middletown, CT

$100 - Allan from Phoenix, AZ

$100 - William from Bellevue, WA

$100 - James from Newaygo, MI

$100 - John from Lakewood Ranch, FL

$100 - Jerry from Sun Valley, CA

$100 - Glenn from San Diego, CA

$100 - Lindley from Houston, TX

$100 - George from Redding, CT

$100 - William from Houston, TX

$100 - William from Escondido, CA

$100 - Jack from Laguna Niguel, CA

$100 - Allen from Rutledge, TN

$100 - Steve from Carthage, TX

$100 - Cheryl from Bolton, MS

$100 - Marianne from Kintnersville, PA

$100 - Judy from Cottonwood, CA

$100 - John from Coronado, CA

$100 - Edward from Texarkana, TX

$100 - Mary from West Linn, OR

$100 - William from Sherrills Ford, NC

$100 - Vickie from Farmington Hills, MI

$100 - Thomas from Damon, TX

$100 - Paul from Dover, NH

$100 - Robert from Buford, GA

$100 - Neil from Cocoa, FL

$100 - Gary from Washington, PA

$100 - Isabelle from Rockford, MI

$100 - Marion from Wray, CO

$100 - Jonathan from Schaumburg, IL

$100 - Mel from Perrineville, NJ

$100 - Barbara from Madison, MS

$100 - John from Lakewood Ranch, FL

$100 - James from Raleigh, NC

$100 - Thomas from Valrico, FL

$100 - Richard from Houston, TX

$100 – Walter from Mcdonough, GA

$100 - Dave from Falls Church, VA

$100 - Deanna from Mckinney, TX

$100 - Katherine from Milton, GA

$100 - William from Flushing, NY

$100 - Brett from Fort Lauderdale, FL

$100 - John from Skyforest, CA
$100 - Roxanne from Morrison, CO
$100 - Diane from La Quinta, CA
$100 - Rita from Gardnerville, NV
$100 - Paul from Endicott, NY
$100 - Allan from Fairfax, VA
$100 - Kathleen from Fullerton, CA
$100 - Clifford from Lovington, NM
$100 - Russell from Rochester, MN
$100 - Quyen from Bellmore, NY
$100 - Marlin from Clive, IA
$100 - Robert from Delaware, OH
$100 - Kelly from Mill Valley, CA
$100 - Jane from Jupiter, FL
$100 - Robert from Rochester Hills, MI
$100 - Elliot from Palatka, FL
$100 - Stuart from Pompano Beach, FL
$100 - Robert from Waukesha, WI
$100 - John from Center Harbor, NH
$100 - Burton from Jacksonville, FL
$100 - David from Miami, FL
$100 - Steven from Columbia, MS
$100 - Martin from Brownsboro, AL
$100 - Robert from Laguna Woods, CA
$100 - Don from Melissa, TX
$100 - Charles from Dallas, TX
$100 - Roger from Tempe, AZ
$100 - Chris from Addison, TX
$100 - Lorna from Saratoga, CA
$100 - Diane from Clint, TX
$100 - Monica from Henderson, NV
$100 - Sharon from Gilbert, AZ
$100 - David from Port Saint Lucie, FL
$100 - Linton from Port Mansfield, TX
$100 - Peter from Newfoundland, PA
$100 - Patrick from South Lyon, MI
$100 - John from New York, NY
$100 - Eloise from Yakima, WA
$100 - Lud from Reno, NV
$100 - Vilma from Upper Saddle River, NJ
$100 - Ed from North Olmsted, OH
$100 - Gloria from Grosse Pointe, MI
$100 - Cynthia from Pasadena, CA
$100 - Douglas from Campo, CA
$100 - Terri from Overland Park, KS
$100 - Sandra from Alto, NM
$100 - Pat from Thomson, GA
$100 - Gary from Princeton, NJ
$100 - Roger from Mount Carroll, IL

Nearly 30,000 Back Arizona's Fight Against Illegal Immigration

2010-05-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

We are nearing the 30,000 mark for the petition supporting Arizona's efforts to combat illegal immigration!

Be sure to sign - and pass to others - if you haven't yet done so already: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/supportarizonaimmigrationlaw

Conservative Republican Takes on Harry Reid!

2010-04-25T13:46:00.000-07:00

We here at the Tea Party Express have gotten behind the campaign of Conservative Republican, Sharron Angle, and her campaign to "Defeat Harry Reid."

We are now unveiling our first round of ads promoting Sharron Angle's campaign - including 2 TV ads and 1 radio ad... all of which will begin airing statewide across Nevada this week. Watch/Listen to these ads below:

*TV AD - Sharron Angle vs. Harry Reid

*TV AD - Sharron Angle, Conservative Republican

*RADIO AD - Sharron Angle, Conservative Republican Choice

We will continue airing additional rounds of advertising supporting Angle's campaign through the June 8th GOP primary.

Incredible Tea Party in Traverse City - Thousands on Hand

2010-04-10T14:41:00.000-07:00

Thousands of patriots turned out for the Tea Party Express rally in Traverse City, Michigan today - in what became a celebration of victory in our "Defeat Bart Stupak" campaign.

The Traverse City, MI rally featured below followed rallies earlier in the morning in Petoskey and Cheboygan that brought out similiarly enthusiastic crowds. To those who say that the tea party movement has fizzled, or who have tried to marginalize this effort, we say (in the words of conservative rapper, Polatik): Marginalize This!

A great event in Evansville, IN

2010-04-05T07:45:00.000-07:00

We're just wrapping up the Tea Party Express rally in Evansville, IN - and it's been a fantastic gathering. The patriots here turned out in huge numbers on a workfrom day, a Monday at 9:00 AM.

Here's two pictures taken from our cell phone camera:

Just Vote Them Out and Flip the House November 2010!

2010-04-03T09:03:00.000-07:00

Just Vote Them Out and Flip the House November 2010!

The Tea Party Express III Just Just Vote Them Out and Flip the House November 2010! tour is off and rolling through towns and states across the country! We kicked off the tour in Searchlight Nevada where I started my speech with these words “Harry, Reid my lipstick, we are going to Vote YOU Out in November!” This was followed by thunderous applause and shouts from the 30,000 plus attendees.

Despite the eggs propelled at one of the buses and the nasty hand gestures of the Reid supporters, the message of the Tea Party Express and the speakers was upbeat and clear! Each and every speaker from Sarah Palin, Joe the Plumber, Angela McGlowan, Andrew Breitbart, and many others touched on the common threads that I believe define the tea party and the conservative movement; liberty, less taxes, limited government, upholding the Constitution, and voting out the radicals and rinos (republican in name only) that have disgraced the public office and the people that trusted them.

The crowds have been substantial, the attitude patriotic, the determination sincere, the desire and intent clear, the people are making a commitment to take personal responsibility by vetting candidates, showing up to vote in their primary and the general election, educating others, and taking someone with them to vote in November.

Over the past six days we have rallied in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and Nebraska. We are heading to Topeka, Kansas followed by Tulsa OK, and Little Rock, AR. Be sure to check the map for locations, dates, and times!

Together we will vote them out and Flip the House in 2010! The Flip this House initiative launched by Grassfire and promoted by www.resistnet.com has a clear and simple message that we believe most Americans believe in.

F-Fix the size of Government

L-Limit Taxes

I-Impose Term Limits

P-Purge Nationalization of Industry

We hope to meet you at a Tea Party Express III rally! Keep up the great work Patriots; we have a lot to accomplish!!

God Bless You and God Bless America!

Darla Dawald, National Director - darla@grassfire.com

www.resistnet.com

(A Grassfire Nation Website)

Patriots Defy Thunderstorms in Topeka!

2010-04-02T09:20:00.000-07:00

Get the scoop from Dave Logan, Andrea Shea King's producer, on how several hundred patriots didn't allow a band of powerful thunderstorms to stop them from fighting for their country.

We're taking our country back and no rain, sleet or snow will stop us!

The full report is - HERE.

Giant Omaha Tea Party Closes Road!!

2010-04-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

We just completed our Tea Party Express rally in Omaha, Nebraska. Thousands upon thousands of great patriots turned out - so many so that police had to close the entrance road to the event on account of their being too many people who wanted into the event.

Reid Supporters Egg Tea Party Activists

2010-04-01T02:00:00.000-07:00

Get the scoop from Chris Burgard at Big Government - HERE.

Fox Nation has the report with Andrew Breitbart - HERE.

And here's the report with video showing the Leftists in the act - HERE.

The momentum builds! St. George, UT event a HUGE success!

2010-03-29T17:32:00.001-07:00

We have a lot of updates to give you on the rallies of the first few days from Tea Party Express III: Just Vote Them Out effort.

Here's a picture to hold you over from our event that just concluded in St. George, UT where 2,000 patriotic Americans turned out for one of the most memorable events we've ever had.

The momentum is building to take back our country. Enjoy the last few months of power those of you in Washington who have ignored the will of the voters.

We're booting you out of office and handing you a pink slip!

From the Arizona/Utah border

2010-03-29T14:48:00.001-07:00

A photo taken a short while ago as the Tea Party Express caravan reached the Arizona/Utah border.

And, no, your eyes are not deceiving you - that is the new gold Tea Party Express bus.

As this effort has picked up steam traveling across the country we've expanded from 2 buses (the red and the blue bus) to now 3 buses with the new gold bus.

We'll see the good people of St George here in a minute.

We'll also be posting lots of updates here and on our Facebook page from the events of the first 3 days of Tea Party Express III.

An inspirational report - from Nevada family at Searchlight

2010-03-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

Well, we decided it was time to go to a Tea Party. The bank and Wall Street bailouts, takeover of auto companies, and now the health care bill.

We have never been fans of Harry Reid but, he used to be more of a moderate. Now he has lost his soul – his Nevada roots have been replaced by East Coast liberal values and the arrogance of Washington DC.

We bought three new lawn chairs, hauled out the rolling tote/suitcase to put our cooler full of chicken drumsticks and chicken wings, boiled eggs, tuna salad, crackers, apples, oranges, pears and drinks, etc.)

Left our house about 9:30 am and headed for Searchlight (about 1 hour from our house). Took the Searchlight turnoff and gradually slowed down and joined the others heading down the road. By then the highway was a long creeping parking lot – 2 miles in 1 hr. The radio said that the highway patrol was not allowing any more cars into the event area.. 3 miles from the turnoff – people were parallel parking along the highway – and were walking to the turnoff. Then walking another 2 ½ miles to the event site. Plus they were lugging totes, coolers, flags and signs. All ages – all colors – all sizes.

News helicopters were flying overhead – and press vans were cruising down the center divider, filming.

Husband Phil had his cart to ride – there were doubts he would be able to negotiate the gravel road or the desert dirt. Lana and I were not up to the long trek. But, we added to the mass – many others were doing the same. Some had not considered that Searchlight is about 10-12 degrees cooler than Las Vegas or Henderson. It was around 58 degrees and very windy. SO - many of them didn’t come prepared and didn’t hang around.

The return route was bumper to bumper. So, we drove on through Searchlight and took Rt. 164 over to Nipton, CA and stopped at the Oasis Café for lunch. Crazy little place that was planked together with barn wood when the railroad was built. Hamburgers wrapped in tortillas. Lana and I opted for patty melts on rye. The place is small – probably seats
about 25 inside. Tea Party people were in there – they had all given up and were heading to Vegas. So we went on to Primm, NV - south of the Las Vegas Strip. It was a loop around but much faster getting back home to Henderson.
Had our own picnic back home and tuned in to Fox News.

We learned that people started showing up in Searchlight in the middle of the night - RV city – I figure the crowd was probably 10,000 plus another 10,000 who went but couldn’t handle the walk, cold weather, wind, etc.

