If you received an email from TEA Party Patriots (TPP) asking you to call your new Congressmen to attend a TPP event in DC – IGNORE IT!! They told you that I, and other leaders, gave them the info. I did not. They had no right to publish these new elected people’s cell phone and home phone numbers, as well as their private email addresses. TPP does NOT speak for me or Caldwell TEA Party!! We are all separate and under no organized umbrella.

TPP will get some pushback as they contact our local members on behalf of some false leadership from national level and giving personal contact info about new candidates elected.

That’s not going to set well with local leaders. We are simply separate and individual groups at the local level.  I enjoy hearing what TPP has to say as they offer advice, but don’t they dare over step their boundaries to communicate with my members as if I have approved their directive.

On facebook some one nicely sent me the emails.  I told him,

“Bart, I’ve read all the emails. I got a call from a Texas TEA Party leader who asked if I had seen them. She briefed me. The suspicious part of this story is I did not get the email with all the contact info and neither did many other leaders. For some reason, we many leaders left off that email. I did get the next 2 emails, but not 11/11 with the initial instructions and contact to MY MEMBERS. I do not condone TPP doing this. I think they have over stepped their “authority”. I don’t think they have any authority, except what they’ve taken. They do not speak for my group.

“TPP’s ‘clarification’ is no good. They should have thought of the ramifications of what they were doing before. Also, why doesn’t TPP website have the TPP Freshman Orientation listed as an event? Where are they getting the $100k for the event? Where did they get the $1 million for the big payout last month?? I am not a fan of TPP or their power grab. They don’t speak for me or my group.”

Part of the problem is that I do have SOME faith in our elected officials, i don’t know why, but I do. Here it is:  I don’t want TPP to demand that Freshman Congressman ONLY ATTEND THEIR event and no others.  I also dislike very much that they would go to great lengths to tear down another Conservative institution, like the Claremont Institute.  Neither of these things are okay.  I want people educated and allow them to make their own choices (right or wrong), we will hound these freshman relentlessly if they begin making the wrong decisions and then vote them out.  I don’t want a tyrannical national TPP to pretend to speak on my behalf!

To my members, unless you’ve heard it from me, on our website, an Caldwell TEA Party email, or a phone call – we didn’t say it, and we don’t necessarily support it.

(I am not going to re-publish the offending email with all the phone numbers here.  If you really want to see it, send me an email.)

============= update:

I got a call yesterday from the NC TPP state director.  He agreed they messed up royally with publishing private numbers and emails, but he did blow it off as not that big of a deal.  To me, that’s still not good and not a full recognition of the problem.  In my opinion, they messed up with strong arming new freshman in such an ugly way by smearing the Claremont Institute.

They have redeemed themselves by putting in place a new strategy for change in Congress.  It’s a 2-part plan: 1) force a rules change in the House to allow “rank and file vote” for chairs of the committees, not leadership (and lobbyist approved) appointments of the committee chairs, and 2) call Senators today to insist YES vote on EARMARK BAN!