Tea Party Convention Loses Sponsor Following ‘Whistleblower’ Blog Post
Posted on January 13, 2010 at 10:37 am
Judson Phillips
The former webmaster of Tea Party Nation, the group sponsoring next month’s National Tea Party convention at Opryland, has written a “whistleblower’s” account of his experience working with the group while it was in its embryonic stages. And what he reveals apparently has led a key tea party leader to remove his group from the sponsor list.
In a post on his personal blog, In Media Res, Kevin Smith, an owner of the web design company HearSAY, writes that Tea Party Nation founder Judson Phillips took advantage of his volunteer computer experience in the creation of Tea Party Nation’s web architecture and profited from the enterprise.
Smith writes that his “zeal for the movement” meant he delivered Phillips’ web services at a heavily discounted rate at the expense of his own business. He believed that he was working for an nonprofit effort that would only supply founder Phillips with a little extra income to replace income he was losing while working for the movement instead of practicing law, he writes.
Smith reports being shocked when Phillips filed to create Tea Party Nation as a for-profit corporation. Disgusted with Phillips’ decision to continue taking donations for the for-profit company, Smith ultimately resigned.
Others appear to be taking umbrage as well. Eric Odom, the leader of key tea party group American Liberty Alliance, has posted a letter on his site announcing that his group will not be participating in the event as announced based on how the Tea Party Nation group operates.
“To be clear, the for-profit model has its place in the movement … but these groups should always have boards and oversight, and should never, ever process donations through personal PayPal accounts,” Odom writes.
“The American Liberty Alliance will pass on being involved with the Nashville event, and we’ll ask to be removed from the sponsors’ list.”
Meanwhile, Smith says that after he left the group, Phillips threatened to call the TBI and other authorities, saying Smith was responsible for crashing the Tea Party Nation website, a charge Smith denies.
Smith writes that every single one of the members from the tea party planning group followed him out the door after he resigned.
He says he’s no longer active with any tea party groups even the one that was formed after the split with Tea Party Nation. Smith says he has nothing to gain from coming forward other than to stop the “cancer” that threatens to destroy the spirit of the tea party movement.
“It’s become clear to me that Judson and his for-profit Tea Party Nation Corporation are at the forefront of the GOP’s process of hijacking the tea party movement. What began as cries for true liberty and a public showing of frustration with the big government policies of both Democrats and Republicans has now been co-opted by mainstream Republican demagogues determined to use this as their 2010 election platform.”
UPDATE: Judson Phillips responds.
SEE ALSO: Talking Points Memo
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53 Responses to “Tea Party Convention Loses Sponsor Following ‘Whistleblower’ Blog Post”
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Shame, shame, shame on the GOP.
I was privy to the internal combustion of this incident due my name being on the email distribution list as a Tea Party organizer.
There are definitely two sides of the story and from an observer standpoint, it appeared to be a dick measuring exercise for most of it. The website guy held the group hostage and Judson may have not handled it correctly, then the rest of the group took sides and the rest as you say…is history.
Alls I see is a petty, petty fight over the leadership of the Tea Party movement in Tennessee. The rest of us who were putting on Tea Parties did it for the cause and would like to see the cause furthered appropriately.
Well nobody could have anticipated this.
/sarcasm
We don’t need no stinkin’ leader.
Attention: free-market capitalism is now bad. Non-profit community organizing is now good. Adjust your talking points accordingly.
And the balkanization continues…
“And the balkanization continues…”
Just thank God they don’t have guns…oh wait. LMAO
What do you expect from a TN Lawyer?
Wouldn’t suprise me if Palin bails out too.
…but…but…I thought conservatives were so good with economics! Oh well, yesterday’s Klan rally is today’s Tea-per Tantrum.
Well, it’s hard to expect anything else from a bunch of self-centered morons whose governing philosophy is so contorted that silver-haired teabaggers on TV will stand there and whine about getting Government out of their Medicare.
When the GOP or the Teabagger movement comes up with a coherent ideology that is more mature than “MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!” give me a call. Until then they will continue marginalizing themselves right off a cliff.
It is rather amusing, seeing the inability of people who detest government finding it impossible to govern themselves. The moment a few dollars wind up on the table, somebody makes a grab for them. Self-interest, and greed are the only values they have.