Can’t tell you how many people “wanted to go”, “thought about going”, etc.

Gotta go find me a “DUMP REID” sign.

The XXXXX Family – Henderson, NV

"Defeat Bart Stupak" Campaign Tops $50,000

2010-03-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

We've now raised over $51,000 to defeat Bart Stupak, the Democrat Congressman who sold out the American people and gave the Democrats a bloc of votes to pass the government-run health care bill through.

Our goal is $100,000 by the end of this week.

Contribute to our campaign online - DONATE HERE.

We'll keep you all updated several times a day on our fundraising progress - right here - so keep checking back.

UPDATE: As of 5:01 AM Eastern - Thursday, April 1, 2010 - we've raised: $51,221.

35,000+ Demand: "REPEAL THE BILL!"

2010-03-22T14:07:00.001-07:00

Sign the petition to demand the repeal of the government-run healthcare bill passed by Congress:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/repealhealthcarebill/

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has now introduced legislation to "Repeal the Bill" - so show your support. Sign the petition and pass along to others:

DC: "Kill the Bill" Rally Draws Tens of Thousands!

2010-03-20T16:14:00.000-07:00

"KILL THE BILL!"

That was the message that rang out from a giant crowd of 30,000 - 50,000 tea party activists who gathered in Washington, D.C. on Saturday for a last-minute protest against Congress's efforts to pass the Obama-Pelosi-Reid government-run healthcare plan.

Here's just a few pictures from the massive gathering. Realize that this rally was literally put together in 2-days time by a coalition of dozens upon dozens of local and national tea party organizations including the Tea Party Express:

We're going to watch and see what Congress does now. They've heard from the American people. The polls show the public opposes this attempt to have the government take over our nation's healthcare system. The phones have been tied up with people calling in to oppose the bill. Emails and letters and FAXes opposing the bill number well into the millions.

And we have gathered in front of the Capitol - the People's Capitol - several times now to make our message heard.

If they defy the American people, defy our Constitution, and push this bill through, then we will make sure they lose their seats in Congress. That is exactly what the "Tea Party Express III: Just Vote Them Out" national tour and the "Showdown in Searchlight" are all about.

Members of Congress: Should you choose to defy your boss - which is "We The People" - then expect that as a consequence you will be fired.

UPDATE: Kathryn Jean Lopez has some great crowd shots over at National Review - The Corner.

*Special thanks to Amy Kremer, Jennifer Hulsey and the TeaPartyExpress.tv team for helping make this effort so tremendously successful.

MSNBC Host Melts Down Over Tea Party

2010-03-03T01:10:00.000-08:00

This one you've got to watch. Hat-tip to Michelle Malkin for a great rundown on the history of MSNBC host meltdowns and for underscoring the obvious: that MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan (and his cadre of screamers and bulliers) are emblematic of the "Anger in America." Look in the mirror indeed.

Check it out here - it's a must see:
http://michellemalkin.com/2010/03/02/anger-in-america-msnbc-style/

..

Showdown In Searchlight - Banners

2010-02-18T12:41:00.000-08:00

Please post these banners on your website, or in emails. Help get the word out!

Link the banners to either: http://www.teapartyexpress.org/

or

http://www.teapartyexpress.org/tour-shedule-3/searchlight-nv/

Sarah Palin to Attend Tea Party in Harry Reid's Hometown

2010-02-03T01:04:00.000-08:00

Sarah Palin to Attend Tea Party in

Harry Reid's Hometown

Gov. Sarah Palin is joining the Tea Party Express for the kickoff of "Tea Party Express III: Just Vote Them Out" tour in Searchlight, NV (March 27th) and again in Boston, MA (April 14th).

Here's the report from Fox News

Here's Gov. Palin's OpEd at - USA Today

Details on Tea Party Express III can be found here:
http://www.TeaPartyExpress.org

Juicy dirt about the Tea Party Express

2010-01-31T15:15:00.001-08:00

Read it here folks: http://bit.ly/96gQqb

Be sure to pass this along to others as well!

We're so proud of Lloyd Marcus & William Owens

2010-01-19T12:30:00.000-08:00

From Fox News - "Black Conservatives Take Lead Role in Tea Party Movement"

Black Conservatives Take Lead Role in Tea Party Movement

By Judson Berger
- FOXNews.com

Though the tea party movement has attracted criticism for its supposed lack of diversity, minority activists who are involved say the movement has little to do with race, and that it is attracting a more diverse crowd every day.

Lloyd Marcus is shown here at a March 2009 tea party rally in Orlando. (Courtesy of Lloyd Marcus)

Lloyd Marcus' conservatism started when he was 9.

His family had just moved out of the "ghetto" to a brand-new high rise in Baltimore -- within months, he said, the "dream come true" turned into a nightmare, as the building of welfare-collecting black residents became a den of crime.

His father moved the family out as soon as he got a job with the city fire department, but "my cousins never escaped," Marcus said. He cried as he told the story.

Marcus, a black conservative who is now involved in the growing tea party movement, attributes the problems of his childhood neighborhood, his extended family and the black community in general to a "cradle-to-grave government dependency" that in the case of his cousins enabled an idle life of crime and drug abuse.

To Marcus, President Obama's policies perpetuate that dependency. That's why, he says, it baffles him and other black conservatives when the tea party movement is dismissed as somehow anti-black, as a rowdy bunch of ignorant, white protesters who have it in for the nation's first black president.

"This is the nicest angry mob I've ever seen," Marcus said.

Marcus is one of a number of black conservatives who have joined up with, and helped lead, the conservative tea party movement since its inception. Though the movement has attracted criticism for its supposed lack of diversity -- MSNBC host Chris Matthews recently called the groups "monochromatic" and "all white" -- those minority activists who are involved say the movement has little to do with race, and that it is attracting a more diverse crowd every day.

"I think a lot of black people are waking up from their Obama night-of-the-living-dead fog," Marcus said. "They were walking around like zombies going Obama, Obama, Obama."

He and other black conservatives connected with one of the hundreds of tea party groups across America were largely active in conservative and Republican causes before the movement's start in early 2009. They spoke and wrote about the need for smaller government, lower spending and lower taxes and warned that Obama's candidacy would pose a threat to those values.
But in the tea party movement they found a group that not only reflected their views but provided a platform.

Marcus campaigned with a group against Obama in the 2008 election. But the Florida resident, who is a musician, gained a degree of fame in the tea party world a year ago when he cut a "tea party anthem" song -- in it, he belted about the dangers of wealth redistribution to a gospel-sounding backup track.

"In less than a week, the song was national," Marcus said. He was asked to sing at an Orlando tea party rally last spring and has since performed at rallies across the country. He's traveled cross-country on both Tea Party Express tours and plans to join up for the third tour this March.

Marcus does not advocate for the creation of a third party, but said the tea party groups should serve to pull the Republican Party back to the conservative roots from which it has strayed.

William Owens, a black author and publisher who with his wife traveled on the Tea Party Express tours with Marcus and has spoken at just about every stop along the way, also came out strongly against Obama in 2008. He published the book, "Obama: Why Black America Should Have Doubts," before the election, in an attempt to address what he called a "misguided passion" toward the former Illinois senator in black America.

When the tea party movement started, he said he found a way to build on what he was already doing, outside the Republican Party system which he calls out of touch. He first spoke at a rally in Las Vegas on tax day last April.

"It was just a natural fit," Owens said.

He said the rallies are still "mostly white," but that more blacks are getting involved. He took particular umbrage at Matthews' comment, blasting out a press release that criticized the MSNBC host for "pushing conservative black Americans to the back of the media bus."

Owens now publishes a journal documenting the tea party cross-country tours. The Multi-Cultural Conservative Coalition is also sponsoring the next leg of the Tea Party Express.

Despite the enthusiastic involvement of black conservatives in the tea party rallies and trips, Obama still enjoys seemingly unshakable support from the majority of black Americans. A recent poll from Gallup put Obama's approval rating among blacks at 91 percent. Among whites, that number was 42 percent.

Tea party groups also might not be doing themselves any favors when some of their supporters are photographed holding somewhat shocking signs at rallies -- such as one last year that said, "The White House has a lyin' African."

But such demonstrators may be the exception.

Charles Lollar, a Maryland-based tea party supporter who is black, said there's no validity to the racism charges.

"I've seen black faces in the crowd. I've seen Latino faces in the crowd. ... It's not a movement of color. It's not a movement of party. It's a movement of principle. It's a movement of America," Lollar said.

Lollar started speaking at tea party events last winter and said his biggest motivation is opposition to the stimulus package -- both the $787 billion package that passed last February and the sequel that some Democrats are trying to push this year.

Lollar has since parlayed his activism into a high-stakes campaign. The Charles County businessman is hoping win the GOP nomination to challenge House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., in the congressional midterm this November.

"When we beat him in November, it's going to send a strong message across the country," he said.

Lollar, whose previous post was as chairman of the Charles County Republican Central Committee, has an uphill battle to unseat the nation's second most powerful House Democrat.

Hoyer has been in office nearly three decades, and his latest campaign finance report put his available cash at $1.3 million. Lollar said he's raised $40,000 -- he aims to raise $2.5 million by fall.

Lollar is running from within the GOP apparatus. But it remains to be seen whether the party establishment will reach out to other tea party conservatives like him to ensure they stay loyal to the Republican Party and not challenge it like Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman did in New York state. Hoffman, who is white, pushed out the Republican candidate in the race for Congressional District 23, and ended up losing narrowly to Democrat Bill Owens.

David Avella, executive director of Republican recruiter GOPAC, said his organization hasn't been actively mining the tea party movement for state and local candidates but that the groups could prove fertile ground for candidates.

"Many in the tea party movement are Republicans who want to make sure the party gets back to its fiscal discipline days," he said, calling those activists natural "allies."

Tea partiers point to recent political coups they say demonstrate the movement's broadening influence and appeal. And they say they feel a certain freedom in the scattered leadership of the movement, as opposed to the top-down style of the GOP.

"I think it's great that we have all these different organizations and they have nobody in charge," Marcus said.

Marcus cited Hoffman's influence in the New York race as well as Republican Scott Brown's bid for the Massachusetts Senate seat once held by Ted Kennedy. Brown, while not sprouting from the tea party movement, is supported by it as he enjoys a late-in-the-game surge in the race.

"This is a movement that has swept the country," Marcus said. "It has really been the rebirth of conservatism in America."

Interestingly, Marcus said he used to work with one of Obama's biggest supporters, Oprah Winfrey, decades ago at a local station in Baltimore before she moved to Chicago.

The two have since lost touch, he said.

Scott Brown Campaign: Shhh!!! A secret we can now share with you all!

2010-01-18T16:46:00.000-08:00

About Scott Brown Campaign: Shhh!!! A secret we can now share with you all!

Over the past several days as the U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts heated up, the available "inventory" of advertising spots to buy from the TV networks dried up.

And then disappeared entirely.

On cable we here at the Tea Party Express were not able to purchase any additional local spots. Zero. None. Nada.

Before the TV stations ran out of spots they were jacking their rates ever higher and higher. The cost for TV ads in the state skyrocketed to the point of costing around the same price as NATIONAL TV Ads.

And then it hit us: why not go and buy our spots on the NATIONAL cable networks. If they are going to cost almost as much, and if we can go buy ads that will run in Massachusetts (but that Martha Coakley's campaign had not thought to buy) - then it's a fantastic opportunity for us!

So this put us at a great competitive advantage over Democrat Martha Coakley's campaign.

Here's why: When you watch cable television networks you'll see commercial blocks. Each time commercials come on they are part NATIONAL and part LOCAL. Local operators are given so many spots to sell to local advertisers, and the rest of the spots are for NATIONAL advertisers.

