A Teabagger Timeline: Koch, Coors, Newt, Dick Armey There From The Start

Michelle Malkin has a teabagger timeline. She seems to have left a few things out:

December 16, 2007 -- Ron Paul supporters have the first anti-tax Tea Party, reenact dumping of tea into Boston Harbor by tossing banners into a box.

August 2008 -- ChicagoTeaParty.com registered by Zack Christenson, "a producer for a conservative radio talk show host" (Milt Rosengerg) according to the New York Times. On August 28th, he also emails Michelle Malkin after the NRO's Stanley Kurtz goes on his program to talk about his investigation into the Obama/Bill Ayers relationship.

January 25 2009 -- Seattle school teacher, former actress and Young Republican Keli Carender starts her blog, Redistributing Knowledge. Calling herself Liberty Belle, her first post says conservatives need something "BOLD and DIFFERENT and REAL."

January 26 -- In her second post, Liberty Belle says "There are tens of millions of us, if not more. I think if we chose a day to show the world, scary coworkers be damned, that we exist and we are just as passionate about the direction of our country, that we could maybe finally find each other."

February 1 -- FedUpUSA calls for people to send tea bags to members of Congress -- "a Commemorative Tea Party."

February 10 -- At 10:06 am, Liberty Belle says "Anyone in the Seattle area? I would like to stage a Porkulus Protest here." It gets one comment in response. At 12:52 pm, she puts up another post to announce that the protest is on. The first comment comes the next morning.

February 11 or 12 -- Liberty Belle appears on the local Fox News radio show hosted by Kirby Wilbur, who is on the board of the Young America's Foundation (which produces CPAC). Makes no mention on her blog.

February 12 -- At 1:28 pm, Steve Beren, the GOP candidate who ran against Jim McDermott in 08 who works for an internet marketing firm, starts promoting the event. Says that Carender has appeared on the Kirby Wilbur and David Boze (KIRO radio) shows. Does not mention that he'll be speaking at the event.

February 12 -- At 2:27 pm, Liberty Belle says she will appear the next day on KIRO radio and announces that Steve Beren will be speaking at the event.

February 15 -- Michelle Malkin picks up Liberty Belle's announcement. Suggests Coloradans need to do the same.

**First rally organized on a three week-old blog with help from folks from Fox News Radio, the Young Republicans, The Young Americans Foundation (CPAC), and a GOP House candidate who works for an internet marketing firm.**

February 16 -- Malkin apparently first to use the term "tea party," but she uses it for comparison to the protests: "From the Boston Tea Party to your neighborhood pork protest." Announces there will be a protest in Denver the next day. Links to a post that says she will be speaking at it. Instapundit links to Malkin's protest photos, says there will be one in Denver the next day and that "people are trying to organize them in Nashville and NYC."

February 16 -- Denver Metro Young Republicans put up a post (since disappeared, but cached here) saying Americans for Prosperity "will be holding a protest on the Colorado Capitol steps tomorrow (Tuesday) from 12:15-2:00." Americans for Prosperity is the right wing think tank where David Koch, billionaire co-owner of Koch Industries, is Chairman of the Board. Ed Frank of Frank Strategies, who sent a videographer after me last weekend, is a consultant for Americans for Prosperity.

February 17 -- Malkin goes to Colorado for the event, still called a "porkulus protest." She says: "Jim Pfaff of Colorado Americans for Prosperity, Jon Caldara and the Independence Institute, former Rep. Tom Tancredo, and several GOP officials and state legislators spearheaded the event. The Independence Institute is funded by the Coors Foundation's Castle Rock Foundation, and "operates as a mini Heritage Foundation in Colorado." Jeffrey Coors sits on the board.

**According to Michelle Malkin, second rally organized by Koch/Americans For Prosperity, Coors/Independence Institute, Former GOP Congressman and Independence Institute Fellow Tom Tancredo**

February 17 -- Malkin announces that there will be a protest in Mesa, Arizona when Obama is there the next day. "KFYI is taking the lead," she says. KFYI is the Clear Channel station that kicked "Goldwater Republican" Charles Goyette off for speaking out against the war.

