Chicago Tea Party Rejects Michael Steele

UPDATE: RNC Chairman Michael Steele now says that he "never asked to speak" at the Chicago Tea Party whose organizers publicly rejected him. Paul Bedard reports:

I called the RNC, which said that Steele plans to be in Chicago for a party meeting and was just interested in getting info on the event and the attendees. "He's in a daylong meeting anyway, so we weren't ever going to be speaking," said an official. "It was just a 'Hey, we're going to be in town' call."

Well, after we E-mailed Don't Go, organizers there must have realized the news value of their claim. They put out a news release titled: "RNC Chairman Denied. Steele Not Wanted to Speak at Chicago Tea Party." The RNC's reaction: "They're just having a little fun."

"He never asked to speak," a party official told U.S. News & World Report. "There was never an expectation nor formal request for our participation."

* * * * *

EARLIER:

National Republican figures have been trying to attach themselves to the growing anti-tax "Tea Party" movement -- with limited success. Requests from politicians to speak at tea party events around the country have been rebuffed. "We're not a function of the Republican party," one Washington, D.C. tea partier told the Huffington Post. He didn't name names, But the Chicago Tea Party organizers have not only rejected a GOP party leader, but made the snub public.

When Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele asked to speak at the event, and organizer Eric Odom posted his response online. In it, he thanked Steele for "finally" reaching out to the grassroots. "Unfortunately, it appears that he has only just decided to reach out after realizing how big the movement has gotten and how much media is now involved," Odom continued. He invited Steele to attend and listen, but not to speak.

The full email to Steele:

Hi Kelly,

As I mentioned on the phone the other day, I very much appreciate the fact that Chairman Steele is now finally starting to reach out to the true grassroots side of the free-market movement in America. Unfortunately, it appears that he has only just decided to reach out after realizing how big the movement has gotten and how much media is now involved.

Story continues below

advertisement

That said, we're still excited to know that Chairman Steele will be in Chicago and we hope, after knowing that he'll be in the city, that he'll stop by and mingle with the Americans who will be rallying on April 15th. This will also present a fantastic time for Chairman Steele to LISTEN to what we have to say and perhaps gather some thoughts on what the RNC needs to be doing moving forward.

With regards to stage time, we respectfully must inform Chairman Steel that RNC officials are welcome to participate in the rally itself, but we prefer to limit stage time to those who are not elected officials, both in Government as well as political parties. This is an opportunity for Americans to speak, and elected officials to listen, not the other way around.

I do hope that Chairman Steele will join us as a regular American in protest of Government spending and extreme taxation.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Regards,
-Eric Odom

Meanwhile, the man who inspired the tea parties -- CNBC's Rick Santelli -- doesn't want anything to do with them.

Comments

[carmenincali]

The Tea Parties were attended by 700,000 people who were looking for the first opportunity to speak out against the bailouts and excessive spending done by Congress.

Why is this scaring the left so much?

[Katherine Lott]

1) The bailouts came from the "Right" if Bush counts as that.

2) All those people should better use their time to find candidates for their districts who have extensive knowledge of local economic development and economics. THAT is something thats actually useful.

[duze]

Guess he got yet another wake up call. This so-called party of his will do anything
to promote anyone other than him. Jendal, Limbaugh, Bachman (scary) Palin, whoever, before they admit to acknowledging him. Wonder why?

[iblog]

(cont.)

The Top Conservatives on Twitter (TCOT, another beloved acronym) is a group that seems determined to rocket the Republicans into the technological world. But it's kind of scary. At TCOT, “projects are led by Project Servant-Leaders (PS-Ls). We chose that term very intentionally to reflect the stewardship nature of leadership in our group. Our overall cause of restoring limited government, free markets, and conservative principles to the governance of the United States is a worthy one.” (I swear to God it said Servant-Leaders; I'm not making this up. Check out the cult-like similariti­es.) And Smart Girl Politics – whew, what can I say, they're for Sarah Palin in 2012 and have a shout-out on their website to Tammy Bruce and Michelle Malkin, so nothing more needs to be said there (except that, while radically conservative and not too sharp, they're at least not cult-like.­) [...]"

