First Business Meeting: A good beginning…Musings on the March meeting and some immediate action items
We had several hundred people show up for tonight’s Tea Party business meeting.
I wanted to throw out a few immediate take aways…..
The Good…
The turnout surpassed out expectations. Thank You.
There was no push back on the need for a membership fee of $25 a year. We signed up around 30 people. This will really help us…
I think people are generally comfortable with the direction we are going in and our successes. More national coverage of our victory on the Health Care Freedom Act.
Opportunity Areas:
An old boss once told me that you never get better from people telling you how good you are. So here are my initial thoughts on improvements.
- A bigger venue: I was going to announce the next meeting date but our library meeting site is woefully inadequate for our needs. I had several kind souls come up after the meeting with suggestions. I will sort those out as soon as possible. If you couldn’t make it due to parking/room size, we sincerely apologize.
- Too many politicians: I wanted to get the word out about upcoming mass meetings. I really believe those meetings are an opportunity for us to get our agenda moved forward. And I had some folks who I know are solid conservatives talk that up. While I think there was some value added, I got some pointed feedback there was too much of that. ..and I think that feedback is correct. On the bright side, some of the interactions where illustrative of why there are so many disenchanted former GOP members in our ranks.
- Not enough specific action items to give to new members: We weren’t sure people would buy into “business model” so we didn’t adequately plan for how to harness the energy in the room to move our agenda forward.
I have a long drive home so I had time to think through some action items based on what I heard tonight….these are just a starting point..feel free to give me different ideas…or disagree with these….just putting it out there to start the conversation.
- We need to form a group to put together our strategy for impacting the 2010 Congressional Races.
- How to deal with Goodlatte if he is unopposed? How do we ensure he is supporting our agenda.
- Should we throw resources into the 5th district to help unseat Tom Periello?
- I’d like to bring in Mark Lloyd from the Lynchburg Tea Party to talk to us about what is happening in their district…it is a very interesting story and they may really need our support. Periello has got to go.
- State Legislation
- What’s the best way to impact that…as a first step I urge all of you to get on the mailing list for the Tertium Quids and the The Va 10th Amendment Revolution sites. They provide invaluable information on state issues in the form of email updates. Please indicate you are with the Roanoke Tea Party when you sign up. We have been working with the our state partners to push agenda items in a coordinated way….is that all we need to do?
- Local Politics
- Do we need to form groups to stay connected to our local groups. All of the local groups are listed here on our site. We need to be involved with them without being controlled by them. I can see breaking down our membership by area and getting people to really push local groups. But what’s the best way???sounds like a good project.
- Membership drives and rally planning:
- What events to participate in…what is the agenda….and handle the nitty gritty logistics. Lots of opportunity areas to get involved here.
- Do want to be focused on electing good officials, or promoting good legislation. Should we focus our energies on pushing for items like Term limits, or focus on electing officials who are supportive…or both….We need to figure that one out…
- Do we need a “SWAT Team” who can quickly organize events/protests/responses on key issues?
Those are my initial ideas for a very meaty March meeting.
Here’s our list of promised items: (If I leave something off…I’m doing this from memory so let me know)
- Firm up and communicate the March Meeting
- Get a members only page with the bylaws, meeting minutes, etc. Make the site more interactive…
- Get our online store up and running
- Set up a way to join on line. Have a paper registration form.
- Develop a protocol so we know who is a paying member when it comes time to vote.
- I’ll make sure the March meeting is politician speech free…politicians are welcome but they need to listen not talk.
We really appreciate your patience as we strive to build an organization that can be the watchdog group for our basic principles. Never again can we let our guard down….and the Tea Party movement is the vehicle to ensure that eternal vigilence.
You comments below are welcome.
Also feel free to contact me at chip.tarbutton@gmail .com
Thank You for a good start….
Chip Tarbutton
President: Roanoke Tea Party
We’ve only just begun…We need to call Delegate Griffith today!
We’ve had our first legislative victory of 2010. But the war is just beginning…Not only do we have our public meeting on Feb 4th. at the main branch of the Roanoke Public Library at 6:30 PM, we also have other items on our state legislative agenda that are coming up in the House of Delegates.
The information below in italics is from our friend, Donna Holt from the Virginia 10 Amendment Freedom group. Morgan Griffith has not committed to support HB69 (The Fiream Freedom Act).
His information is linked below…please call him today and urge him to support HB69. Information on HB69 is here.
It has been confirmed that HB69 will be heard by the Commerce & Trade Subcommittee #1 in the Fourth (not Fifth) Floor West House Conference Room tomorrow, February 4th, at 5PM.
Please plan to be there if you can.
If you have not already contacted the members of that subcommittee urging them to support HB69, please do so now.
Here is the list:
Delegate H. Morgan Griffith (R)
Delegate David A. Nutter (R)
Delegate Mark L. Keam (D)
Victory Part 2
Update: More national mentions from today….Michelle Malkin has a post.
Ken Cuccinelli on Neil Cavuto….
Our victory on the Health Care Freedom Act made the front page of the Washington Post.