When the GOP or the Teabagger movement comes up with a coherent ideology that is more mature than “MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!”
You mean “YOURS! YOURS! YOURS!”?
donna locke stop watching msm. the tea party was formed by the ron paul movement and liberty supporters, not the neo-cons war-monger /biggovernment gop republicans. just you using the word tea bagger tells me you need to cut the tv off,please… move forward and expel the neo-con republicans for who they are..
im russell , the deal is many in the tea party are just republican neo-cons. if it was a true tea party. they wouldn’t be charging 550 plus dollars, open your eyes. no one gives a dam about the web guy. the fact is the founder of the tea party is not phillips but the ron paul movement and liberty republicans. i suggest not charging anything ,since the grassroots tea party movement is us! not the neo-cons. if you think we are gonna support a neo-con tea party. then i guess you can stay marginalized by our votes…. 2 sides of a story do not change the fact. the tea party is being hi-jacked by neo-con republicans 550 for a grassroots convention. lmfao i see what i see, an astroturf tea party backed by the failed neo-con republicans,unless you can show otherwise. the tea party problem will never go away until you distance yourself from the failed gop neo-cons!! that is how i see no matter what side of the story i hear…tea party activist and republican in colorado.
What about Tea Party Express… the NEOCON hijacked big government GOP org run by a professional Campaign/Marketing company out of Sacramento, CA.
The GOP Liberal Big government war mongering politicians have hijacked the movement liberty people.
Vett everyone of these organizations and see where their financing and political ties come from.
We have had enough of both parties in this duopoly rigged game.
Get true patriots, Liberty and Freedoms minded conservatives not NEOCON/Liberals wings of the same Vulture.
“The rest of us who were putting on Tea Parties did it for the cause and would like to see the cause furthered appropriately.”
That is not going to happen until the unwitting supporters and more importantly, donors, completely disassociate themselves from these liars and thieves. The people that have been aware of this rip off are just as bad as the perpetrators of this sham.
“Well nobody could have anticipated this”
The only people who did not anticipate this are the tea-swilling teabaggers.
“What do you expect from a TN Lawyer?”
Especially from an ambulance chaser who makes a living getting drunk drivers off the legal and financial hook.
“Wouldn’t suprise me if Palin bails out too.”
Indeed
I followed after K Smith in TPN as a member of the advisory council and event coordinator along with my husband. Everything he reports about his experience is something we experienced. Every tea party group in the counties where there are groups (20 and growing) have experienced the effects of this group and this man. There are hundreds/thousands of folks who have been banished from his site and banned from participating in his little movement. You only need talk to those of us in Tennessee who have suffered from this individual. We have been ripped off, lied to, misrepresented, kicked out, booted to the curb….now this Convention. The folks attending this are being misled. This Convention in no way represents the grassroots movement here or anywhere. There are things afoot that you no nothing about until you have lived the last year as we have. We could tell you plenty. And this is not sour grapes…we have moved on to form a coalition of the tea parties here and it has nothing to do with Phillips and TPN. We are calling them out to explain these things. And for all the money he will make from this, no thanks. We are self-monitoring these things in the movement so the folks are not mislead and betrayed.
“I followed after K Smith……. so the folks are not mislead and betrayed.”
Yeah. Riiiiiiiiight. Where was this indignation BEFORE TPN Inc. was exposed for the fraud it is? I am going to take a wild guess here and say we are going to see a lot of the rats jumping ship in the next few days & weeks. All claiming complete innocence and protesting how they were not a ‘party’ (hehehe) to that fraud.
Gee, I don’t know why this sounds so familiar…. So very familiar….
wow…caveat emptor
IM Russell, if you were ‘privy’ to this information, why are you just NOW waiting to say so? This fraud has been going on for nearly a year. Why have you kept silent during this time? Like the rest of the tea party rats jumping ship, this fraud was acceptable to you until it was made public and now all of a sudden it’s a bad thing and you wanted nothing to do with it. Why did you not say something about it BEFORE it was exposed?