[iblog]

Eric Odom of the Chicago Tea Party and his other project Don't Go movement:

http://www.newshounds.us/2009/04/11/fox_news_supports_potentially_violent_tea_party_goers_and_business_guru_neil_cavuto_warns_of_infiltrators.php#more

"DontGo is a part of the Nationwide Tea Party Coalition (NTPC – the Republicans love acronyms), which was formed on February 20, 2009, by DontGo Movement, Top Conservatives on Twitter, and Smart Girl Politics. It should be noted that the NTPC is heartily endorsed by and partnered with Newt Gingrich's American Solutions for Winning the Future. And about those three groups that formed the NTPC: DontGo is the we-are-rig­ht-wing-bu­t-don't-as­sociate-us­-with-Repu­blicans group we'll talk about more.

(cont.)

[Katie5]

I don't understand Micheal .
Micheal what is going on?

[ctman47]

Michael Steele has once again issued a challenge to Michael Steele to a one-on-one debate where he will expose Michael Steels's total disconnect from reality.
When asked by journalists why he would issue this strange challenge. Steele responded that is was all part of his master plan to out his enemies. He went on to state "if there is one person in this country who is working hard to destroy the reputation and career of Michael Steele, it certainly is Michael Steele. "And I plan on putting a stop to his ridiculous statements and destructive behavior".

[carljr]

Michael, Michael, Michael,

Being rejected by a Tea Party....C­AREER PLUS!!!!
Let it go.

[mitsie]

The GOP do not believe in conservation that's clear. I watched a snippit of one on tv and only a handful of people were there. However I saw people actually throwing plastic bags into the water. What do you think will happen if dolphins, fish or animals think that is food and swollow them, only to die a slow death. The tea bags are also hazerdous because of the string and them getting that caught. Didn't anyone who orgnized this think about the wildlife. What about the littering laws, if they had thousands of people throwing all the garbage in our waters. If thousands attend and throw this stuff in the water, what about our drinking water?

Email the National Wildlife Association, and other organizations that care about the wildlife and complain. Perhaps they can get some press coverage to make these people stop this littering. They should be arrested for littering to tell you the truth.

[listentome]

Michael Steele is just silly. He is no more welcome to a make believe tea party today than he would have been at the Boston Tea Party event in 1773

[Riddex]

The Tea Parties are not about Republican/Democrat it does not matter which party you belong to.
People are tired of all the spending going on by both parties

[nomobull]

yeah right

[mitsie]

So it's ok to litter right?

[Syymone]

Steele was kidding himself if he even thought The Repubs would actually support him.Now of course,there would be few who would but the ideology of that party is not one that would support someone that looks like Steele as a leader of their party.....­.....

Now of course there are Repubs who will try and pretend this is not true,but what happened with Palin and those that screamed such unspeakable things about President Obama at her "rallies"pretty much sealed up what The Republican Party is to me.Now don't get me wrong,The Democrats are not that much better....­...

[JuliaV]

Race Warfare is sooo 2008 Syymone. Because the tea parties are non-partisan it seems self defeating for them to invite the highest ranking GOP member, don't you think?

Honestly, perhaps you should get therapy and start seeing the forest for the trees.

[aflyinyoursoup]

Hey, Julia.....­"Because the tea parties are non-partisan"?

Uh, Julia.....­"Honestly, perhaps YOU should get therapy and start seeing the forest for the trees

[dwillisno1]

Talks like Mr Tea, acts like *ncl e Tea.

[Chbronze]

It's interesting to be called a racist because we don't want Micheal Steele to speak at a rally, of course it's racist because he is black and most of us republicans are not. It can't be because we disagree with with much of what he and most of our Washington politicians say. Perhaps we want him and the other politicians to listen to us rather than tell how things are.

It's easy to say democrats are not racist because they have elected a black president. But was it not racist to vote against Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson? Or perhaps were there other reasons.

[listentome]

You're actually making a good case of one of the reasons why people would think of the repubs as racist. No one actually believed that Steele ever would have been elected to lead the RNC if Obama were not President. It was all a "take one to beat one" selection.

[mitsie]

Steel by his actions prove he is against the littering laws in America.

[mrgoodbar]

shhhhhh this is part of his grand master plan.

[Borborigny]

Clearly the "snub" was orchestrated by Steele, strategist par excellence.

[Rover]

So basically, the tea party movement is pure BS and is a bunch of pissed off republicans sore losers?

[mrgoodbar]

just rushpublicans wanting obama to fail