The concept was a major focus of a rally by tea party activists last month that drew more than 1,000 to Richmond. Jamie Radtke, chairman of the Federation of Virginia Tea Party Patriots, said that it was a focus of major lobbying by volunteers who affiliate with such groups in Virginia and that the vote showed they are achieving bipartisan support.
“This is a major victory for our movement,” Radtke said.
This will likely get play in other major media outlets today.
Unified action by Tea Party groups across the state made this happen. Won’t you join us on Feb. 4 for our first monthly business meeting? Working together we can make a difference. More information on Feb 4th here.
Victory!
From the Richmond Times Dispatch:
With five Democrats defecting, the Virginia Senate today passed a Republican measure that says Virginians don’t have to buy health insurance.
Voting 23-17, the Democratic-controlled Senate kicked to the House a bill by Sen. Frederick Quayle, R-Suffolk, that supporters say will send a message to Washington about its efforts to overhaul the health-care system.
The Quayle bill was the first of three nearly identical proposals by Republicans. The others are carried by Sens. Stephen Martin of Chesterfield and Jill Vogel of Fauquier. They passed by the same margin as the Quayle bill.
Quayle said the legislation is important, because it’s a way of telling Congress that Virginians believe the federal goverrnment is overstepping its authority.
The bill will now go to the House of Delegates where a Republican majority makes it very likley this will become law in 2010. This is a HUGE victory for the Tea Party. The fact that the legislation was able to pass a Democrat control senate is proof of how unpopular the federal health care legislation is in Virginia. This would not have happened if not for our grassroots lobbying efforts.
We will look to keep our momentum going in 2010. Join us at our Feb 4th business meeting and help us continue the battle to save our nation. More information here.
February 4th update…plus news on the Health Care Freedom Act and the sham National Tea Party Convention
We are still planning our first monthly business meeting on February 4th at the main Roanoke Library on Electric Road. The meeting will begin at 6:30 PM. More information here…all are welcome. We may have an interesting guest or two.
The Health Care Freedom Bill was re-scheduled for it’s HUGE State Senate showdown on Monday. With the snow, this may get delayed. The bill breezed through the House sub-committee Friday and hit’s the House for a vote sometime next week. The vote was 8-2 and there was some Democratic support for this great bill.
One local legislator stated in December that this bill had a “snowball’s chance in hell” of passing. With Tea Partiers from across Virgina decending on Richmond on January 18th; with concerned citizens hounding their representatives to pass this bill…we have tipped the balance. For more on the bill click here.
You may have heard about the so called National Tea Party Convention in Nashville. This group is not affiliated with any group we know. They are charging over $500 for a ticket and paying Sarah Palin $100K to speak. Several other key speakers, like Rep. Michelle Bachman have already backed out. Nothing flies in the face of the grassroots spirit of the Tea Party movement then this sham of a convention. The Roanoke Tea Party will obviously not be participating in this convention. We encourage those that want to get involved, to get involved locally. $500 can make a huge difference in our local efforts…spending that kind of money for a convention that will end up lining the pockets of the organizers is a travesty.
There really isn’t a national organization that we are affiliated with, although we are on friendly terms with the Tea Party Patriots. Since there are other national organizations, we don’t really know how this will sort itself out.
We are an active and proud member of the Virginia Tea Party Patriots.
This is a loose federation of Tea Party and Patriot groups from across Virginia. This has been very effective and we will continue to work with this federation, which I beleive is the only one like it in the United States. This is the model that others need to emulate to create an effective Tea Party movement.
Find out more on February 4th.
Feb 4th Public Meeting and Radio Clip from Freedom and Prosperity Radio
Our first public meeting of 2010 will be held on Thursday, February 4 at the Roanoke County Public Library on Rt 419, just across from the Cave Spring Post Office. We will meet from 6:30-8:45 p.m., and all are welcome.
There will be an open meeting like this each month from here on out, and we hope that you will make a point to attend as often as possible.
The primary purpose of the 2/4 meeting is to:
Outline the structure of the organization now that we are incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Discuss our plans to move forward our agenda in 2010.
And hear from you. This is your organization.
We are organized as a membership-based group, with leadership chosen in regular elections.
Our current board members have agreed to serve as the interim officers of the organization, but elections will be held once we have things properly laid out. There will be two levels of membership: regular members can join at no charge, but only voting memberships will be able to take part in elections. There will be a nominal fee to become a voting member.
We have a lot of plans for 2010, and we want your feedback and input. Fundraising will be a big part of what we do moving forward, as the membership fees we collect will not support much in the way of promotion or advertising.
Please make a point to attend this meeting. We need to start planning very soon for another Tax Day Tea Party protest on April 15, and will need volunteers and organizers for much of the work that’s yet to be done. We want this year’s event to be even bigger than in 2009!
Even more importantly, we need to impact legislation and election this year. We are already having a big impact as witnessed by our lobying efforts in Richmond.
If you have questions…feel free to email chip.tarbutton@gmail.com
Our profile keeps gowing. Here is an interview heard locally on WFIR on Freedom and Prosperity radio which airs Sunday evenings. The January 10th show featured some clips from our visit to Senator Webb’s office.
