Posted on 07/14/2010 7:23:07 PM PDT by madison10
KALAMAZOO — It’s the quietest political petition drive in Michigan right now, despite a looming July 15 deadline for submitting 38,013 signatures to put “The Tea Party” on the state’s November ballot.
Some political observers aren’t quite sure what to make of it.
And some statewide citizens’ groups that claim the Tea Party name, including one based in Kalamazoo, are crying foul, claiming political dirty tricks may be attempting to hijack their grassroots, conservative moniker and movement and divert votes from Republican candidates this fall to benefit Democrats.
Mark Brewer, head of the Michigan Democratic Party, and Gene Clem, president of Southwest Michigan Tea Party Patriots, may be from different ends of the political spectrum. But both men say there’s no connection between their organizations and what some are characterizing as a stealth “Tea Party” petition drive that’s collecting signatures across the state.
Clem also says petition circulators here have misrepresented the effort by falsely claiming they are soliciting signatures on behalf of Clem’s group.
The Kalamazoo Gazette has been unable to reach the Tuscola County man who filed with the state in April to claim the legal right to the Tea Party name, or a Kalamazoo man believed to have hired and trained petition circulators...
Downtown Grand Rapids has many of these guys out trying to collect signatures during festivals.
I’m not signing.
I said yesterday that I thought it was a lefty trick.
to read
I am part of the Tea Party in Kalamazoo, and I know Clem and I know this is not something we would endorse.
This would be like the Republicans getting the Green Party on the ballot.
Didn’t they try this in Nevada already and it failed?
Tea partiers aren’t stupid. We actually look at our candidates before voting.
The Kalamazoo Gazette has been unable to reach the Tuscola County man who filed with the state in April to claim the legal right to the Tea Party name, or a Kalamazoo man believed to have hired and trained petition circulators...
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