TPM LiveWire
Tea Party Express Sets Off, Spreads Dancing To 'Baggers
Rachel Slajda | September 1, 2009, 1:44PM
Share
Send to a friend!
The Tea Party Express set off from California this weekend, starting a tour set to end in Washington, D.C., on Sept.12, holding protests against health care reform all along the way.
At a stop Sunday in the small city of Ely, Nev., the Tea Party Express got funky. Like lady-tea-partier-chorus-line funky. Note the sign that reads, "Elect Anyone Butt Harry Reid," and the woman in the American flag shirt who, at the end, tells the black emcee, "I don't care if you're pink with blue polka dots, as long as you're American and love America."
The emcee here is Lloyd Marcus, the spokesman for the political action committee behind the bus tour, "Our Country Deserves Better." The PAC is headed by Howard Kaloogian, who you may remember as the GOP-er who, when running for Duke Cunningham's seat in 2006, said a picture of a street corner in Istanbul was taken by his staff on a trip to Baghdad, in a claim that the city was doing well. His chief strategist on that campaign, Sal Russo, is now strategizing for the PAC.
The Tea Party Express is a caravan of buses, RVs and SUVs planning 33 rallies en route to D.C. Tea party groups from across the country are planning to gather in the capital Sept. 12 to protest health care reform. So far, the Express has found hundreds of supporters waiting for them at each stop.
Late Update: More on Kaloogian, Russo, and Our Country Deserves Better here from TPMmuckraker .
Join the Conversation!
Leave a comment
Follow us!
Most Popular
- Colbert: 'Sarah Palin Is A F--king Retard' (VIDEO)
- Jon Stewart: Obama's Teleprompter Is No Match For Palin's 'Mavericky Notecard Hand-Scribbled Buzzwords' (VIDEO)
- Palin Advocates War With Iran After Apparently Misunderstanding Buchanan Column (VIDEO)
- Cheney, Ridge Pioneered Miranda Attack On Obama
- At A Whole New Level
- Gibbs Mocks Palin And Writes Shopping List On Hand (VIDEO)
- Cheney, Ridge Pioneered Miranda Attack On Obama
- What's the Deal with The Ryan Budget?
- Backhanded Compliment
- Is Ryan's Social Security Slashing Budget Like Contract With America?
- Gibbs Mocks Palin And Writes Shopping List On Hand (VIDEO)
- Palin Advocates War With Iran After Apparently Misunderstanding Buchanan Column (VIDEO)
- House GOP-ers: Start Over And We'll Come To The Table. White House: No.
- Jon Stewart: Obama's Teleprompter Is No Match For Palin's 'Mavericky Notecard Hand-Scribbled Buzzwords' (VIDEO)
- Bachmann: 'Wean Everybody Off' Social Security And Medicare
- Ben Nelson Helps GOP Block Obama NLRB Nominee
- Cheney, Ridge Pioneered Miranda Attack On Obama
- Allegations Against Leader Cause Turmoil In CA GOP
- MAY DAY
- Deconstructing Rush Limbaugh
TPM Stories Now Surging on Digg.com
TPM Top News
© 2009 TPM Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
DF
September 1, 2009 2:39 PM
Wow. Just wow.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Chris
September 1, 2009 2:42 PM
It would be nice to begin the conversation with a "basic sanity" that doesn't involve tea baggers, birthers, death panels and/or government takeover. Just saying.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
mike from Arlington
September 1, 2009 2:44 PM
OMG. I'm embarrassed for them.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
mike from Arlington
September 1, 2009 2:49 PM
Anyone got lots of spare time and let the air out of their tires at every stop? Maybe we can stall them a day and they'll be in DC for Sep. 13 when the health care reform march is going to happen.
http://www.marchforhealthcare.com/events
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
cliffardo
September 1, 2009 3:10 PM
For anyone who is interested, here are photos I took of the Sacramento Tea Party:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23809153@N05/sets/72157622048773567/
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
mike from Arlington
September 1, 2009 3:22 PM in reply to cliffardo
Interesting. I googled Lew Uhler and came up with this...
He was a previous member of the JohnBirche society and has been an anti-Govn't person forever it seems.
http://www.commongroundcommonsense.org/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t35552.html
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
midnight rambler
September 1, 2009 3:14 PM
Is the emcee serving double duty as both the token black and token gay?
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
An Outhouse
September 1, 2009 3:15 PM
Someone's been hitting the bottle a little early.
Can they possibly be paying the emcee enough?
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Pilotshark
September 1, 2009 3:20 PM
Wow 100`s of people so if they go to all 33stops that means they will have what a total of 6600 people.
Sounds like a big rally on the 12th, they get with becks 50 and they can really make noise
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Kenneth Thomas
September 1, 2009 4:18 PM in reply to Pilotshark
Actually, I think drawing 100 people in Ely, NV, is a pretty good turnout. The Organizing for America bus that came to St. Louis drew 1,000 people, tops, and St. Louis is several orders of magnitude bigger than Ely.
And remember, Obama won Nevada. But let's see how their bus does in Vegas, which Obama won big.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
JohnW1141
September 1, 2009 3:23 PM
Everyone is looking for their 15 minutes of fame.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
TheraP
September 1, 2009 3:27 PM
15 min of shame?
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
runfastandwin
September 1, 2009 3:29 PM
That is one of the two or three most horrible public spectacles I have seen in my life...
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
agio
September 1, 2009 4:42 PM
They should probably walk instead of ride, it looks like most of them could use the exercise.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
DanF
September 1, 2009 4:42 PM
Uh... Oh ... Ummm. Huh. What the hell did I just see?
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
scm21st
September 1, 2009 5:01 PM
Token black dude? check
Awkward attempts at spontaneity? check
Lots of fat white people? check
Talentless and unoriginal? check
Crazed cult-like feeling in the air? check
Yep, sounds like your typical Republican get together.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
jeffgee
September 1, 2009 5:40 PM
NPR had a story about the Lloyd Marcus on All Things Considered. Not a token. He's a true believer.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
jeffgee
September 1, 2009 5:41 PM
It's a Bagger Advance!
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Kenneth Thomas
September 1, 2009 6:18 PM
Las Vegas Review Journal reports they drew 700-900 people today there. That's about on par with the OFA rally in St. Louis, which was held on a weekend, not a Tuesday morning. And this is in a city Obama won by a wide margin.
Folks, that's not a good sign for our side.
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
Giggidy
September 2, 2009 1:04 AM
So, wait a sec...the woman at the end felt compelled to tell the black dude that she didn't care if he was a penguin with polka-dots as long as he's American and loves America. Really? She's just a-ok with him, isn't she
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?
anon2008
September 2, 2009 2:03 AM
The music is from the Kender & Ebbs song "New York, New York".
I suspect that the TeaPartyExpress group didn't bother to request permission to use that music and/or haven't paid the license fee to use the music in 33 performances.
Anyone know how to contact the agent or manager for Kender & Ebbs?
(The GOP and their political partners have a long track record of totally ignoring music rights and/or using popular songs at their gatherings without the artist's permission, and then having to issue written apologies)
Reply | Flag Abuse
Are you sure this comment violates TPM's Terms of Service?