Tea Party Civil War? Lawsuit, GOP Friction Splits Leaders

Some major cracks have emerged in the "Tea Party" movement's leadership.

In October, Amy Kremer, a founder and top staffer for the Tea Party Patriots (whose activists swarmed health care town halls last summer) was forced out of the group for joining a second, more "moderate" Tea Party organization -- the Tea Party Express. Now, the Tea Party Patriots have filed a lawsuit against Kremer and issued a temporary restraining order because she tried to lock down TPP resources on her way out.

The Tea Party Patriots describe the conflict with Kremer as an "intellectual property" dispute. On Kremer's personal blog, (about me: "A genuine Southern Belle with a passion for life, politics and current events... Oh yeah, did I say I am a conservative?!?") she writes that the lawsuit is "frivolous."

It truly saddens me that TPP leadership is expending an enormous amount of time and resources to pursue a frivolous lawsuit against me when this could have been resolved amicably, which I tried to do. Personally, I believe that the people of this movement would not want any time and money focused on a frivolous lawsuit, but would rather have these resources focused on fighting the socialist agenda of the current administration.

Dave Weigel, who has been reporting on this story since it began, noted in October the growing friction between the Tea Party Patriots and the Tea Party Express. The Tea Party Patriots is a grassroots organization, while the Tea Party Express is a more corporate "astroturf" offshoot of the conservative Our Country Deserves Better PAC:

"As an organization, we do our best to be completely nonpartisan," said Mark Meckler, a national coordinator for Tea Party Patriots. "That's one of things that's allowed us to survive when we were called Republican tools. Tea Party Patriots are very dissatisfied with the Republican Party -- we have nothing against Our Country Deserves Better PAC, but they raise money for Republicans."

If this wasn't enough tea party drama for one day, Eric Odom, a conservative online organizer and key player in forming the original tea party movement last spring, has announced he's re-joining the Republican Party.

Though Odom has no intention of supporting the current crop of Republicans (and proudly asserts that he will work to defeat many of them), he is making his 2010 stand from within the Republican Party, "Love or hate the Republican Party, it's our only vessel in the short term. We either unify through it and make a stand strong enough to stop this madness in government, or we fracture over third party efforts and meet uncertain political demise."

Comments

[Abe00]

Impeach the spoiled brat!! Yeah!!

[BuckCarson]

Just remember the American Revolution was won by what was called a "Rabble in Arms".

[xypher0725]

So you're suggesting a violent overthrow of our democratically elected government. How Taliban of you.

[Matrsnot]

Love the Glamor Shots of Obama. Somehow, they interest me more than the mundane comments made here thus far.

[CanUFeel2012]

ITS NOT EASY BEING A CULT LEADER..... . .

[WYO PROUD]

Another thing that gets me about this whole movement is how they are always exaggerating their crowd numbers.

Don't they get that it doesn’t work in their favor to do this?

It only makes potential tea baggers more complacent because they figure they’re winning anyway so why get involved or put forth effort and it makes those against their movement more likely to organize against them.

They have learned nothing from the last Presidential election. Nothing.

[Texleft]

They will go the way of Ross Perot supporters who would scream and fight over who got to be in charge after shorty took a powder. If names are a point of conflict, the No Nothing name is currently available

[weatherwaxx]

CannibaIs at a dinner party. Don't try the ladyfingers...

[clearpepsi]

good stuff, keep it up

[Pupadup4oBama]

HA!:)

[lazercat2008]

It had to happen, You have your Obama is a Soc/alist and your Obama is a Naz/ groups. Sooner or latter they are going to start shooting at each other.

[xypher0725]

bwahahah...nice one.

[Pupadup4oBama]

good!!

[Matrsnot]

Nope. They unfortunately will combine and shoot the Obama supporters.

[Trotline]

"As an organization, we do our best to be completely nonpartisan," said Mark Meckler, a national coordinator for Tea Party Patriots.

I'll give Mr. Meckler points for honesty. They are nonpartisan -- any a-hole in the country can join.

And have...

[Matrsnot]

Nonpartisan? Gee. Is that anything like the bipartisanship Obama promised and once again failed to deliver?

[Trotline]

Bipartisanship doesn't work with mental defectives waving Nazi posters.

[rumblingspire]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTO6HOogJ2w&feature=related

Mr and mrs potato head. Superfine Dandelion

[thecanadian]

Is there any way that Huffpo can cease using this picture of your President? There must be others?

[Vxx]

Its more fun when you can get the monsters in video games to eat each other rather than attack you.....

o wait, but this is surreality ala Tea Party.

[imusintheevening]

;-))

[applescruff]

When a group continually invents it's own reality there are bound to be conflicting universes.

[Bloggerrogr]

...and we are surprised when these people (?) whose sole mission is to sow discord, fear and hatred all of a sudden descend into the madness themselves.

As ye sow, so also shall ye reap.

Now they are reaping the whirlwind.

priceless.

FWIW

[lastep]

I pay taxes on my house which I built myself. I worked to be able to pay for the land. I worked to be able to build the house.
I pay county, city, state, federal, property, gas, cable, telephone......as Hillary said in another country..... "everything that moves"

I am sick of it. What do I get for it?

[mrh3]

The greatest country in the history of the world is what you get.

[delvis]

they are to angry to see the obvious . we are Americans united and strong

[bestealth]

Actually, I think he's from America.

[Siebenstein]

How can the house be moved there?

[SassySafrine]

Schools. Highway. Streets. Sidewalks. Police. Fire Department. Military (all branches). Safer food. Safer medication. Etc.

Just a short list to free your mind.

[imusintheevening]

wars,
a justice system to protect you and your rights,
a freeway system,
a currency that is quickly devaluing,
the right to carry a gun,
the right to be spied on by the government,
subsidized agriculture,
protected bankers,
a space station,
a cool plane for the President,
jackasses who complain to laugh at.............

[bestealth]

Total immunity from paying taxes at all if you know someone in Hong Kong. Oh yeah, and if you're a member of the Republican National Committee, the right to have a free abortion. America just rocks, eh?

[weatherwaxx]

Social Security and Medicare. Also grocery stories, water that comes right out of a tap in your home instead of a village pump. The right to go to any church you want to believe in.

I could go on.

America has a lot of problems and I think eight years of Bush pushed it just about to the edge of destruction, but... look at it another way. Where in the world could you live that you would not have taxes?

[clearpepsi]

tons of stuff, fire service - the right to call the police if people come your "your" land... you have been helped all your life - who do you think built the roads that you drive, geezzz get real you belly acher... grow up