Free Republic

It appeared that the event's organizers, a new group called Tea Party of America founded by Ken Crow, had provoked an unnecessary controversy by a last-minute decision to add former Delaware Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell to the rally schedule. Someone unearthed a quote from event organizer Crow saying of Palin's presidential prospects: "I know for a fact she ain't gonna run." The quote prompted Dave Weigel of Slate to exclaim: "That's the guy bringing Palin to Iowa for an event that reporters are attending because they wonder whether Palin will run!" Palin supporters wondered why Crow was publicly expressing such...

A fresh Ben dispatch on Sarah Palin: Sarah Palin all but declared her candidacy for President of Tea Party America here Monday, focusing her address to a crowd of more than a thousand conservatives on the future of the movement itself. With a yellow “Don’t Tread on Me” flag flying behind her, Palin did not hint either at a White House candidacy or an endorsement of any of the GOP’s current crop of candidates. Instead, she seemed to focus on establishing herself and the tea party as a freestanding force in a Republican Party whose presidential candidates threaten to sap...

ANDREA TANTAROS: Tea Parties Will Bring America’s Outrage to a Full BoilBy Andrea Tantaros Republican Political Commentator April 9th, 2009 9:50 PM Eastern As tax day approaches there is a crescendo growing across America in the form of organized protests, also known as tea parties, and the noise is on a path to becoming deafening. Thousands of rallies are planned across the country; one in every single congressional district and larger gatherings slated for cities like New York, Sacramento and Atlanta which hope to boast an upwards of 20,000 participants. The message is simple: repeal the pork, cut taxes and...