Since the local cable systems were "SOLD OUT" of advertising spots, then the only way to reach voters via cable channels was on NATIONAL programming.

But Martha Coakley, Barack Obama and company failed to realize this. So we went up on the air nationally - adding dozens more TV ads to our buy, while the Democrats in Massachusetts were locked out of buying any more ads on those same cable channels.

Tea Party Express targets Harry Reid for defeat!

2009-12-21T08:18:00.000-08:00

The Tea Party Express proudly releases this new TV ad targeting Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid for defeat in his re-election campaign:

2009-12-09T09:51:00.001-08:00

TEA PARTY EXPRESS TO RETURN FOR PART III!

National Tea Party caravan will hold conservative rallies March 27 – April 15

SACRAMENTO, CA - The Tea Party Express (website: http://www.teapartyexpress.org/ ) is planning a 20-day tour that will cross the nation holding Tea Party rallies with the slogan “Just Vote Them Out!” in reference to the upcoming 2010 congressional elections.

The "Tea Party Express III: Just Vote Them Out" tour will rally conservatives in support of principles such as limited government, fiscal responsibility, and an end to the socialist policies being imposed by the Obama administration.

The caravan will launch with a “Mega Rally” in Searchlight, Nevada (population: approximately 500), the tiny hometown of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, on March 27th.

The Searchlight rally will feature numerous conservative celebrities and VIP’s, as well as the candidates vying for Reid’s senate seat. The Searchlight Mega Rally is expected to draw participants from multiple states to an event unprecedented in size and scope for the small town. From there, the Tea Party Express travels eastward towards its final destination of the massive April 15th Tax Day Tea Party rally in Washington, D.C.

The "Tea Party Express" is a project of the Our Country Deserves Better Committee, one of the nation's largest conservative political action committees. The latest effort marks the third national Tea Party tour that will bring citizen activism against Obama's healthcare plan as well as continued opposition against out-of-control spending, higher taxes, bailouts and the "Cap & Trade" global warming fiasco.

We are honored to now be able to present to you the first sneak peak of the Tea Party Express III tour route:

The Tea Party Express is Back for Part III !!!

2009-12-05T12:39:00.000-08:00

Mark your calendars for March 27th - April 15th ... the Tea Party Express is back!

CNN has the early scoop on Tea Party Express III: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/12/03/tea-party-express-part-three/

Human Events: What the Tea Party movement means to conservatives

2009-12-05T12:33:00.000-08:00

The Chief Strategist for the Tea Party Express, Sal Russo, penned a column on the tea party movement for the popular conservative website, HumanEvents.com - Please take a moment to read Mr. Russo's column and share it with others who might also be interested: http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=34620

Lloyd Marcus: Memories From the Road

2009-11-17T11:45:00.000-08:00

Singer/song-writer Lloyd Marcus penned a moving recap of the Tea Party Express II.

As he notes: "Folks, the Tea Party Express II Tour was my third time traveling and participating in rallies across America. I have met and embraced the American people and they me. They call me brother because we share values. They are not racists. They are hard-working, decent people concerned for their families, grandchildren, and country.
Here are a few of my fondest memories."

Read Lloyd's full report - HERE.

Darla DaWald's Post from Final Day

2009-11-14T12:25:00.000-08:00

Today is the final day of the tour. I am deeply saddened to leave this family of patriots aboard the buses and the caravan of those following to assist with set up, sound, product, etc… All of us however, are looking forward to being united with our families.

It never ceases to amaze me how that at each stop the people attending are clearly patriotic and yet the media continues to define them (us) as racists. We have persons from many origins and color among this tour and believe me we are all a family and stand together to defend and fight for our country together. The only way anyone could be correct as stating this movement is racist is in that we are many races coming together to stand for freedom and liberty in the United States of America!

The rally in Beaufort, SC was a wonderful stop. I was standing there in a very tight area filled with patriots and noticed I was rubbing shoulders with none other than Senator Joe Wilson (You Lie!). Senator Wilson spoke a motivating and inspiring speech and clearly the people of Beaufort are behind Joe. Everywhere you looked there were stickers and signs with Go JOE! There were approx. 1500 people at the seaside location.

Yesterday morning we attended the rally at Holly Hill, FL. The police and several motor cycle patriots escorted the buses in to the rally. The crowd was approx 3-5,000 and they were polite yet angry at the system. We see this everywhere we go. It has been especially meaningful to me as I am approached by many Resistnet and or Grassfire members who are aware of our efforts and the petition delivery issues we had in DC. They are grateful for the direction and information they receive from us to help them be involved.

We are now in Orlando, FL and resting today! I have been extremely hoarse. I barely ha a voice yesterday yet I have continued to speak thanks to the microphone and pa system. I hope my voice may be a bit better tonight for our last rally. We understand this will be a good size rally and I am not surprised. Floridians show up in numbers!

I cannot stress enough the importance of becoming united and engaged in the fight for liberty and freedom. I always assumed that liberty and freedom were a given in our country due to the way I was raised and taught. I never imagined in my lifetime that I would be caught up in the fight of my life to hold on to and restore liberty and freedom for all. We must remind and educate the public to become aware and act in 2010 as we vote in the most historic election of our lives!

God Bless You and God Bless America Again!
Darla Dawald, National Coordinator
http://www.Grassfire.org
http://www.Resistnet.com

Video Highlights from Tea Party Express

2009-11-12T22:40:00.000-08:00

You can check out video highlights from the Tea Party Express II: Countdown to Judgment Day including interviews with people at the rallies from across America.

View the video segments from Pajamas TV - HERE.

A Beautiful Finale - Orlando Tea Party Express Rally!

2009-11-12T18:39:00.000-08:00

THANK YOU ORLANDO & GOD BLESS AMERICA!

With bittersweet feelings (a mix of pride and a sense of accomplishment with a heavy helping of sadness that our cross-country tour has come to end) we held our grand finale rally in Orlando, Florida.

Our deepest gratitude to WDBO AM 580 and Ray Srour of Momentum Radio for helping put this event together and make it the huge success it was. Crowd estimates ranged between 4,000 - 4,500 people.

UPDATE: Orlando Sentinel reports that more than 4,000 conservatives jammed Lake Eola Park for tonight's Tea Party Express rally. Read their report on the rally - HERE.

Huge Tea Party Express Rally with Cong. Joe Wilson!

2009-11-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

We are now pleased to present a brief report and pictures from the fantastic Tea Party Express rally with Congressman Joe Wilson.

The Tea Party Express caravan left Augusta, GA after a successful morning rally attended by hundreds of supporters in spite of being pummeled by bands of heavy squalls with rain and wind. The bad weather was a result of the Tropical Storm Ida slamming into the Gulf Coast. We were hoping that we would 'outrun' the bands of rain and as we neared Beaufort, things did indeed improve.

It was cloudy, but only intermittent light sprinkles and showers. Over 1,200 people turned out for the event in spite of opposition from the office of the Mayor of Beaufort, SC who made it clear he was no fan of the tea party movement.

As our caravan arrived in the outskirts of Beaufort, SC we encountered a giant traffic jam from so many people coming out to support the tea party movement and Congressman Wilson.

Congressman Wilson was greeted like a rockstar with chants of "Let's Go Joe!" - and yes a few enthusiastic folks repeated Joe Wilson's refrain of "You Lie!" in response to mentions of Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and the Congress as a whole.

Congressman Wilson was fantastic! What we liked best about his speech was his constant appeal to people to fight for our country in a positive manner, focusing on what makes this nation great, and what we should hope to preserve, rather than allowing the media or others to paint this movement as a negative or divisive force. We had the local state representative on hand to speak, as well as candidates for office who either currently enjoyed or were seeking support from the local tea party activists - including Congressman Joe Wilson's son, Alan, who is running for Attorney General of South Carolina.

In the middle of the rally showers moved overhead but most of the crowd stayed put. By the rally's end (as the final notes of "God Bless the USA" rang out from our team of Tea Party Express singers) the skies opened up and a fierce downpour ensued. We were so thankful the worst of the weather held off until the event was over.

Birmingham, AL Sends A Message!

2009-11-09T12:34:00.000-08:00

The patriots of Alabama sent a message loud and clear to Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and the Congress: NO GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTHCARE!

It was a fantastic rally with a large, enthusiastic crowd. The chants of "USA-USA-USA" rang throughout the park. We also saw a contingent of news media on hand to report on the strong outpouring of support for the Tea Party movement.

Huge Turnout in Brandon, Mississippi

2009-11-09T11:09:00.000-08:00

It was an amazing night last night in Brandon, Mississippi. Our caravan of vehicles arrived into town in the early evening and we were shocked by the huge and energetic crowd that greeted us.

We're posting some pictures from the rally - but we also have a video of the buses arrival into the event facility. Check out the video, and pay close attention to the back section of the crowd - thousands of people packed in the bleachers overlooking the performance grounds.

To those who oppose the tea party movement and keep saying it's "dead" and writing its obituary, let the sounds and sights of Brandon, Mississippi's Tea Party Express rally last night put those false thoughts to rest!

Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD7IzVhQW-U

And here are a few more pictures to enjoy:

Lloyd Marcus reports on Tea Party Express

2009-11-09T10:03:00.001-08:00

Singer-songwriter Lloyd Marcus has been writing up dispatches from the road as he's traveled along with us on the Tea Party Express II: Countdown to Judgment Day.

You can read his most recent report - and have access to his reports to date at the Red County website here: http://www.redcounty.com/tea-party-express-ii-tour-a-great-day-texas

You can also get copies of Lloyd Marcus's music CDs at his website: www.LloydMarcus.com

Road Report from Darla Dawald - ResistNet/Grassfire

2009-11-08T21:20:00.000-08:00

Resistnet.com Home of the Patriotic Resistance

Darla Dawald on the Road with the Tea Party Express II

Friday November 6th I joined the Tea Party Express in the great state of Texas representing Resistnet and Grassfire. The Texas Patriots were great and as expected showed up for the rallies in number and form from Austin to Houston, and Beaumont!

The Next stop was Baton Rouge where the people were feisty due to a 215-220 vote in the House of Representatives last night approving their version of the health care bill. It is maddening and de-motivating…..however, it is not the final word and we can still KILL the BILL! Furthermore, we should be proud that we converted the yes votes from the Bluedogs from 39 to only 5 yes votes yesterday. You were all dedicated and stayed the course and I am so proud to be associated with you.

At every rally when it’s my time to speak I inform the people about the difficulty we experienced in DC last week while trying to deliver petitions to the Senators. I share that we had to hire a courier to deliver the petitions due to the inept and unconstitutional actions taken by the security at the Senate buildings. I have spoken to the people about Flip this House and taking back our country in 2010 using Flip and the precinct strategy.

I encourage them to become involved and engaged and fight every step of the way. We cannot allow the Chicago thuggery who hijacked our country to remain in power and we have to use our vote to change it. I remind them to do this we have to come out in great numbers and bring others with us and we must remain dedicated to educating the masses along the way.

My message has been well received and I have met many Resistnet and Grassfire members along the way. As a matter of fact our own Streetsweeper met us in Houston and has been on the road following us along with many other people from stop to stop!

I feel blessed to be a part of this great team of people crossing the country to spread an encouraging message to stand up and unite and take our country back to the people! People appreciate the Tea Party Express II coming to their town and the dedication of all who are involved in the movement. We appreciate the many people that take time to support the cause and the movement. People are waking up in great numbers and only by working together can we affect long term change to restore our country and put it back on the right path of a Constitutional Republic.

One of my favorite portions of our event is the tribute to our veterans and armed forces. It is a moving, patriotic tribute and every one there seems to be affected by it. We owe a great deal of our freedoms to our veterans, armed forces and their families. Many who have sacrificed their lives for the very freedom we and others in the world enjoy today because America is about freedom!