Because, smackontheweb, no one in TN speaks out against anything, ever, unless they have nothing left to loose, which is to say money. As long as the money is flowing to their pockets, their friends pockets, and/or their cause/hot-button issue of the day; TN flaunts a flexible sort of moral and ethical ambiguity to be found nowhere else in the nation. I have relocated enough due to military service enough to know. Do you think that any tea-bagger here stopped to complain that this supposedly “grass-roots”, privately funded movement was being held in the most lavish and expensive hotel in the nation,with some of the most expensive celebrity speakers, when it was still a concept, and BEFORE they were informed that grass-roots also means self-funded, and they have to pay for that luxury accommodation to the tune of $550? NOPE! They want the GOP and ring-wing sponsors to foot the bill for their right to flamboyant public absurdity. And why shouldn’t they? I hope someone is funding this and profiting too! It’s entertainment at it’s finest. The only problem is calling it “politics”.
Hawk Rider,
You are talking out of your ass.
The grassroots started screaming the minute they found out. The problem was that they found out after the contracts were signed.
The grassroots actually started bitching when they were guessing that the tickets were going to be something like 150 bucks. The convention organization was done behind closed doors and without the knowledge of “those unruley common folk”.
The grassroots pushed back against the Republican Party organizers at a meeting in November. They handled it by kicking them out.
They have been complaining every since. It just takes a while for people to start listening.
Credibility costs money. Tea-baggers have none of either and thus the need for celebrity names, fancy hotels and sponsorship - FOR FREE, since they can’t afford the sticker price. Resort to uneducated banter and name-calling if you must, but the fact remains that without those things previously mentioned (credibility and money), there’s no telling the Tea Party Convention from a flea-market since it’s won’t be presented in that “respectable” “corporate” slant needed to make it seem important and relevant. You Tube is more relevant, which is where I will be taking my new found ass-typing skills next week in my search for entertainment.
“Because, smackontheweb, no one in TN speaks out against anything, ever”
Some have spoken out but are immediately dismissed as just making things up to stir the pot, aiding the enemy and my all-time favorite is “damaging the reputations of of good people doing good things”.
“TN flaunts a flexible sort of moral and ethical ambiguity to be found nowhere else in the nation”
Naaa, I have been around as well (10yrs USN) and have learned crooks are crooks and hypocrites are hypocrites no matter what part of the country you live in.
“Do you think that any tea-bagger here stopped to complain”
To complain would imply an independent thought process had ocurred first.
“and BEFORE they were informed”
They were never informed of anything. They were lied to.
“The only problem is calling it “politics”.”
Ah but they don’t call it politics, they call it capitallism and VITAL to the ‘movement’. You know anyone against capitalism is against America, so to point out the fact that people were making money off the tea party is anti-American and does nothing but damage the legitamacy of the cause.
If a monkey can get 10 million hits a day on YouTube for free, somebody please explain to me why it takes so much money to promote the tea party movement’s message? Unfortunately the movement was sold out in order to pay GOP backed special interest groups and other self-interested individuals to use the tea party as their own campaign platform and stumping ground.
“Self-interest, and greed are the only values they have”
No, if you will compromise your values - you have no values. If your principles are negotiable - you have no principles. ANYONE involved with the tea party who has known about this and not come forward until now are unprincipled liars and hypocrites.
Will Palin speak from the heart for free or from her pocketbook?
Blue Palin has not changed her “Talk”.. So apparently she speaks from the heart, and people are willing to hear what she has to say.
Obama changes his story faster than Golddigger at a Billionair’s convention.
“Obama changes his story faster than Golddigger at a Billionair’s convention”
Kinda like Palin only backing away from collecting her speaking fee AFTER getting so much flack about the fee in the first place. First it’s all “what’s wrong with collecting speaking fees”, then it’s “oh I’m not going to accept the feed”, followed by “my fee can be given to charity”. Flip, flop, flip, flop. What’s that? That’s the sound that comes out of her face everytime she opens her mouth.
Wake up people.
Divide and conquer. No matter what Mr. Phillips has done or is said to have done, I think that a lot of good people will attend the convention. I think this is coming out just before the convention as planned. This is such an old political move it is laughable. We need to work together with or without Judson Phillips. Surely you do not believe that everyone who has bought a ticket is a bad selfserving person. If you do not think that there are a lot of people who are attending this gathering to met likeminded individuals in order to further their cause of saving this country then we are in big trouble.
“If you do not think that there are a lot of people who are attending this gathering to met likeminded individuals in order to further their cause of saving this country then we are in big trouble.”
If you or anyone else thinks supporting liars, thieves and hypocrites is okie-dokie then yes, we are in big trouble.