February 18 -- Mesa Arizona "porkulus" rally (still no mention of tea). "Look at how illiterate some of these illegals are," KFYI shock jock Bruce Jacobs says, pointing to Hispanic demonstrators. He hosts the event with fellow KFYI host, former GOP Congressman JD Hayworth.

**Third rally in Mesa, Arizona organized by right wing Clear Channel radio station and hosted by six term GOP Congresmman**

February 19 -- Malkin announces "anti-porkulus" Kansas protest on Saturday the 21st (8:56 am). Glenn Reynolds and Malkin promote it on Pajamas TV. Not one mention of "tea party" yet.

February 19 -- Rick Santelli rant: "We're thinking of having a Chicago Tea Party in July. All you capitalists that want to show up to Lake Michigan, I'm gonna start organizing." First mention of the term "tea party." Clip goes straight onto Drudge.

Within hours, a site called officialchicagoteaparty.com went up, with the domain name registered to Eric Odom. At the time he was working for a group called the Sam Adams Alliance, a 501 c(3) non-profit that legally can't engage in political activity. Its chairman, Eric O'Keeffe, is on the board of the Club for Growth. He's since been taken off the website, but it's cached here.

Odom is one of the organizers of the Tax Day Tea Party group, and Matt Stoller accused him of astroturfing during the Drill Drill Drill campaign. Last year the Alliance started "an ambitious project ... to encourage right-leaning activists and bloggers to get online and focus on local and state issues."

February 20: A Facebook page goes up calling for Tea Party demonstrations across the country:

Rick Santelli is right, we need a Taxpayer (Chicago) Tea Party

Rick Santelli is dead right! Enough bailouts of everyone who acted recklessly! It's time to stand up for all the regular people who played by the rules! Taxpayer Tea Party!

Listed admins include Odom and Brendan Steinhauser of Dick Armey's Freedomworks. The creator is Phil Kerpen of Americans for Prosperity, and the Facebook Group leads back to a site called taxpayerteaparty.com, run by Americans for Prosperity.

February 27 -- the first official "Tea Parties" are held in eight cities across the country. According to John Hendrix, who organized the Tampa Bay event, the original idea came from Tom Gaithens of Newt Gingrich's Freedomworks.

The idea that the Tea Baggers are a "grassroots" movement that Right Wing infrastructure subsequently tried to exploit is not supported by the facts.

Jane Hamsher blogs at firedoglake.com

Comments

[camper65]

Two names for you, sweetie - George Soros and ACORN.

[Subterfuge]

Right out of the playbook. Always find a comparison on 'the other side' and either exaggerate it or if there isn't one to begin with then create it yourself. ACORN did not commit voter fraud. They had a few lazy employees that wanted to get paid without doing their job... just like you find everywhere in the workforce at large--and even past administrations...

Hillary Clinton > Sarah Palin
"See? You liberals are sexist too!"

Barack Obama > Michael Steele, "Bobby" Jindal
"See? You liberals are racist too!"

Voter machine tampering and attempting to remove hundreds of thousands of legitimate voters from the registry > ACORN
"See? You liberals (dirty liberals now) are stealing votes too!"

Complete failure at copying the positives. Much greater success at fabricating and exaggerating would-be comparable negatives.

[allamericanmale]

I think it's deplorable how the liberals here on HuffPost and other liberal media outlets are calling it 'teabagging'. No conservative outlet would use such a deplorable, sexual innuendo, and the liberals are doing it to marginalize the protesters who are simply fed up with runaway government spending of our tax dollars.

Beavis and Butthead want their sense of humour back.