We have a lot of work to do yet and we must remain dedicated to follow through by educating ourselves, our circles of influence, and those we can reach out to. We must be vigilant and steadfast and together, arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder, step by step….We will restore our American Republic.

God Bless,
Darla Dawald
National Coordinator
http://www.grassfire.org/ and http://www.resistnet.com/

A Giant Rally in Beautiful Beaumont, TX

2009-11-08T11:45:00.000-08:00

Last night's rally in Beaumont, TX was especially meaningful as it came about while the House of Representatives was lining up the votes to pass the Pelosi-Obama government-run healthcare scheme.

We're here in Louisiana with a lot of our friends!

2009-11-08T10:00:00.001-08:00

We've arrived at the Louisiana State Capitol and people are fired up - and mad - about the House's passage of government-run healthcare last night.

Here's the scene from Baton Rouge - the rally is continuing even as I'm posting this update:

Shame On Congress

2009-11-08T09:07:00.000-08:00

In the middle of the night, using Rahm Emanuel's strategy of exploiting national tragedies to push through a radical agenda, the House of Representatives defied the will of the people and the Constitution to push through their socialistic healthcare scheme.

Here's the statement that Tea Party Express leaders put out last night minutes after the vote:
http://newsblaze.com/story/20091108065816zzzz.nb/topstory.html

Incredible Houston Rally!

2009-11-07T12:51:00.000-08:00

WOW HOUSTON!

We just left our awesome Houston rally where thousands were on hand. The picture below tells the story. We've also briefly split up the 2 buses.

The red bus crossed town to protest the American Medical Association outside of their convention in Houston. The blue bus is continuing on with most of the team to Beaumont, TX for our rally there. The red bus will then join us for the middle of the rally and we'll all be reunited again. But check out Houston:

We'll be posting more and more updates from the past few days and today throughout the evening. So keep checking back!

And let us hope our phone calls and emails are working and that we can defeat this House vote on socialized government-run healthcare tonight!

Wow!!! Brenham, TX "Whistle Stop" is Huge!

2009-11-07T09:03:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, I have to get you all caught up with the reports from our rallies in Lubbock, Abilene, Waco (Whistle Stop) and Austin.

But today has started off with a huge bang!

Washington - can you hear the people of Brenham, TX? Because they have a message for you: they've had enough with you ignoring them and pushing through a socialistic agenda of big government.

We were only going to do a quick meet-and-greet with shaking some hands and saying hello to the folks of Brenham - a true "whistle stop" that was a quick in-and-out.

But something happened on the way to Brenham - several hundred people turned out in this small, sleepy town. So we brought out Deborah, Mark, William Owens and Lloyd Marcus for a quick Tea Party Express rally. People came up to us with tears in their eyes and thanked us so much for taking the time to come to their little community and rally the people together.

We'll have more later!

Amarillo, Texas - What great people!

2009-11-06T23:48:00.000-08:00

We had a great rally in Amarillo (yes, I know it seems like we say just about every rally has been great - but they truly have been). There were 4 counter protestors who tried to march through the crowd and disrupt the event, but we pointed out to them that we conservatives DO believe in freedom of speech and tolerance.

So we allowed them to stand to the side and hold their signs (after there was a brief discussion between some of our supporters from Amarillo and them) and we pointed out to them that unlike the thugs of SEIU and ACORN they weren't going to be in harms way - unlike the way SEIU union thugs beat up Kenneth Gladney for simply trying to sell his Gadsden "Don't Tread on Me" flags outside Mel Carnahan's Town Hall in St. Louis.

After the rally was over we were inundated with people coming up to us and thanking us for what we do. We were provided water, coffee, and endless handshakes. And we were reminded why we really admire the people of Amarillo - they are good people, and it was an honor to stand with them in this fight to take our country back!

Oklahoma City Rocks - Huge Rally!

2009-11-06T23:08:00.000-08:00

THOUSANDS TURN OUT IN OKLAHOMA CITY!

Oklahoma City was fantastic. It was almost as large as the huge rally we had in Puyallup, WA. Thousands upon thousands of people packed the Capitol grounds in Oklahoma City. The local organizers were incredible people.

They worked hard. They helped put together an incredible event. There was a lot of media in attendance. And then to top it all off, after we finished the rally they took the entire Tea Party Express tour out for dinner.

Here's some of the great news coverage our rally in Oklahoma City attracted:

News OK: "Tea Party Sees 3,000 at Oklahoma City Rally"

KOCO TV-5: "Tea Party Draws Crowd to Capitol"

NEWS on 6: "Oklahomans Rally Against Spending"

A lot more updates on the way...

2009-11-06T13:29:00.001-08:00

It's Joe here everyone, and bear with me as I've had a pounding headache that's just now subsiding. We're at our Whistle Stop in Waco, TX and heading on to Austin. By the time I go to bed tonight I'll have a complete update on rallies and pictures.

We fight on folks - and the momentum and energy has only grown the past few days. People have pleaded with us to keep up this fight, and honor our troops' service and sacrifice by fighting for our country here at home - and taking back America from the corrupted powers of the establishment and Washington, D.C. Beltway crowd.

UPDATE: We've added a few new stops to what is now a 40-city Tea Party Express national tour. Check out our schedule and please spread the word via email, phone call, Facebook, Twitter, etc... to anyone you know who lives near these venues! You can find our schedule here: http://www.teapartyexpress.org/tour-schedule-2/

2009-11-06T12:55:00.000-08:00

GOV. PERRY TELLS US HOW TO HELP

THE VICTIMS & FAMILIES OF THE FT. HOOD TRAGEDY

Riding along with Gov. Rick Perry's folks - and they have details on how you can help the families impacted by yesterday's horrific shooting at Ft. Hood.

Send donations to:

The Central Texas- Fort Hood Chapter
Association of the US Army
Attn: Community Response to 11/5
PO Box 10700
Killeen, TX 76547-0700

The Dutra Report - Days 13 & 14

2009-11-06T12:12:00.000-08:00

Day 13

A windy day in Amarillo but in mid-60s. Probably about 500 patriots in the park for our rally.

Mark Williams asked how many in the crowd have ever been to a protest rally. A majority of hands went up.

But there are protesters here. About 4 people have suddenly walked to the front carrying posters -- Health Care Now. As they began to chant and walk in front of the stage the crowd burst out in singing God Bless America. The protesters continue to shout but Mark handles the matter superbly.

The Rivoli's reminded the crowd that cash for clunkers really worked: 90 percent of the Obama bumper stickers are now off the road.

The Rivoli's also asked in verse how many want more bail outs. As you may know the had the UTube sensation Press One for English with 13 million hits.

Both buses are getting a wash here in Amarillo as the rally starts.

As all 22 of us got onto the buses, we learned of the tragic news at Ft Hood Texas. The Tea Party Express will be in Austin tomorrow evening (Friday)which is very near to the Post.

Levi Russell issued the following from the bus -- in part: The Tea Party Express ends each and every rally with a special tribute to the military men and women serving, or who have served, their nation. We are still in shock at this tragedy, and are waiting to hear details as they become available. We do know that this is utterly heartbreaking, and are grief-stricken to hear of violence committed against our own soldiers at their home base. Said Deborah Johns, Blue Star Mom and Co-Chair of the Tea Party Express.

Lubbock -- A Special Evening

As we arrived in downtown Lubbock for the 5 pm rally they were already underway with a prayer for the troops at Ft Hood. Mark Williams then spoke eloquently of what it means to be an American. The crowd of about 500 was hushed. Mark and the rest of the Tea Party Express crew did a terrific effort.

Walking around I caught a local newsie setting up. Turned out to be a live interview for the local nightly news on ABC affiliate KLBK Channel 13. Reporter Mitch Carr interviewed local Lubbock man Kyle Wiseman. When asked why he was at the rally, Kyle quickly responded, "I don't want government run health care."

Throughout the tour most (not all) witness local television crews covering the rally. Plus Levi, our press secretary, gets out a lot of the radio and print to cover. But not often do we see a live TV shot.

The end of the rally in the darkness of 7 pm had the glow of the park gazebo aglow with the Tea Party Express speakers and entertainers. The program ended but no one wanted to leave. Chris Wynn, local Tea Party coordinator, shouted Amazing Grace. Diana Nagy took the microphone and asked all to join her in singing the song. Kay Rivoli joined Diana to lead everyone in singing the inspirational gospel song. Unforgettable.

TPX Crew In Shock Over Ft. Hood Shooting

2009-11-05T14:28:00.000-08:00

The Tea Party Express rolled into Texas today and was conducting a rally in Amarillo when we heard the first reports of the shooting at Ft. Hood Army base.

We are scheduled to have a rally at the State Capitol in Austin at 5:00 PM tomorrow - and today's news has devastated and shocked our crew. The senseless act of violence has put some of our crew in tears, and the rest of us are dazed by the developments.

It's going to be very tough to hold our event in 1/2 an hour here in Lubbock. Our embedded CNN reporter has rushed to the scene to report on this awful tragedy.

Here is the statement we put out:

___________________________________

TEA PARTY EXPRESS SENDS DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO FAMILIES OF SOLDIERS

FROM THE ROAD IN AMARILLO, TX – The leaders and staff of the Tea Party Express II national bus tour wishes to convey our deepest sympathy to the families and associates of those killed and wounded as a result of the tragic shooting at the Ft. Hood military base.

The Tea Party Express is currently traveling through the state of Texas – and will be in Austin tomorrow (Friday) – and the pain and shock from the tragic shooting has deeply impacted all aboard the tour. The Tea Party Express ends each and every rally with a special tribute to the military men and women serving, or who have served, their nation.

“We are still in shock at this tragedy, and are waiting to hear details as they become available. We do know that this is utterly heartbreaking, and are grief-stricken to hear of violence committed against our own soldiers at their home base.” Said Deborah Johns, Blue Star Mom and Co-Chair of the Tea Party Express.

The Tea Party Express leaders learned of the shooting while conducting a rally in Amarillo, TX while celebrating our brave men and women in uniform who have sacrificed so much for this country.

Tens of thousands Flock to Capitol - We're There Now!

2009-11-05T08:46:00.000-08:00

LIVE FROM THE "HOUSE CALL" - PROTESTING PELOSI'S GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTHCARE SCHEME

Tea Party Express members Deborah Johns, Amy Kremer and Lloyd Marcus are at Michelle Bachmann's "House Call" at the U.S. Capitol right now.

Lloyd sang "God Bless America" and Deborah & Amy will be speaking.

Here's the first pic from the event:Tea Party Express members Deborah Johns, Amy Kremer and Lloyd Marcus are at Michelle Bachmann's "House Call" at the U.S. Capitol right now.

Lloyd sang "God Bless America" and Deborah & Amy will be speaking. The delegation has brought THOUSANDS of handwritten letters opposing Pelosi's government-run healthcare bill - the letters were written by attendees at each of our Tea Party Express II rallies that have thus far taken place.

Here's the first pic from the event:

UPDATE 1:Loving the chants of "Kill the Bill."

Interesting side-note... at the Denver Tea Party Express rally the other day the tea party organizers had a great drill where they distributed pieces of the bill to members of the rally who each shredded a page and then crews walked around with trash bags collecting the shredded bill. We had a BIG crowd in Denver, so it worked out to do a 1,900+ page bill shredded by members of the crowd.

UPDATE 2: Deborah Johns reports that a stream of Members of Congress just walked down the steps - these are the ones who do NOT support the bill, and there is now a group prayer going on.

Crowds grow as TPX II Rolls Into Wichita

2009-11-05T07:22:00.000-08:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. And these pictures tell the story of how great an event we had in Wichita.