Saving the country from what exactly? A democracy? A “negro”? The majority?
Please, for the first time and very clearly, so there is no confusion, articulate what exactly the country needs saving from…that only capitalism and tea-bagging can provide by the way?
The tea parties are for liberty, return to constitutional government, accountability and responsibility of elected representatives. I realize liberals overwhelmingly can’t understand those principles (including what the Constitution actually does and says) and view indpendence as greed, which is why they continue making idiotic statements like the tea parties are marginalizing themselves or are all about “mine, mine, mine.” Grow up.
I am appalled at the “throw the tea party movement under the bus” mentality. I am a member of the tea party movement, and I am because of the conservative values I believe we both support. The tea party movement is a fledgling organization and we are on a steep learning curve, and I suspect that mistakes will be made as we go along. I hope that petty arguments will not disrupt what the movement is trying to accomplish for our country and our kids’ futures. Does the tea party movement need money to support our collective causes? Yes. Just like the corrupt national political parties currently plaguing our country, the Tea Party Movement needs funds to operate as well. As long as any profits are used for our cause, I don’t understand the problem with profits. Do I have a problem with “real” republicans joining our effort or using our values to improvement their own platforms. Nope. Just as long as conservative values and policies are promoted. I believe that there must be a group of Americans willing to say and do what is necessary to return our country to a government of, for, and by the people. Currently, in Washington we have a bunch of career politicians who will make any deal with any devil in order to gain and retain power and push through an agenda that will inable those politicians to gain and retain more power. Any individual who is opposed to the ever encroaching federal government, I want to shake hand with and, yes, even share a movement with. I believe the majority of tea partiers share my hopes. Like every group entity, there will always be those who infiltrate with the intent to do the group harm. The rest of us must be on constant and keen alert to ferret out those detractors and keep the movement for conservatism pushing forward. Go tea party.
Divide and conquor..cause strife, divsion, criticims and back biting. Then couple that with the lack of discernment and checks and balance and greed, and power grabing. What do you have? No more unity. This is powerful and the enemy can divide and conquor. The same old plan that works every time. You see it in churches, you see it in groups, you see it in Government.
We are to be wiser than serpents….we also perish because of our ignorance. It’s no longer business as usual in our Nation. We must be focused on the principals that brought the Tea Party together to begin with. Leaders in the Tea Party must be held to a standard that we are looking for in our Government leaders.
We should be looking at the fruit of all the lives of all the leaders in the Tea Party. It’s true what’s at the top will trickle down to the bottom for good or bad.
We should be doing a deep dive into their past and make sure they are what they say they are. We can no longer assume anything about any body.
There are many wolves in sheeps clothing….and for those who have false mercy and say we are to trust people until they prove themselves wrong. It’s because of your lack of discernment and false mercy and people pleasing we get ourselves into this mess.
It’s time for you to stand down and let those who have the discernment and insight to move in their giftings so that the Revolution of The Tea Party can go forward to take back this courtry for Good. No more self serving, no more greed and Power grabbing. It’s time to move as one Body serving one another and holding one another accountable to God and Country.
The Tea Party has had a message and it’s that message that has drawn good people into the movement. If that message is not lived out within we cannot expect any change. It will be one polluted machine for another.
Pull in the ranks. Let the Light come to expose the evil in all of us so that we can be united and take back our Country for our chidren and grandchildren.
No More In Fighting….deal with it and move ON!
Let’s check the shopping list shall we:
1. “Preserve, protect and defend The Constitution of The United States, against all enemies, foreign AND domestic.”
2. Preserve Rights NOT ENDOWED BY THE GOVERNMENT, or any adminstration for that matter, but “by their Creator.”
3. A more representative, limited government, genuinely reflecting their constituents ideals in their voting.
4. Freedom, Liberty and the right to peacefully remove those who would seek their banishment.
You hear sayings like, “Freedom isn’t free.” Now we have people coming together who are (and have been) willing to pay the price. Either you are, or you aren’t.
Thank you for proving my point so well on the lack of credibility issue. Please reread your posts from an objective standpoint, if you can, and mentality highlight every instance of name-calling, so called “mine mine mine” mentality, and religious and/or political propaganda. Seeing a bit of transference and hypocrisy? EVERYONE ELSE DOES!