[lizt]

Actually Fox News repeatedly called it teabagging. Are you saying Fox news is liberal?? The liberals are simply laughing because the protesters seem totally unaware of the sexual meaning of teabagging. Just as the new slogan 2M4M for protesting gay marriage doesn't mean what the conservatives think it means....lol. They claim their slogan stands for 2 Million 4 Marriage when it's really common parlance for 2 gay men looking for a 3rd gay man for a three way. LMAO! Someone needs to tell the conservatives to check out urbandictionary.com before naming their programs.

[JRsNana]

That's because you guys have no sense of humor and btw - you started it! The first time I heard anything about it was on FAUX "news" and they called it a "teabag party". Don't blame liberals for repeating a FAUX "news" phrase.

[IamPhenom]

This "allamericanmale" is a typical insane right-winger. Look at this past posts. He blames the liberal boogeyman for everything, including things Fox News does apparently.

These people are so filled with hate and anger, they can't form rational thoughts.

[IamPhenom]

So now "liberals" are also responsible for the term the right-wing used to name the events??? Did liberals also force them to send the actual tea bags to Washington? Did the liberals force Fox News to also use that term to promote the events?

Did you bother to read the timeline, which clearly shows the Republicans came up with that term in order to compare it to the "taxation without representation" tax protests carried out by the Sons of Liberty against the English government?

You must mean your post as a joke. You can't possibly be this clueless.

[KataVideo]

It's our fault that conservatives are super into "teabagging".

[camper65]

You seem quite familiar with the concept. Personal experience?

[naschkatze]

Or do you mean it's not our fault?

[David Dial]

Marginalizing these loonies any further than their own self inflicted marginalization has positioned them isn't possible. I, for one, deeply appreciate their willingness to look like morons in public. The key to success in a democratic political system is the ability to move the middle. These "teabaggers" and the supposed news channel that is trying to give them legitimacy seems bent on moving the middle to the far right fringe. That, at least, is how it looked to me. Their protest looked every bit as stupid to me as the loony left protests at the recent G20 meetings. The only thing the wing nuts on either wing ever prove is that those of us in the middle have to be constantly vigilant to keep the train on the rails.

[CactusTom]

The irony of this tea bag nonsense is that the tea baggers are being supported and manipulated by the same corporate lobbyists that they think they are against. It's just that corporate lobbyist are redirecting the mindless tea bagger anger at the folks who are actually trying to do right, which of course is not in the interests of the lobbyists.

[zest]

As representatives of the statusquo, Republican ironically would not have participated in the Boston Tea Party, because they would have sided with the King George of England.

[camper65]

You couldn't be more wrong! But, then, you probably believe that Fascism is a right-wing phenomenon, and don't have the courage to put your life on the line for anything.

[laocoon]

Also probably believes that earth is a planet.. ever since I was a child Fascism has been considered a right wing movement. why were these alleged left wing fascists intent on attacking the soviet union or attacking communism. Franco was always called a rightist and so was Mussolini. this attempt to conflate communism and fascism is bizarre. you are getting Orwellian in your attempts to redefined words. fascism and communism were polar opposites.

[VitriolAndAngst]

The Original Boston Tea party was protesting subsidies and tax breaks to a monopoly tea importer. It wasn't about Taxes or wastefully spending money on the Citizens of this country.

I COULD have been Republicans like the ones we have today; merely because they disguised themselves as Indians so as not to be held responsible for the breaking and entering. It's easier to stand up for your convictions if you look like somebody else when you do it.

[RealityBaseCamp]

Thanks for all the work, Jane.

Teabaggers: Rednecks fighting righteously for the rich.

Protest is important. Lying is bad.

[beckpod1]

At least these losers have proved that they can plan something.....too bad they still have their heads up their asses....
We need people to get together and work together so we can improve america....these people have no forward plan...just more of the same.
I'm glad they bought alot of tea...for their costumes!!!
But they are doing the wrong thing at the wrong time....everyone knows that until the federal reserve is abolished...we'll never be in control of our financial state. And no one is talking about it...especially the the republicans(except Ron Paul).