The crowd was exceedingly patriotic, energetic and passionate. We LOVED the people of Wichita, and the people of Wichita LOVE their country:

Fantastic Report on Denver from "Looking At The Left"

2009-11-04T22:31:00.000-08:00

Photojournalist, El Marco, did an outstanding job taking photos of the Denver Tea Party Express rally. His website is: http://www.lookingattheleft.com/

And here are a few of his photos:

Huge Crowd Overflows Denver's Civic Center

2009-11-04T21:39:00.000-08:00

A HUGE CROWD IN DENVER!

Our final event yesterday was in Denver's Civic Center - and it was a HUGE event. An overflow crowd of thousands and tons and tons of media. It was an amazing grand finale event for the day, and our final rally with Joe The Plumber.

We here at the Tea Party Express would like to extend special appreciation to the efforts of Lu Ann Busse who worked hard to help bring out this crowd. Mike Holler, author of "The Constitution Made Easy" put the word out on KOA radio. We also enjoyed the participation of Brian Campbell, who is running for Congress in Colorado's 7th congressional district.

We also had approximately two-dozen counter-protestors who tried to push their way into the event and taunted our tea party supporters. Police arrested 2 of the pro-Obama demonstrators for their rowdiness and pushiness.

Check out these photos - they don't even capture the full part of the crowd!

UPDATE: Here's a report on the rally from the Freedom Images blog - READ IT HERE.

Ft. Collins, CO Rally - The momentum builds!

2009-11-04T16:02:00.001-08:00

WOW!!! THANK YOU FT. COLLINS, CO

We had a feeling that Monday was going to be an exciting day with the events - and crowd sizes growing throughout the day. And that's exactly what happened. The local organizers from the tea party groups and 9/12 project were fantastic. Special thanks to Lesley Hollywood!

Patriots, take pride in the images from our fantastic Ft. Collins, CO event.

We had a feeling that Monday was going to be an exciting day with the events - and crowd sizes growing throughout the day. And that's exactly what happened. The local organizers from the tea party groups and 9/12 project were fantastic. Special thanks to Lesley Hollywood!

Patriots, take pride in the images from our fantastic Ft. Collins, CO event:

Joe The Plumber Joins Us for Cheyenne Tea Party Express Rally

2009-11-04T15:35:00.001-08:00

We made arrangements to bring out Joe The Plumber for our rallies in Colorado (Ft. Collins and Denver). However, we were blessed to have him arrive at our Cheyenne rally in time to speak there. We learned the logistics would work out about 45 minutes before the rally so we scrambled to alert the media and local Wyoming patriots.

Here are some of the pictures from the great event!

Day 6 - Jim Dutra On The Road

2009-11-04T15:31:00.000-08:00

Change of plans suddenly. I am unexpectly driving Deborah Johns, Tea Party Express vice chair, to a Fox News Channel interview at a satelite uplink facility in Eugene, OR. We have six hours to get there. We took over one of our chase vehicles for this purpose. Consequently I am off the bus and will miss the Medford, OR rally.

Nuts. I was looking forward to our first Oregon rally. But after this interview we drive straight to Portland to rendevous with the Buses tomorrow morning.

My first experience wth Oregon was when my father and me -- at the age of 10 -- drove to Mt Angel OR to purchase a Jersey heifer calf for my 4-H project. I still remember that memorable trip. Oregon and its dairymen hold a special place in my heart.

JDutra

Jim Dutra's Dispatch - Days 10 & 11

2009-11-04T11:15:00.000-08:00

Day 10

Am sitting under a tree in a park in the middle of Fort Collins as Joe the Plumber is speaking. Over 500 are listening intently. Really. You can hear a pin drop as Joe the Plumber encourages everyone to stay involved, stay informed and stay connected to the Tea Party movement. And tell the politicians.

Joe joined us this morning for the rally in Cheyenne on the steps of the Wyoming State Capitol. And he will be speaking this evening in Denver.

This is no exaggeration. It is beautiful weather here in Ft Collins. When we arrived last nite in Cheyenne it was really cold so when we all woke up we all did the same thing: looked out our windows. And we all dressed really warm.

By mid rally time in Cheyenne, with the sun shining rays of warmth upon us, we were all peeling off our layers. We have had a remarkable run of good weather since Fallon, NV.

At our 9 AM state Capitol rally we had about 300 in attendance. Joe the plumber was picked up by Gary Dunn, one of our ace support vehicles, at the airport and arrived to speak right on time at 11 AM.

Now the bad news. The blue bus is continuing to have the same mechanical problems with its generator belt slipping as first happened in Hawthorne, NV. Last nite the blue bus had to stop twice. The second time took over 2 hours. Consequently that bus arrived well after midnite to the Cheyenne hotel. Hey I was already asleep. The Red Reagan bus remains steady as she goes !
Mark Williams, Tea Party Express co-vice chair, is peeling off tonite in Denver to do the Chris Matthews show on MSNBC. Mark also did the same while we were in Montana when he went to the local studio to do the Anderson Cooper show on CNN. Hopefully you already saw it but watch tonite on Chris Matthews show.

Made the first big re-stock of the Reagan bus with sandwiches, etc. Found a Safeway two blocks from the Capitol and had 15 minutes to fulfill our list of needs. Reminds me of that TV show years ago when u had ten minutes racing thru the grocery aisles to grab all. Asked a stocking clerk for help in an unfamiliar store. At first he demurred but kindly relented and walked us around the store to find everything. Did it in 14 minutes!

P.S. Ft Collins is the site of Balloon Boy of last month. But as I look up to see the crowd it has now swelled to fill the park. Lots of signs and homemade posters flying in the warm wind.

Day 11

Just past Russell Kansas on I-70. And we just reached the 4,000 miles mark on our 17 day journey to 38 cities. It's a clear blue sky and flat road as we travel to our next rally in Wichita, KS.

Last nite in Denver was exhilarating.

First we arrived at 5 pm and the height of rush hour. Difficult when in a passenger car but two big buses? The rally was held in the downtown outdoor Greek Theatre, about 2 blocks from the Colorado state Capitol.

There was a driveway behind the stage for the two buses but it was very small. We had to back up and close off the commuter street to traffic. No law enforcement to help so it was dicey. As I guided our Reagan bus many horns honking and one driver yelled out some choice words. Ah but our crew got it done.

The venue was magical at dusk. There were over 2,500 in the amphitheatre area. And we were so lucky. It was still shirt weather at dusk though there were still mounds of snow in the middle area.

Our second protest group of the tour showed up. (First was at LA's Griffith Park last week.). I happened to be standing right next to the protesters in the back of the scene. They chanted Pe-lo-si. Within a couple of minutes the whole crowd turned around from the stage and drowned the protesters with the chant U-S-A. Right out of our victory over the Soviet hockey team in 1980.

But the protesters got their equal time on camera for the local news. That may be what regular folk dislike the most about the "mainstream media" -- providing equal time to a group of 15 versus a crowd of 2,500 - and only when the 15 are from the "Left" of the political spectrum and the 2,500 are from the "Right." You would never see this happen in reverse.

Well I have another bus repair update.

Before you say enough of the buses, remember they are the stars as well as the priority. We continue to get drivers on the road honking and giving thumbs up. When we stop for fuel or a stretch break virtually every time we see someone approach with their camera to take a photo.
The blue bus threw another belt. Being in Denver a mechanic came to us but it took well over two hours of repair. While our Reagan red bus arrived at our overnite motel in Colby, Kansas at 12:45 while the blue arrived at 4:15. But we were both wheels rolling at 8:30 this morning.

From Wichita at 1 pm we travel to Oklahoma City at 5 PM today for its rally.

Deborah Johns, Amy Kremer and Lloyd Marcus are peeling off this afternoon to fly to DC for an important news conference at the nation's Capitol led by Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann to fight the Obamacare vote in the House this week. The news conference, sure to be carried live on Fox, will be at noon eastern.

Our trio will carry with them thousands of letters opposing Speaker Pelosi's government-run healthcare plan that have been handwritten by attendees at the Tea Party Express rallies since our tour began.

Ah, just got a call from Tiffiny of our sound\staging support vehicle. She has confirmed a motorcycle escort by retired police officers into Wichita....rendevous at exit 14 !

What a fantastic rally in Rapid City, South Dakota!

2009-11-03T21:10:00.001-08:00

After our great rally in Bozeman, MT we made up some of the distance to Rapid City, SD by driving a ways to Billings, MT.

It was Halloween night and we were sick of the 'tricks' being played on "We The People" by the politicians. The next morning we had a long drive across Montana, Wyoming and into South Dakota - in a land where cell phone towers are few and far between. That meant no Internet access and no cell phone access.

We arrived at our venue at the Central States Fairgrounds and had a fantastic event in their rodeo hall. Here are some pics for you all to enjoy:

On The Road with Jim Dutra - Day 4

2009-11-03T20:55:00.001-08:00

Carson City, site of Nevada's State Capitol and its part time legislature. It's is one of those very crisp blue-sky/white-cloud mornings.

As we drove in last nite it was blowing a strong snow storm but less than an inch of the big flakes accumulated on the ground. So our group, which had initially been fearful of this morning's weather was pleased that the roads the next morning were just fine for our outdoor rally.

Sal Russo got all of our people from the two busses and three chase vehicles together for a warm dinner here at the Carson Station Hotel and Casino. (Only a few hearty souls had the energy to visit the one-armed bandits in the casino...most of us were just too tired.) This was our first group dinner and it sure hit the spot.

Last nite's rally in front of the old WalMart store in Fallon was a great rally. Probably bout 500 in attendance. Once again I don't think there was one person who supported Harry Reid for re-election. Fallon is a farming community bout 40 miles east of Reno but there were many small business owners in attendance. I conversed with several and it is clear they are hanging on by their fingernails. None of them wept in my presence -- it was cold at 6 pm last nite -- but I could feel the heartache over their livelihoods and dreams going down the drain through no real fault of their own.

I will never forget the young and the old at this event best demonstrated by the interaction I saw with Kay Rivoli.

First a woman in her 80's came up to Kay to ask her to sign the program. Kay spoke with her for several minutes and expressing th concern over the health care proposals. She walked away seeming reassured that Kay would continue the fight.

Then near the end of the program a teenage girl came up to Kay wide-eyed and so pleased to meet Kay Rivoli. Kay had me take the teenager's camera for a picture of both of them. No anger there, just love for what the Tea Party Express was doing.

Finishing up this email after the Carson City event and on I-80 towards Walnut Creek, our next stop.

Carson City saw bout 400 people in 35 degrees plus a very strong, gusty wind. The unseasonable weather didn't discourage these participants. Once again no support for Harry Reid.

The Carson City rally also had several local candidates in attendance and speaking to the crowd.

The bus drivers were at WalMart loading up on supplies while the program was underway. We are good to go.

Next up was a westward trek across Northern California to Walnut Creek, which is about 30 miles east of San Francisco and the district of Nancy Pelosi. It will be the closest we will get to the Speaker but as we all know she thinks we are a mob and would not meet with us anyway.

So the Tea Party Express organizers Sal and JoeW decided to rally in this East Bay city where a special congressional election will be held next week.

It pits the longtime Democrat insider and current Caifornia LT Gov John Garamendi against Republican David Harmer. The polls of this traditionally Democratic seat suggest the race is closer than it should be. Garamendi is pulling out all the left wing support including ACORN assistance. The Tea Party rally will demonstrate that this area is more purple than has been realized.

