What Flavor Is Your Tea, Partiers?

In the words of St. Ronnie, “Here they go again.” It seems that an alliance of Tea Party groups has descended upon Washington again, in a three-week “Take the Town Halls To Washington” rally. They’re protesting a government take-over, or Bolshevik revolution, or alien invasion, or some such thing. Oh, OK. Actually they’re trying a last-ditch effort to scare the bejeezus out of  lobby wavering Democrats to vote against the health care reform bill. No problem there. They have as much right as anyone to lobby on behalf of the wealthy voice their opinions.

What has caught some people’s eyes, though, is some of the paraphernalia they’re using. As The Daily Caller noted:

The Republican National Committee is paying for signs and political buttons used by Tea Party groups — despite widespread disagreement among the conservative, grassroots activists on whether the movement should work to elect candidates within the Republican Party or steer clear from it.

The items, paid for by the RNC, were on full display at a Friday press conference of Tea Party activists in Washington. At the afternoon event at the Capitol Hill Suites, activists in town for the “Take the Town Halls to Washington” project passed out the red-white-and-blue buttons and signs emblazoned with the words “Listen to Me!”

Text at the bottom of the sign reads: “Paid for by the Republican National Committee.”

Now, obviously, they have the right to accept assistance and gifts from whomever they want. The problem, I think, is that this whole Tea Party movement will never be taken seriously unless they can get much more unified. And that can’t happen until they figure out what, exactly, they are. Are they nothing more than an astroturf branch of the Republican Party? I know many commentors here would strongly disagree with that idea. Are they an independent movement, conservative in ideals, but not Republican in affiliation? I think that’s what they’d like people to think.

However, I don’t see how they can keep claiming that when they do things like this. And in case you think that this was a case of RNC stuff just “slipping by”, the article states, “An RNC official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told The Daily Caller that the signs were given to the group at its request.” So this is organized, requested, help from the Republican Party. And if you’re thinking that the organizers don’t mind the connections being made, think again. As of yesterday, they started blacking out the RNC label on their signs.

Oh, and lest you think this story is nothing but a liberal hit job, note that the story originates from The Daily Caller, Tucker Carlson’s website. And yes, it did pain me to link to it.