[bestealth]

Audit the federal reserve, abolish the federal reserve, hold all members accountable for stealing the wealth of the U.S. and force them to return every penny.
Problems resolved.
Then, use the money to support Texas seceding gracefully from the nation.
We need to have a teabagging party for the federal reserve.

[Oldchef]

If Texas secedes, can we split up their stimulus money? Would we be able to extradite Bush when the arrest warrants come out for war crimes?

[guyInTx]

I really enjoyed reading your article, but it seems to imply that is was kicked off by organiers somehow invalidates the thoughts of the thousands of people that showed up.
A+ for research!

[Pippen]

guyinTx - if you don't see the conflict of interest and failed punitive collaboration of multi-media conglomerates pushing what is SOLD to the listening audience as an authentic "grass roots" movement then you need to go back to your schoolwork and let us adults work.

And by the way, "NEWS" organizations and "NEWS" radio is not supposed to BE THE NEWS they are supposed to REPORT the news. ? You do understand that right ? Otherwise, they are JUST a political propaganda machine driving a political agenda to the uneducated ignorant masses.

If you dont see that at the CORE of this "tea bag" thing is NOTHING. It has ZERO substance. They dont know what they are protesting. Taxes ? WTF ? Where were they when George Bush was spending THEIR paid SURPLUS for a subsidized bailout for Halliburton and Kellogg Brown and Root in Iraq ?

You have school work to do.

[lizt]

My favorite new term? Astroturf movement. Excellent!

[brantl]

Nope, just showing that it wasn't "grassroots organized" like Faux Noise keeps yammering about. That's a lie.

[RealityBaseCamp]

And these are the people who think George Soros is behind everything any of their opponents do.

[geofox]

"Thousands of people'...? D minus for math

[KataVideo]

"thousands of people that showed up"

nationally. but in individual rallies, it was more like hundreds in some red states, dozens anywhere else. it's an enormous embarrassment for the right. faux noise stopped using overhead camera angles in its coverage, if you look at the faux video, it's all shot at eye-level.

[laocoon]

I have been looking for the thought behind this to no avail. I saw the video where one of them said Obama was a fascist but could not begin to say why. Please give us a coherent summary of the thought behind this. I am wanting to hear it so I can try to understand. I know you all "feel" such and such but can you get underneath that feeling a bit to explain the specifics. Just because Obama is doing things you dont like does not make him a fascist, that is not what the word means.

[PhilipTaylor]

Washington-Wall Street Scam: Just FACTS!

$5 Billion Wall Street gave to Congress over Ten Year:

1. Average $7.5 Million to each Senator/4 years!
2. Average $1.86 Million to each House Member/4 years!
3. Early Campaign Obama took Lead in Wall Street Funds: $479,209 with GS/UBS Biggest!

1980 WS Executives made 20 times average Worker
2008 WS Executives made 400 times average Worker
NOW Canada Executive made 20 times average Worker
NOW Britain Executives made 22 times average Worker
NOW Japan Executives made 11 times average Worker

300% Increase in Pay for Top 1% from 1980-2008!
20% Decrease in Pay for Other 99% from 1980-2008!

Top 400 Taxpayers Paid = $105 billion in adjusted gross income (Gross Much Larger)
Top 400 Taxes Paid = $18 billion = Tax Rate 17%
In 2002 Top 400 Tax Rate = 23%
In 1995 Top 400 Tax Rate = 30%

1980 Banking was 10% of US Profits
2007 Banking was 40% of US Profits
Shrink Banking to 1980 SUPPORT ROLE in Our Society!


FED/Treasury gave $Trillions to WS and only $Billions to Main Street!
$1,000 to WS for Every $1 to Main Street!

Reduced "Market-to-Market" Rule so Banks can L1E about value of $700 Trillion in Toxic Assets!

NOT "1" Executive (except mergers) Fired, Fined, Investigated, Prosecuted, or Convicted!