Lew Uhler, chairman of the National Tax Limitation Committee, has joined the tour for a spell. He told the crowd of over 2,000 that there are 12 "persuadable US senators" who need to hear the anti-Obamacare message. If you go to his website you will find the 12 Senators -- http://www.limittaxes.org/

David Harmer, the Reoublican nominee for next Tuesday's specisl election in the 10th congressional district, addressed his local supporters. He began by reciting in unison with the crowd a few well-known parts of the Declaration of Indeoendence. He reminded the crroiwd that a few hundred votes will decide this special election. His website is http://www.harmonforcongress.com/

It was a beautiful nite requiring only a light sweater. While the crowd was well over 2,000 it is likely the unexpected closure of the Bay Bridge prevented an even bigger crowd.

Should make Redding by midnight

P.S. to all on my list. You are welcome to pass these email observations of the bus tour along to others. Please understand I am doing all on my Blackberry where my thumb typing isn't always the best. LOL JDutra

On The Road With Jim Dutra - Day 3

2009-11-02T23:58:00.000-08:00

I am sitting in the warm and cozy convention hall of Tonopah, Nevada. It was a brisk morn and there are light snow flurries. And while we arrived to the motel after midnight all were up and into the buses on time.

One of our troupe, Diana Nagyn, left after yesterday's rally in Fresno to sing at an event on the USS Hornet last nite but will rendevous with us in Hawthorne, NV - which is our next stop. -- at least that is the logistical plan. Diana hails from NYC but is an enthusiastic entertainer for the troops. She recounts during each rally that her uncle died in WWII on V-E day while flying a mission. She does all this in his memory as well as for her family and neighbors.

Inside here at the Tonopah Convention Center we have an energetic group of several hundred people. I suppose there is not one person in attendance to this Tea Party rally who supports Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D-Nevada).

One thing that strikes any traveller through Nevada -- especially in the rural areas -- is Nevadans' sense of their history which they proudly display everywhere. And there is a big poster inside the center of the movie, The Last Picture Show, which was filmed here in Tonopah.
Some of us even got to meet Ripley's Believe It or Not's "Cat Man." Mark Williams, one of our rally speakers, was particularly excited to shake the Cat Man's hand.

Mark Williams, a nationally recognized radio talk show personality, told me of his conversation with his waitress this morn. She said the whole town of Tonopah knew America's stealth fighter development was being done in their area. But the whole town kept it secret until it's first flight. The crew signed a thank you to the town for keeping the faith. Mark had tears in his eyes when he recounted the story he just heard.

From my perspective I find it hard to believe that a state like Nevada would continue to support the re-election of their senior senator, Mr. Reid. A person from the crowd shouted out during the rally -- Defeat Reid for the good of the nation. Here in Tonnpah they are well on their way.

Now on to Hawthorne and Fallon, NV today.

UPDATE: Whistlestop. Not sure how far back that goes into American politics but we did one in Hawthorne NV, population 3,200 right on state route 95, the major road tween Vegas and Reno.

As we pull up to the north side of town just across from the firehouse and kiddy-corner from McDonalds, there are 100 people waiting for us. Amazing.

Two of Harry Reid's many opponents were at the whistlestop -- Sharron Angle and Bill Parsons. Needless to say they gave Reid hell -- like old Harry Truman -- and the crowd went wild. My suspicion is Reid has little suport in rural Nevada. The former trial lawyer Reid obviously hopes the urban centers of Reno and Las Vegas will pull him through.

And yes Diana Nagy successfully returned. Her parents drove her back from Alameda. I was a little surprised they made it. In fact they were in Hawthorne before we arrived! Good going folks.

Diana was on the USS Hornet to honor the first responders swat teams from all over the world, there to compete in games and otherwise hone their skills.

We are about 30 miles out from Fallon, our next Tea Party Express rally and looking to pick up a motorcycle escort in about 15 minutes.

Also eating McDonalds for the first time. Remember it being kiddy-corner. Joe and Levi surprised both busses by getting Big Macs from across the street. But bad news the blue bus broke a belt. Everyone but Sal, Joe, Amy Schroeder and Levi are noe on our bus to Fallon. Sal just called to say they are back road-worthy...bout half hour behind us now. Tea Party Express rocks.

J C Dutra

Joe The Plumber to Join Tea Party Express!

2009-11-02T18:49:00.000-08:00

Big news everyone!

We are pleased to announce that Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher - famously known to most Americans as "Joe The Plumber" - will be joining the Tea Party Express tomorrow as our convoy heads through Colorado and holds rallies in Ft. Collins and Denver.

Here's a photograph of Joe The Plumber when he spoke at our Brighton, Michigan rally during the first Tea Party Express:

Here's the details on our Colorado rallies where Joe The Plumber will be speaking:

FT. COLLINS, CO - 2:00 PM
Washington Park (across from City Hall)
301 Maple St.
Fort Collins, CO

DENVER, CO - 5:00 PM
Civic Center – Greek Theater
100 W 14th Ave.
Denver, CO 80204

The Beautiful Patriots of Bozeman Turn Out in Force!

2009-11-02T17:48:00.000-08:00

After our rally in Helena, MT we continued on to Bozeman, MT. We went to Bozeman in response to pleas from local tea party activists who urged us to come and visit their community. So that is what we did. And boy, are we sure glad we did!

We held our rally at the Heritage Christian School Gymanisum. When we arrived I ran into a woman outside who was a devout supporter of Barack Obama and was not keen on we "tea baggers." She thought the opposition to Obama was based on race since he was America's first black president. She had come from an "anti-hate" rally and seemed frustrated by her belief that our effort and movement was based on "hate." She was civil and conscientious, but just couldn't grasp why Americans were so frustrated with Congress and the Obama administration. In her mind the problems America faced were because of President Bush, and Obama's big-government, massive spending, quasi-socialistic policies were just what this nation needed.

I was ready to head inside, so that's what I did.

The rally was great, and we were in awe of the hard work, energy and cooperative nature of Bozeman tea party organizer, Henry Kriegel. Here are some pictures:

Helena, Montana Rally a Great Success!

2009-11-02T16:06:00.000-08:00

So sorry for the delays in posting about our Montana events. The good news is that the cause of the delay is that we are so unbelievably busy. So many great things are taking place and we'll be reporting on them here at this blog and via our email udpates.

We started the day in Helena, MT and weren't sure what to expect in terms of a crowd. The drive up to our venue - at the Lewis & Clark County Fairgrounds - was stunningly gorgeous.

We pulled in and saw a parking lot full of cars adorned with patriotic bumper stickers, American flags and the Gadsden flag ("Don't Tread on Me"). So we had an inkling at that point that things were going to be good.

The crowd was large, festive and passionate in their love for this county and our Constitution. Eric Olsen of the Billings tea party organization was on hand, and he was exceedingly gracious. We had originally hoped to stop in Billings to hold an event but had to move our schedule, which meant Billings was dropped. Nonetheless, in good faith he helped get the word out and showed up at our event in Helena, and then later in the evening in Bozeman.

Here are some pictures from our Helena rally:

Reports coming for Helena & Bozeman, MT and Rapid City, SD!

2009-11-02T13:04:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone - we just pulled into Rapid City, SD at the Central States Fairgrounds.

It's exciting because they asked us to pull the buses into the rodeo arena.

Last night's event in Bozeman was fantastic - an enthusiastic crowd that came out and packed the gym our event was held in. We couldn't believe that so many people turned out on a Sunday evening - but the patriots came out anyways.

Pictures and reports from both of these events soon!

Trip Report From Day 2

2009-11-02T12:47:00.000-08:00

REPORT FROM DAY 2

Well everyone we are on the bus heading over the Tioga Pass. While we are on time and the pass is clear, our tour bus drivers will have their hands full.

Ray (driver of the red bus) hails from Florida while Robert (driver of the blue bus) is out of SoCal. I'm on the Reagan bus with Ray. I don't need to tell you I give him my total respect and attention.

Fresno at 1:30 was bright and hot. But it did not diminish the enthusiasm of the rally. Kenneth Gladney, one of our speakers who highlights how SEIU beat him up at a Town Hall forum where he was selling his Gadsden "Don't Tread On Me" flags, was experiencing the full heat of central California. I kidded him for his perspiration as he hails from St Louis. Ok. I'm embellishing. He was cool on the outdoor stage. But he always lends a hand to our crew in breaking down and loading the stage equipment. Today he was really sweating it.

Joining the speakers in Fresno were Peter Foy who is the California Chairman of Americans for Prosperity, a pro- freedom, limited government organization that champions the rights of the individual.

Foy is also a Ventura County Supervisor who has been a champion for the taxpayer. He railed today against the downright crazy water policies which are devastating farming communities in the Great Central Valley. There are several towns where unemployment is over 40 percent. Is that change we can believe in?

Foy also considered running for Governor of California as the conservative in the race.

Anyway we hope to make Tonopah, NV by midnight for a rally in the state of Harry Reid. He is not a popular figure in his own state for pushing policies contrary to his state's interests.

The Dutra Report: Day 8 & 9

2009-11-02T11:04:00.000-08:00

DAY 8 - BOZEMAN

Nastiness. Our first encounter. As our red Reagan bus pulls up into the parking lot at the Bozeman Heritage Christian HS for the evening rally we are blocked by an SUV, preventing our bus to park behind the blue bus and out of the roadway.

It was clear the occupant of the SUV has a different point of view given its bumper stickers. The driver, a middle aged lady, is taking pictures from her car seat.

I asked her for the courtesy to move to allow the second bus into the lot. Well -- and I'm gonna be as accurate as I can be -- she was not very cooperative. All she wanted to do was engage me in a heated argument about how we are disrespecting the president.

At about the 6th request -- refusing to engage because it is cold here in Bozeman tonite -- she finally relented and moved her vehicle.

As I turned to wave Ray our bus driver to enter the area - I saw the SUV slowly going down the next driveway snapping away pictures and waving a jolly good nite to us all.

Bozeman is a college town. My guess is she is the University librarian.

Meanwhile in the school gym there are several hundred (400 plus) Tea Party supporters responding to the message of our speakers Deborah, Mark, the Owens, Amy, Kenneth and our singers -- limited government, reduced spending, no Obamacare and lowered taxes.

Meanwhile Levi Russell, our media guru, is phoning, emailing and encouraging local media coverage at every stop. The response has been good with but a few exceptions. It apppears the local media does not have the same attitude as big media which wants to write off the Tea Party response as a flash in the pan. It's obvious the local media is witnessing what's real.

Leaving for Billings for overnite. It's been a terriffic day in Big Sky Country.

DAY 9

Driving the big sky country since early morning. Other than the experience in Fallon and Carson City, the weather has been very cooperative for our Tea Party Express II venue rallies.

There is no snow on the ground here in Rapid City though we understand there was a biggie blizzard within the last week.

This is the first venue in which we are "fully" inside....including the buses. We are in the rodeo pavillion on the local fair grounds and while it's a mild 55-degrees outside, both bus loads are extremely appreciative to be inside though some of our city folks on the buses are not prepared for the "country smells" inside the pavillion. Ok -- it smells like horses and cows -- but there is no B.S. from our speakers !.

When we get to Denver I am told we will be in an ampitheater near the Capitol. We are hoping for mild weather.

FYI, our official photographer Mary Pearson just passed the 20,000 photos mark on the tour. It's the digital age of course but when she is not taking photos, she is in the bus or in the motel room categorizing and burning to disc all of these photos. Many will make their way to the web site eventually. It's a huge task but Mary always has a smile on her face and a helping hand to all. She is on our red Reagan bus where she helps pick up everyone's spirits, especially after a six hour ride.

Rapid City is the only rally scheduled for today because of the travel time. From here we leave to overnite in Chyenne WY, another long drive.

We also don't have consistent cell or Internet connection today as we are driving through the unpopulated high plains. On the ride into Rapid City everyone has been checking their coonections and when a signal occassionally pops up everyone jumps on it only to be disconnected. So not sure when this post will eventually go out. We also have compared notes on who has which providers but in fairness no one provider was well connected today.