Every American supports the Constitution and the fundamentals of Liberty. Most Americans support their president and Commander-in-Chief regardless of who is and what he looks like. And we have some Americans holding rallies in which they wear tea-bags on their heads and hold up inflammatory signs with deplorable slogans and imagery…which I personally think is liberal, at the very least.
I guess it really is hard to understand why tea-baggers can’t seem to overcome the credibility problem and get their message out.
If whining is the problem here, then tea-baggers should apologize to their Republican benefactors. At least under a political party it looks like something more than….well… the pictures speak for themselves.
RE: Richard Hudson and his shopping list
Was there a point you were trying to make with 1, 2, 3 & 4??
What price are you talking about? The price of the admission ticket to a Sarah Palin lovefest? Maybe you are speaking of the price of an exclusive ticket on the next FOX tea party slash book-promoting tour? Still not it? How about the price of a donation to the tea party so they can enjoy $1000/plate luncheons during their ’seminars’? Please explain this price you speak of.
Sorry to inform you, Smack, but due to their malformed fledgling beliefs in radical capitalism; they can not distinguish donations from profits. Please refer back to Penny Wyatt’s post for more information.
It will not do you any good to argue “price” when there’s lacks even a based comprehension of “cost”.
Oh, and I have two questions for Lee Brown.
When’s the Witch Hunt? and What will you be burning on people’s lawns? (Tea-bags made from bedsheets?)
First of all Kevin Burke, You are the problem, have been from the beginning. Your too young to realize just how stupid you act.
You wanted attention, now you have it but at the expense of destroying all of the grassroots movement in TN
What Judson did was wrong but this is even more damaging
Thank you now go back to your laptop Kevin
Wow!
Smackontheweb! You have it all figured out dont you?
You think this little no meat story is going to derail what is happening to your liberal party?
The liberals are eating their own on a Federal level. They have to have rent a mobs like ACORN and AFL-CIO
This little group doesn’t even hold a city seat so save your socialist hate speech
“Smackontheweb! You have it all figured out dont you?”
Yep.
“They have to have rent a mobs like ACORN and AFL-CIO”
Why rent your mob when you can buy your mob, right?
“save your socialist hate speech”
Please show me where I have made any socialist or hate speeches. How about you save the empty rhetoric for the brain-dead teabaggers who lap that stuff up like dogs.
Good grief, this isn’t even about the liberals. This is about the tea party ripping off it’s support base.
Wow indeed, Holly!
I’m surprised you didn’t even try to figure it out before attempting to make your own hate speech. Figure out what you stand for before you try to take a stand. Otherwise you end up standing there in the street with tea bags bouncing off of your chin, babbling about liberal boogiemen, and wondering why everyone is laughing at you.
Which poster said this “movement” was attracting some good people doing good things?
When do we get to meet them?
I know EXACTLY WHAT I STAND FOR
But thats what is awesome about our country
We all have the freedom to do and think and speak right?
“We all have the freedom to do”
If by ‘do’ you mean dodge questions then yes, you do have the freedom to do just that.
“and think”
Yes you do, you might want to try it sometimes it’s a really wonderful thing.
“and speak right?”
Certainly. Who has denied you any of those things?
…which is, Holly?
You are absolutely right that the right to speak freely is what makes this country great. However our National embarrassment is the inability to listen by those most vocal. Civil discourse requires self-respect, self-control and strength of character. Ironically, learned civil discourse on topics such as these is also one of our founding principles, yet I didn’t hear that one put forth when I asked what the “movement” stood for earlier.
I’m still waiting, and listening, and asking. And what I have been hearing so far from the Tea Party is little more than Alzheimer’s Disease meets Tourettes Syndrome.
This is what the Real Tea Party supporters believe in.
1. end to overseas occupation
2. a restoration of privacy and other liberties
3. no increase in the national debt
4. a thorough review of the Federal Reserve
Boston Tea Party was established in 2006 and you can read more about them below.
http://bostontea.us
Dr. Ron Paul/Dr. Rand Paul 2012
ONLY Doctors WILL HEAL America”
No, not really. Most of them dislike RonPaul’s ideas almost as much as they dislike his band of flying cyber monkeys.
Somebody said, “Shame, shame on the GOP.” My jaw hits the floor. I’m not sure what is expected here, should the GOP listen to these people or tell them to get lost?
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