Why is WS charging Main Street 17.5%-35% on Credit Cards? Reducing Credit Lines?

Can Wall Street Survive if Main Street Boycotts Wall Street?

[dRwOOD]

BRAVO!!

[Michugena]

What is encouraging is that we have elected an intelligent leader to the white house who actually listens to all the people, not just the ones who elected him. There is a good chance that these (very) unhappy people may actually have their problems addressed by this forward thinking administration. Ever hopeful for a better America (and wishing the complainers would try to be a little more honest about thier agenda).

[allamericanmale]

that's why he said to the republicans "I won"

Listening skills on full display.

[lizt]

He also said "I'm an optimist, not a sap!" His" I won" response was to Republicans who seem to think they are still the majority elected power. Just a reminder that they can't act as if the world revolves around them when they lost the election.

[dp53]

Listen skills, huh?

I've been listening...Obama's been called a tyrant, a socialist and a fascist. He's been called a secret Muslim and a fake citizen. He's been accused of wanting to take your guns, and impose a fairness doctrine on the millionaire mouthpieces of the billionaire business class, of blaming America first and only...fringe voices on the radical right are fomenting revolution, for chrissake, and are being given big play on conservative media...

Get it! He did win, by a clear majority. His approval ratings are in the high sixties. Most Americans are satisfied with his performance thus far--four months into a four year term. You're not satisfied with the outcome of the democratic process, and it hurts to lose, but in fact, the tantrum being thrown by the conservative leadership needs to come to an end, and soon, lest they marginalize themselves beyond all relevance, leaving a vacuum for the kooks and demagogues to fill.

[IamPhenom]

How dare Obama actually point out the fact that he won the election, and that he doesn't have to give into Republicans on every single issue.

He said that in a meeting of both Republican and Democratic leaders while making an effort at bipartisanship by the way.

The reality is, the Dems control the White House, House of Reps, and Senate now. They don't *have* to meet with Republicans at all if they did not want to. They were being nice even including Republicans in high-level talks to shape the stimulus (which ended up as 38% tax cuts in order to make the Republicans happy).

Elections have consequences. The people have spoken.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKvVrOKqH_c

[VitriolAndAngst]

After Jeb Bush went on his "listening tour" and discussed with a Republican that "education and history is fine and all -- but unnecessary if you listen to Rush" -- well, it got uncomfortable after that.

Thankfully, Rush forcefully declared; "We Republicans don't need a listening tour!"

After listening to the Republican base, it's hard to argue with this Republican leader. That is NOT what their representative government is for.

[Eric the Red]

This is the United States at it's best! It is supposed to be representation for the people and by the people not the other way around. No media or special interest groups should get so scared when common American's get a chance to speak out when they have finally had enough of big government. What are you all so afraid of? Oh, you are buying into the left versus right version. It's not left or right, it's people who are fed up with encroachment upon liberty. Do you know what liberty is? I know, they don't teach that in high school or college anymore.

You have plenty of liberal minorities and special interests getting their moments to push unpopular demands, so what is so scary about some common people from all ethnicity, religions, and backgrounds coming together to state "enough is enough" when is comes to government encroaching on personal liberties and future freedoms.

Get ready, big government is getting bigger and you will be losing even more of your income, liberty and freedom of choice as Uncle Sam encroaches further.

[thaneb]

Glad to see you are for freedom of choice. Perhaps we have some common ground.

[allamericanmale]

And Chris Matthews wants to help our president...

[Eris23Skidoo]

No media group should be actively promoting such an event either. In order to be a proper media establishment, they should be REPORTING the news, not promoting specific events and participating in them. This is not the US at it's best, this is misinformed poor people and middle class who have been duped by the wealthy to think that they share interests. Rush is laughing on his way to the bank, as usual.

[RobertHenryEller]

You mean, you mean, news organizations should only report the news, objectively, and not manipulate and manufacture it?

Why, why, what an idea!