The venue here in Rapid City is another terrific American setting. The only thing missing are the rodeo horses behind the busses in the arena. I estimate there are more than 500 people in attendance. And while this may be in the Black Hills, they are pulling for the conservatives candidates in tomorrow's elections in New Jersey, Virginia, New York and California.

As you may know the Tea Party Express endorsed the conservative candidate in New York's upstate special election House seat. The bus troup is on pins and needles over tomorrow's election. Fox News is on 24\7 on the red bus (ok, caught part of the World Series last nite on drive into Billings) and the blue bus is alternating between Fox News and CNN coverage.

Big applause over Amy Kremer observation that "we hired these politicians and we can fire them."

The Rivoli's -- Kay and Ron -- have rejoined the troup. They left after the Portland rally to fly to Branson, Missouri for a prior engagement on Saturday nite. They experienced a harrowing flight into Branson. Kay was really so shaken she didn't think she would make it back to the tour but they are with us again to sing their great songs.

This marks the half way point of the tour. Tomorrow should be a great election day and the first sign that America will correct it's political mistakes of 2008.

On the Road Reports - Trip Journal!

2009-11-01T19:55:00.000-08:00

During the first week of the Tea Party Express II: Countdown to Judgment Day, one of our traveling staffers, Mr. Jim Dutra - on board the Red Bus, has been filing daily reports on our events.

He was forwarding them to just a couple personal friends. But the reports were so fascinating that those friends in turn forwarded them on to others, and now all of us - and many people we don't even know - look forward to Jim's updates on the Tea Party Express II each day.

So we are going to be publishing those reports. We begin with his report from Day 1:

_________________________________________________

A spectacular event just finished in San Diego. Could have used more space as everyone was packed. Maybe about 1500 turned out in front of the USS Midway to hear all the speakers and to make their point. The crowd was enthusiastic and attentive to every word. If this is any indication of the passion in the country then there will be a turn around in 2010 -- faster than anyone thinks.

The Rivoli Revue performed their smash YouTube hits on stage to big applause. Ron and Kay Rivoli are on my bus and I am discovering they are not your common entertainers -- they feel this in the heart.

On now to Los Angeles rally at 4:30.
J C Dutra

Lloyd Marcus LIVE from the Tea Party Express II

2009-11-01T14:17:00.000-08:00

Singer, patriot, columnist and Tea Party Express II participant, Lloyd Marcus, has written a great report on his experiences from the road during this national tea party tour.

His piece was published today at the American Thinker website, one of Rush Limbaugh's favorite websites for conservative thought and policy discussions.

Lloyd has been - as he was on the first Tea Party Express - a source of inspiration for the entire traveling contingent, and we are so honored to have along with us. His warm sould and gifted talents make the Tea Party Express II an amazingly moving experience.

You can read his great column - HERE.

2009-11-01T12:25:00.000-08:00

A BEAUTIFUL RALLY WITH THOUSANDS OF PATRIOTS IN SPOKANE!

It was a fantastic event yesterday in Spokane, Washington. The local tea party groups did a fantastic job of getting the word out and rallying people together. As you all know, this is very important with Nancy Pelosi's 1,900+ page, $1.06 TRILLION quasi-socialistic, government-run healthcare plan.

We were surprised to see New York Times reporter David Barstow (who was embedded with us on the first Tea Party Express) who showed up in Spokane. He's still working on a piece about the tea party movement as the press tries to see if this movement is just a "flash in the pan" or if this effort is going to continue to grow and make an even greater impact on the nation.

Thank you so much, Spokane! It was an outstanding rally - and the people of Spokane were great! Special shoutout to Pat and Pam who graciously sent us off at the end.

Dutra's Dispatch from The Road - Days 7 & 8

2009-11-01T10:51:00.000-08:00

DAY 7

The bus pulled into Richland, WA at 1:45 last nite. It was slow driving over the Cascade Mountains in sometimes heavy rain. While it is grey skies this Saturday early morning, it promises to be a good day with rallies scheduled in the Tri-Cities at 9 am and in Spokane at 2 pm.

We are now at the South Ridge High School auditorium in Tri-Cities. Virtually every seat is taken in this theatre-style venue with more standing around the perimeter -- over 600. This is in stark contrast to our Portland experience where it was hard to find a venue. And I will continue to make the following observation: This is NOT a mob. It is Americans exercising their rights without burning down or destroying.

By the way some have asked for the web site address of the courageous businessman who lent his parking lot to the Tea Party Rally in Portland. It is www.michaelsitaliansausage.com. Send him a shout-out.

Mark Williams, Tea Party Express II Co-Chair, announced from the auditorium stage that the NY congressional race is now a dead heat between the conservative Tea Party candidate and the Democrat nominee. And that the liberal RINO Republican nominee has withdrawn from the race this morning. (Election is Tuesday.) A cheer went up in the room as Mark reminded everyone it is due to their efforts throughout the nation that leftwing candidates are being turned back ! Remember we are in southeast Washington State -- the conservative cause is rolling once again throughout the country.

Truly this bus tour is gaining momentum. Come see for yourself. Tell a friend on the tour route.

Kenneth Gladney is up on stage right now telling his story. He just learned yesterday that the District Attorney In St. Louis has agreed to prosecute the SEIU thugs who beat him up outside a Town Hall forum, simply for selling the Gadsden "Don't Tread On Me" flag. Kenneth is a real trooper. He has been feeling under the weather the last 36 hours and while I can tell it in his speaking voice right now on stage I don't believe the crowd has any idea.

P.S. Again, my apologies for any mispellings on this thumb typing Blackberry. And last nite the bus ride was very bumpy as I sent the last email. LOL

PS 2x:
Sat next to Lloyd Marcus on the bus while coming into the venue and he mentioned he just penned a column for American Thinker's web site. Actually it is in the hands of his wife Mary back home to check it before sending on today to the American Thinker. Lloyd has some of the same typing problems on the road that I do. LOL

PS a third time:
The best hotel of these first 7 days was last nite. Sure only in the room 5 hours but great check in at 2:00 am, good water pressure, clean room, efficient bresakfast service and very friendly staff. I am rating each hotel ... This Richland Courtyard Marriott gets a 9 !

Day 8

On the Blackberry inside the pavilion of the Helena, MT fair building. Pretty much an empty space and no chairs. Sitting on the concrete floor thumb typing this as Selena Owens is addressing the crowd. Several hundred people standing intently and yelling back in agreement to various speakers.

The weather continues to cooperate. It was raining over the Rockies as we came from Spokane last nite to over nite in Missoula. That's always tough on our drivers Ray and Robert.

Spokane was a beautiful setting yesterday evening (Saturday.)

Whoa there goes another Montana yell from the crowd. Selena was talking bout being a conservative woman.

There were THOUSANDS of good folks at the Spokane convention center. One of the local web sites reported 3,000 but Meg Doherty, one of the Spokane tea party organizers, estimated with me the much higher number. Our troup was out on a platform in the middle of the Spokane River looking back at an ampitheatre setting. It was awesome.

A reporter from the New York Times had been in town the past 4 days, preparing a piece. We shall see what he concludes.

Last nite we got in at the reasonable hour of 8:30 pm. Sal took all 22 of us out to dinner. I sat with Ray our red bus driver as the big table held the other 20. Ray has told me that on other trips he has driven for liberal groups like SEIU and the DCCC (demo cong cmte) who never invited him to their meals. He was always left to his own devices. He also has said their crowds this summer were very small -- largest being perhaps 100. Gee we don't hear much about that.

Whoops there goes another Montana yell here in the pavilion. Diana Nagy is singing "America The Beautiful." Now Lloyd Marcus is singing and has asked for all the kids and those with flags to join him on stage. It is really a heart-throbbing sight.

This morning Mary, our official photog, asked Cheryl at the Missoula Marriott Courtyard if the motel had any extra writing paper and pens. Cheryl kindly supplied and we are so grateful.
The paper and pens are being used at every venue to allow anyone in the crowd to write a note to their congressman. Amy Kremer of Georgia's Tea Party and on our tour handles this and she keeps running out. In fact this effort usually makes us late getting out of each venue -- the outpouring is great. Amy will get all the notes and letters to the congressman at the end of the tour.

And there goes another Montana cheer. And yes lots of cowboys hats in attendance here. These people are tough and are fighting back.

There are many, many homemade signs and posters here at this Helena rally. Every venue sees so many unique and original signs. Politics at its best !

On to Bozeman MT from here. Gotta go as the speakers are concluding. And the crowd is yelling in approval. Don't mess with the cowboys of Montana.

Feel the Energy from Portland!

2009-10-31T17:24:00.000-07:00

Amy Schroeder of Parcbench produced this video from the Tea Party Express II rally in Portland, OR. You'll definitely feel the energy of this video, and we liked that because the rally in Porland was just that - ENERGETIC.

Thank you to the great people of Portland and thanks to Amy of Parcbench. We hope all our supporters enjoy this short video!

Yippee! Great event in Tri-Cities

2009-10-31T13:46:00.000-07:00

ANOTHER OVERFLOW CROWD

THIS TIME IN TRI-CITIES WASHINGTON!

Thank you to the great people of the Tri-Cities area in Central Washington! We didn't arrive into town last night until around 1:30 AM. By the time we got to bed last night (we always end up working for at least an hour or two at the end of each day - in addition to working on the buses all day long) it was almost 3:00 AM. Alarms were set for 7:00 - 7:30 AM as we had to get rolling from our hotel this morning by 8:15 - 8:30 AM.

So we were reallllyyyy tired last night and this morning. It's always like that on these tours, and that's why the energy from the crowds always is so invigorating and helpful.

It was a cool, windy morning. Really, really windy. We pulled into our venue and feared a small crowd, but committed ourselves to doing our best to energize whoever turned out.

But we had nothing to worry about. The momentum continues to build for this effort as we cross the country and word spreads of the Tea Party Express II: Countdown to Judgment Day tour. We walked into the local high school auditorium and saw this - a room so filled that not everyone fit in the room!

People came and went throughout the program - as there were informational and vendor booths in the open area outside the auditorium. Here's a few pictures we took on our camera phones to help give you a feel for the crowd. We were near tears during the end as we paid tribute to our veterans and so many amazing men and women came up on stage - patriots who had served this country and are the reason we remain a free nation where people can speak freely, question their government's erroneous actions & harmful policies, and then has the freedom to vote out of office those who fail us.

We're in Puyallup!! Wow - it's rocking!

2009-10-30T18:06:00.000-07:00

We thought Portland was a great event. We've now arrived in Puyallup and it's stunning. The fairgrounds is PACKED. Thousands of people. ALERT: The fire marshall told us there so many people packed the convention hall that they had to move a large part of the crowd outside or else our event would be shut down. When I ran outside to grab something from the bus I encountered the event security informing latecomers that they were not allowed to enter the facility on account of the overflow crowd.

So speakers were set up outside by the buses so the good folks outside could hear. Estimates from officials on hand was that the crowd surpassed 4,000 people. Some estimates place the crowd as high as 5,500 - but my guess is that it was somewhere between 4,500 - 5,000.

The people of Washington State have sure turned out in massive numbers. Washington, D.C. -- can you hear us NOW??

Special thanks go out to the people who helped make this happen: Ken Morse and the Olympia Tea Party, Kirby Wilbur of KVI - 570 AM, and the great people of Operation Support Our Troops.

We just received a video from a great patriot who was at the event - WATCH IT HERE.

We just arrived at our Portland event!

2009-10-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

HELLO FROM PORTLAND!