Update From Richmond on the Health Care Freedom Act (HB10)
Update! The health care bill hits the Senate floor for a vote Friday. If the 2 Democrats that voted for this in committee hold strong….and all of the Republican’s stay united…this would end up in a 20-20 tie. And then the Lt. Governor would cast the deciding vote. Presumably he would vote for this (but with Bolling you never know). A lot of things have to go right, but getting this through the Senate (which is the biggest obstacle) is within grasp. Contact your local Senator and let them know to please vote for SB 417.
Below is a post from the Tertium Quids website regarding SB 417, the Senate version of HB10 that we lobbied for in Richmond on January 18. Great news as the Health Care Freedom act passed a major legislative hurdle.
None of this would be happening without our massive Tea Party rally in Richmond on January 18th. We are making a difference! Notice that this wouldn’t have gotten out of committee without Democratic support. As always, it’s about the ideals and not the political party.
The stronger we get, the more effective we become, so please join us for our public meeting on Feb 4th to keep our movement going strong into 2010…and beyond.
“SB 417, a bill that protects Virginia residents from being forced to purchase healthcare coverage, PASSED the Senate Committee on Commerce & Labor, 8-7. THIS IS BIG. Senators Colgan and Puckett crossed party lines to vote for this bill. No one in the room expected the bill to pass the committee, and now the bill goes to the Senate!! Three identical bills, patroned by Sen. Quayle, Martin, and Vogel all passed simultaneously. These bills could come up for a vote in the Senate as early as Thursday. A play-by-play of the committee will be coming soon.
For now, e-mail and call Senators Puckett and Colgan THANKING them for voting yes on SB 417, SB 311, and SB 283. This is as important as calling a committee member to vote. We have to thank these guys and let them know that we appreciate them coming across the aisle to support our effort.
Senator Charles J. Colgan (D) (804) 698-7529 district29@senate.virginia.gov
Senator Phillip P. Puckett (D) (804) 698-7538 district38@senate.virginia.gov
THANK these guys today for their votes. “
Roanoke Times Criticism means you are doing something Right! Plus new info on the page….
This political cartoon appeared in the Roanoke Times last week.
If you changed the script on the patient’s chest to “Ridiculous Sham Masquerading as Health Care Reform” I’d gladly take some of the credit for helping THAT flatline. If it wasn’t for concerned citizens like us, rising up to defend our nation, health care reform, Cap and Trade and other destructive bills would have already passed. I’m proud of the role we have played!
I don’t think the Times is happy with us. We must be doing something right!
If you would like to help continue to irritate the left by derailing their destructive agenda, please plan on attending our business meeting on Feb 4th at the main branch of the Roanoke library on Electric Road. The meeting starts at 6:30 PM. More info is here.
I have added several new pages that will be key.
Legislative Agenda/Legislative Grades will be one of our cornerstones for the future as we hold our elected officials accountable for supporting our values.
Another major push will be getting involved in local politics. More on that here…
Plus, videos from recent events are here.
I know we’re all happy, but the battle has just begun. Feb 4th begins our November Push!
I share with most Conservatives, the great pleasure in watching Progressives squirm in pain as Scott Brown rides a wave of public outrage to Washington despite the carefully laid plans of the Obama/Pelosi/Reid coalition.
But the battle has just begun. Please read this excellent piece by Michelle Malkin. Our enemies are not just Democrats, but RINOs who are now trying to glom on to the Tea Party movement.
We can no longer define ourselves with an R or a D.
GOP members like John McCain are still out there and still need to be retired despite their party affiliation. Beware, as Michelle calls it, the “McCain Regression Syndrome.” The Republicans aren’t winning because they are suddenly popular again, it’s good candidates and simply a lack of alternative choices. Not all of the GOP candidates in 2010 will be ones we want to support.
As a tea party member, I can’t support RINOs like McCain.
- He co-authored the McCain/Feingold Campaign Reform Bill, which was a broad side attack on 1st Amendment Rights until the Supreme Court struck much of it down yesterday.
- He supported the 2007 Amnesty Bill
- He bought into the Global Warming Hoax
In Virginia we have RINOs too, including State Senator Hurt, who is the leading candidate to run against Tom Periello in the 5th Congressional District. In 2004, Hurt voted for the largest tax increase in VA history. He simply does not support the basic principles of fiscal responsibility that Tea Party members hold so dear. With a $12 trillion federal debt (soon to be $14 trillion) we must elect true fiscal conservatives, not RINOs just because they have curried favor with the GOP party apparatus and rich donors.
Our Congressman, Bob Goodlatte has been doing a better job, of late, supporting our agenda. Opinions of our Congressman vary greatly amongst members of our organization, but we need to remain ever vigilant. There are other alternative out there, like independent candidate Stuart Bain.
At our Feb 4th meeting, one of the key agenda items will be how we move forward to ensure our principles are at the forefront of candidates agendas in November 2010. We will have a plan that we will need a lot of help with….so please come and Join us for our first business meeting of 2010.
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