It sounds so, so . . . fair! And so balanced!

[Grasse7]

Just curious, Eric--were you quite so fervent about personal liberties and big government about three or four years go? Or is this a sudden realization that's come over you since--oh, January 20th or so?

[allamericanmale]

Does that mean you can ignore what's happening now?

I'm so sick of people here blaming Bush and not wanting to hold the current folks to closer scrutiny.

[lizt]

My favorite is the Fox news people upset about the report on right wing extremists. They were happy to support wiretapping and abuse of civil liberties until it was turned on them. The best part? It was ordered by the Bush administration!

[camper65]

Just what personal liberties, guaranteed by the Constitution, were effected during that period. Just asking.

[KataVideo]

Eric, "Get ready, big government is getting bigger and you will be losing even more of your income, liberty and freedom of choice as Uncle Sam encroaches further."

you're a few years behind. all of that happened during the bush years when you guys sat silent.

[Dbos]

What kind of conservative are you? FISCAL,SOC­IAL,GOLDWA­TER,REAGAN­,RON PAUL,FOX,L­IBERTARIAN .So many thoughts to deal with and none seem to fit with any other.

[vie2012ne]

How is this any different than Soros and groups like moveon.org backing the "grassroots" movement that resulted in Obama's election?

[Eris23Skidoo]

moveon admits to it's roots. Teaparty pretends to be grassroots when it is not. Sure there are lots of people involved who aren't "news" anchors, but most of them are Limbaugh's Brownshirts (aka dittoheads). Obama started his OWN grassroots movement and the majority of his campaign cash came in small amounts. That's how it's different.

[lizt]

Astroturf movement....fake grassroots...lol.

[unity08]

Moveon began during the Clinton administration, when he was constantly hounded by the right wing. Specifically over the Lewinsky matter and subsequent impeachment. The group thought it was time for the right wing to get over it and for the country to "move on".
One thing is still very different, "MoveOn" is not promoted by a corporate television network.

[DanteLabon]

These things were organized repug campaign rallies..nothing more. Fox news claims they were grass roots events when they were NOT. Moveon has never denied what they are all about. And can you name an event that Soros organized? Thought not. Those poor d u m b people out there were duped by the rich to do their bidding...AGAIN.

[camper65]

Yeah - like the Code Pink anti-war rallies, and the ACORN rallies to coerce bankers into lending money to people who couldn't pay it back.

[MimiGardner]

I was not surprised to see the Coors/Independence Institute involved in the teabagging campaign. It has been supporting right-wing causes for years. Members of the Coors family (beer barons) have funded it from the outset, hence the name.

[thaneb]

And Koch Industries is one of the largest (if not the largest) producers of carbon black in the world. Not sexy but a ubiquitous chemical component in many products. Koch is still privately owned whereas the Coors have been eased out since their IPO in 1975.

[FireGeithner]

A bunch of rich and powerful people taking advantage of ignorant poor who repeatedly vote against their own interest.

No, not all poor are ignorant, nor are all the ignorant poor.

[DanteLabon]

No, you are right...just the ones you refuse to get informed and allow themselves to be brainwashed by Fox news in order to vote against their own best interest.

Hey, sound like Bush quotes:
"Poor people are poor because they are lazy"
"Not all poor people are killers"

[allamericanmale]

Sounds like what Barney Frank, Chuck Schumer, John Kerry, and many other rich white males in office have done for years. Your point?

[WCDR]

Ahhh, thank you all for a great laugh and for some really good info....Thanks Jane. Did not know about Koch Industries, I'll spread the word.

[MyThoughts2]

Jane Hampshire's blog, firedoglake.com and huffingtonpost are my MUST reads everyday. Hampshire's sharp, intelligent and accurate accessment once again is on point.

[camper65]

Mine, too! With all the crap going on, it's hilarious to read articles and comments from the people who don't realize that their statist philosophy is NOT the solution! Never has been - never will be!!