We just pulled into Portland. It's cloudy and cool, but not raining right now. We arrived 30 minutes early - YAY! Nice not to be late. There's a good-sized crowd already and it's growing by the minute. Portland is going to be a great event! More soon. Mark Williams and Deborah Johns are now speaking.

There's a good turnout of media in addition to the hundreds of people on hand. Jeff Kemp of Americans for Prosperity is going to try to call in to Lars Larson's radio show and have his speech to the crowd broadcast live. The logistics of things like this are always tricky, but we'll try to make it work!

UPDATE 1: Portland's ABC affiliate KATU reports "Hundreds Rally for Lower Taxes as Part of Tea Party Express." See their report - HERE.

Woohoo!!! Just wait for the update - we're in Medford!

2009-10-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

We just arrived in Medford, OR. We were running about 1 hour late, the weather is yucky - rain and fog have moved in.

But the event here is amazing.

Wait until you see the pictures, folks. It's fantastic! This tour keeps building more and more momentum and we're so very excited.

THANK YOU to all of you who are helping us get the message heard across this nation. It's working, folks!

Hello from Redding!

2009-10-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

We're holding our last California rally on the Tea Party Express II: Countdown to Judgment Day, as we're now heading into Oregon & Washington for our next series of events.

It's a fantastic crowd here this morning under bright sunshine and we are appreciating that warm sun - as snowstorms are hitting the Inter-Mountain West where we'll be traveling to in a few days. So we're hoping the snow falls, is cleared off the roads, and we're able to turn out good crowds in the coming days.

We'll have more on Redding later, but here's a picture of the crowd - you'll see why we've had such an awesome time at the rally here today:We're holding our last California rally on the Tea Party Express II: Countdown to Judgment Day, as we're now heading into Oregon & Washington for our next series of events.

It's a fantastic crowd here this morning under bright sunshine and we are appreciating that warm sun - as snowstorms are hitting the Inter-Mountain West where we'll be traveling to in a few days. So we're hoping the snow falls, is cleared off the roads, and we're able to turn out good crowds in the coming days.

We'll have more on Redding later, but here's a picture of the crowd - you'll see why we've had such an awesome time at the rally here today:

WOW! Huge crowd turns out in Walnut Creek, CA - Breaking News

2009-10-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

Hello from Walnut Creek, CA - a community in the East Bay of the San Francisco metropolitan area. So in the sea of liberalism stood an island of patriotic Americans rallying together today united in the effort to advance the tea party movement.

There's also a crucial Congressional Special Election coming up here on November 3rd which features David Harmer (a Republican who strongly opposes government-run healthcare) up against California Lieutenant Governor, John Garamendi (a Democrat who is a big advocate of government-run healthcare and the Obama-Pelosi-Reid agenda of big government, bailouts, higher taxes and out-of-control spending).

Harmer spoke at this evening's rally to an enthusiastic crowd - perhaps the most enthusiastic crowd we've had since the kickoff event in San Diego, CA. Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy - we sure enjoyed the great people of Walnut Creek:

CNN Reports on the Tea Party Express

2009-10-28T02:25:00.000-07:00

CNN's Jon King interviewed Tea Party Express Vice Chair, Mark Williams, about the "Tea Party Express II: Countdown to Judgment Day."

A relatively fair interview with CNN's King asking questions and allowing the Tea Party Express's Mark Williams to respond. There's some good stuff in this interview, friends!

Watch the interview here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODMtImVWih8

Carson City Here We Come!

2009-10-27T23:42:00.000-07:00

There's an interesting preview article in the Nevada Appeal on our upcoming rally tomorrow morning in Carson City, Nevada. You can read it - HERE.

Hawthorne & Fallon are Fantastic Events!

2009-10-27T19:16:00.000-07:00

Good evening everyone!

Above: Deborah Johns speaks in front of one of the Tea Party Express II buses in Fallon, NV.

What a fantastic day. We wrote about the terrific rally to start the day in Tonopah. And then we headed on to our "Whistle Stop" rally in Hawthorne. A "Whistle Stop" is what we call a short rally where we don't do a full program. We've added this Hawthorne event after our official schedule of cities was finalized because local supporters pleaded with us to stop - since it was on the way from our Tonopah, NV to Fallon, NV events.

So we pull up to Hawthorne (population is 3,000 - yes you read that correctly) and we had about 100 people on hand for a Whistle Stop that was organized in just a few days time, in a very small town. It was COLD and WINDY - and more snowflakes fell en route to the rally and again as we left.

The blue bus needed some mechanical repair work and so we sent the red bus off with our speakers and entertainers to our final event of the day in Fallon, NV. Wow! In a city of just 7,000 people, more than 500 turned out despite temperatures that dipped into the mid-30's by the rally's end. Here's a picture of just one sliver of the crowd which spanned in a hemisphere all around the stage.

UPDATE 1: The Lahontan Valley News reports on the Tea Party Express and tea party movement as we pulled into Fallon - HERE.

Hello from Tonopah, NV!

2009-10-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the tiny community of Tonopah, NV - population 2,624. The Tea Party Express is making a special effort to visit as many cities, towns and communities throughout Nevada because one of the "worst offenders" in Congress is U.S. Senator - and Senate Majority Leader - Harry Reid.

Yes, the same man who initially promised he would oppose a government-run healthcare plan who now has flip-flopped and is doing the 'politics-as-usual' routine of going against his word, and going against the will of the people. We're going to hand Sen. Reid a "pink slip" in November 2010! So here we are in Tonopah at our Tea Party Express rally and it's a fantastic crowd.

Who would have thought so many people would have turned out at 10:00 AM on a Tuesday morning?!?! This picture shows just one part of the crowd that spanned throughout the convention center:

And to top it off, we arrived at the Tonopah Convention Center and encountered falling snow - mostly just flurries - but snow nonetheless.

We're all very excited with this first event on Day 3... we've got great momentum and we're hoping it continues to grow and grow. With your help and support it will!

Thank you Fresno!

2009-10-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

We had a great event in Fresno yesterday. We'll be posting a report in a bit about the event including a few pictures and news reports!

UPDATE 1: CBS-TV Fresno reports on the rally - HERE.
UPDATE 2: NBC-TV Fresno also has a report - HERE.

CNN Reports on Day 1 of Tea Party Express!

2009-10-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

We're in Bakersfield, California this morning holding a rally right now - we'll post an update on the event shortly.

But here's the report from CNN on Day 1:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/10/26/tea-party-express-kicks-off-38-city-tour/

Bakersfield & Fresno: You're Next!

2009-10-25T18:15:00.001-07:00

To our fellow patriots in Bakersfield, CA & Fresno, CA - you're up next!

On Monday we'll have these two rallies. Please bring a friend or two, and let's continue the great turnout we've enjoyed so far for the Tea Party Express II: Countdown to Judgment Day!

MONDAY, OCTOBER 26th

9:00 AM - Bakersfield Rally
Heritage Park2320 Mt. Vernon Ave.
Bakersfield, CA

1:30 PM - Fresno Rally
Eaton Plaza2400 Fresno St.
Fresno, CA
*NOTE: We originally published the time as 4:00PM. This is incorrect - the correct time is 1:30PM.

UPDATE 1: One family that attended the rally posted their account on their personal blog and were also interviewed by CNN. Read their report - HERE.

TPXII Creates Traffic Jam in Los Angeles!

2009-10-25T17:25:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone - we just pulled into our rally location in Los Angeles (Griffith Park) and found ourselves running behind. As we got to the roads off the freeway leading to the venue we were noticing that the traffic was bumper-to-bumper and showed no signs of letting up. And then we realized why.

The traffic jam was from the more than 1,000 people who had showed up for the Tea Party Express rally. All the parking spaces in Griffith Park at our venue were taken. The overflow parking lots were filled. And there were streams of cars still trying to get in, but having no place to park.

Conservative Republican Assemblyman Chuck DeVore just spoke. He is running against Sen. Barbara Boxer (Liberal-Democrat) and is one of the "good guys." The GOP establishment is trying to woo Carly Fiorina (former HP executive) to run. But she represents more of the same - politicians who believe in power and 'going along to getting along.' We're so excited to see Chuck DeVore passionately articulating a strong, conservative message - and the crowds love him!

Now speaking is Peter Foy of Americans for Prosperity. He was one of the leaders in the campaign to Defeat Prop 1A which was a giant tax increase ballot measure here in California. Again, this is someone who walked the walk - and didn't just talk the talk.

More soon - including pictures.

THANK YOU to all of you who have helped make this first day of the Tea Party Express a giant success. It's been amazing, folks!

Thousands Turn Out for Kickoff of Tea Party Express II

2009-10-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

Thousands have turned out in beautiful San Diego for the kickoff rally for the Tea Party Express! It's an amazing crowd, and we're right on the water with the USS Midway as our backdrop.

Wow - folks this is incredible. To those in the media or on the political Left who keep insisting the tea party movement is dead, or its astroturf, etc... well the people of San Diego have turned out and spoken a message loud and clear: WE WANT OUR COUNTRY BACK!

UPDATE: You can see a slideshow of photos taken by local supporter Neil Turner - VIEW SLIDESHOW HERE.

UPDATE 2: The San Diego Union-Tribune has a report on the event. Read it - HERE.

UPDATE 3: And a report from one of the southern California NBC affiliates - HERE.

UPDATE 4: Here's the report from KFMB CBS San Diego - HERE.

UPDATE 5: San Diego News Network has a report on the rally - HERE.

UPDATE 6: Newsblaze update on San Diego rally - HERE.

2009-10-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

Support the Tea Party Express! For more information on the tour schedule visit our website: http://www.teapartyexpress.org/

To make a contribution to the Tea Party Express visit our secure contribution page: https://secure.donationsafe.com/tea/

2009-10-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

TEA PARTY EXPRESS II: COUNTDOWN TO JUDGMENT DAY
OCTOBER 25 - NOVEMBER 11

All throughout the recent Tea Party Express national tour we kept receiving emails and phone calls from people around the nation who lived far away from the route our buses took across America. We vowed at the time to keep the Tea Party Express effort alive – and that’s exactly what we are doing.

It is our pleasure to announce the “Tea Party Express: Countdown to Judgment Day” which will cross the nation from coast-to-coast, border-to-border October 25th – November 11th — 1 year ahead of the November 2010 congressional elections… or as our Czarina of the tea party movement, Amy Kremer, likes to refer to as “Judgment Day.” The Tea Party Express will kick-off the tour with a rally in San Diego, California on October 25th and wind up the tour with a rally in Orlando, Florida on November 11th (Veteran’s Day). We’ve just posted the new tour map and itinerary (with the dates of rallies in each city) at our website: http://www.teapartyexpress.org/

This won’t just be a continuation of the tour we just completed. We will be having a lot of special surprises and additions as we grow this effort — and continue the fight against government-run healthcare, Cap & Trade, bailouts, out-of-control deficit spending and the growth in the size and intrusiveness of government.

We’ll be publishing the specific itinerary and schedule in the coming days at our website: http://www.teapartyexpress.org/

For now, here’s the route we’ve planned out – so mark your calendars, spread the news to your friends, and get ready to rock America! If Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid thought that after 9/12 we’d just go away and give up well then we have some bad news for them. We’re back, better than ever, and determined to TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK!

Poll: Enthusiasm builds for Tea Party Express II: Countdown to Judgment Day

2009-10-12T12:04:00.000-07:00

The good people of Newsblaze published a report on the upcoming “Tea Party Express II: Countdown to Judgment Day” and included a poll inquiring about people’s interest in the new cross-country tour.

Of the more than 10,000 votes cast so far, the majority plan on attending one of the tour rallies or traveling along with the caravan for part or all of the way. Just 2% say they “don’t believe in it” and 0% responded that it wasn’t “their thing.”

You can vote – HERE.