Why Tea Partisan?
News media, entertainers and others use the wrong term to describe tea party and Project 912 members. Sometimes, intentionally. We are not tea partiers, tea people, tea bag people and not the obscene term, tea-baggers.  The correct term for all of us is tea partisan or tea partisans.  Tea Party Groups are made up of tea partisans. Project 912 groups are made up of 912 partisans.  Tea party or 912 group describes the mission. Partisan describes the participants. 

Partisan is one who supports or is active in a party or cause.  The word partisan has some benefits.  It elevates our image. It has a slightly sinister aura to politicians. They know the term partisan.  A new group of partisans is something to dread. 

Tea party and Project 912 members are all perceived as tea partisans. We can gain momentum if we present a unified identity. 
Use the term tea partisan to describe other members and yourself.  Use it on your web site, business cards, literature and signs.  Call your local talk show hosts and encourage them to use the term.  E-mail or call major talk show hosts like Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin and others. Urge their use of the term.  Maybe we can improve our image and gain clout by using, and encouraging use of, the term tea partisan(s). 

Tea party and Project 912 group sites are encouraged to link to this site. In that way, your members can find something of interest to them and benefit your group. 
 
Want New Members for Your Group?  Eliminate the Barriers.
(revised 1-12-10)
Tea party and other grassroots groups use pre-formatted web pages.  In order to gain information, they have to contact the Organizer.  At some sites, it is necessary to become a member.  The process includes filling in information blocks, getting a confirmation in one's email, clicking on  the link or following other instructions. Then, they can email the organizer.  This is a barrier to information.  This is like being asked to pay for something before you see it.
 
The largest share of the publice wants answers to one or two questions.  They don't want to get spammed with a lot of political information. Some are using office computers to learn about tea party groups. Some work for some branch of government. The larger their employer, the more likely there is software that monitors their use of internet and email.  The answer is to use a public email address anyone can access for information. Make it clear that using your information address creates no obligation. That they will not be contacted except to answer their questions. Have an innocuous email address something like infogeorge@hotmail.com don't include a reference to your group's name in the email address. This makes it easier for persons to ask about your group and remain private.  You can likely enjoy increases in membership. Use the free e-mail accounts. And, don't forget to obtain a twitter and/or facebook account.

Meetup has a list of cities where there are several waiting to join a tea party group.  In Fredricksburg, Virginia there are 18 people waiting.  In some cities there are hundreds. Fredricksburg is at the middle of the list!  Those waiting could form their own tea party group.  In some cases there are persons who want to organize a group. All they need to do is contact each other. They can't until a group is formed in their area.  How can a new tea party organizer in that city contact them to start a group?  They can't until a new group is announced.   Several will get discouraged while they wait for a leader to emerge. They will eventually lose interest.  

Suggestion: tea party and 912 groups with a decent treasury could buy an extra space on Meetup and target the groups of people waiting in various cities.  Pick a city with several persons waiting to join a group. Form a group on Meetup with the name of the targeted city. That would allow the prospective members to form their own group.  They should be advised that the group was started as there were so many in that city that wanted to join. The goal of the founding group is for the new group to get together and get active.  At some point, they could all chip in and reimburse the founding group for their initial cost. The new organizer and their group could be another vital tea party group.

If the new group doesn't want to reimburse the founding group for the space, donate it to them. Renewals and maintenance will be up to them. Meetup sells a space. A new group is formed. There are more members in the nation. Those who wanted to join a group in the targeted city now have a group. Everybody gains.   

In every marketing, business or political situation, there are "early adopters".  They are the smallest segment of the marketing curve. Right now, the Tea Party Movement is in the "early adopter" stage.  The next wave is that portion of the population that waits to make their decision. They will drive membership through the roof.  You have to understand them in order to reach them. The next wave of members will "dip their toe in the water" before joining or even signing in. 

Do you realize the potential for powerful growth if you make it easy for someone to ask questions before they join or sign up for access? They must be able to reach you.  Many sites have a way to email the organizer.  Some of thelarger "associations" require setting up a simple sign-in procedure. Most of the timid curious will not do that. The situation is like having a business with no telephone when it comes to dealing with the next wave of potential members.  

Another thing.  Most tea party sites have a blog. But, there are no entries since August or September. FIVE MONTHS! This makes it appear the group is either no longer active or has lost interest.  The person seeking information may feel it is a waste of time to investigate further.  Someone in your tea party group should make an entry on the blog at least every two weeks. Once per week is best.  You can announce a success by another tea party group, events in Washington, a membership drive, progress on anything you are pursuing. Announce a cool new site like, ahem, tea-partisan.com.  Even with an announcement on your home page, mention it in your blog. Keep your blog fairly current. It is part of your group's image. It can encourage membership. If you can't keep the blog looking current, eliminate it.
 
We are only the tip of the iceberg.  That portion of the population waiting for answers is the largest segment.  Every company with something to sell makes it easier for customers to make the deal.  Tea Party, Project 9-12 and other groups have something to sell;  participation.  Eliminate the barriers and enjoy growth. We need every person we can get.  2010 is here.
    
Our Greatest Strength
The one thing we have going for ourselves is ourselves.  We are all individuals expressing something like "mad as hell and not going to take it anymore".  This unified outrage by an unstructured movement is something to be reckoned with if one is a politician.  What are they going to do about it? 

Trying to strike a deal with us is useless as trying to herd cats.  Like trying to pick up mercury by pinching it in your fingers. Who do the politicians go to? Where is our office in Washington, DC?  Who are our lobbyists?  Nowhere to be found. We are a 
rising tide of citizen outrage.  Angry voters. Political guerillas.  We aren't playing by the rules politicians established for themselves.  

Now, there are those who advocate national organizations to represent us.  They want to speak for us. They want to take care of things for us.  Republicans and Democrats have really done splendid jobs of that, haven't they?  

I'm not interested in being represented by a national organization.  I want to do my own talking. If we were a trade association or a special interest group, a national presence would be desirable.  The tea party and 912 movements are neither of those entities.  We are individuals speaking our mind. Acting in concert. We are grassroots.

I am not interested in being part of a national organization which would, in effect (maybe in fact) become another political party.  Being a political party makes it too easy for the politicians to resolve problems.  To silence us. It would spoil the momentum of tea party organizations and 912 groups.   

Do what you want.   I'll stay out.

The 2010 Elections
(revised 12-29-09)
The coming elections will test our patience and perseverance.  The opposition has the benefit of a $200-$500 BILLION slush fund in the "Economic Stimulus" appropriation. The money will be used to save jobs-those of elected Obama loyalists. The money will be spent to assure their reelection and defeat of the opposition.

Yes.  The Democrats are in trouble.  But don't get overconfident.  Half the people in this nation pay no taxes.  Some of those who do pay taxes work for government.  Most of them are Democrats. It will still be a challenge to unseat the incumbents. It will still be a challenge to elect the right people.  This may be our toughest fight.

This next election will see historic levels of involvement by ACORN and SEIU.  They will play their usual games of voter registration and vote fraud. They will cheat with absentee ballots. They will intimidate voters at the polls. Even in nursing homes. Depending upon the legislation that is passed before the elections, they may even come to our jobs and homes to intimidate us.  There are already attempts underway to silence tea partisans, conservative talk radio, the internet and other channels of communication.

But, we have a not-so-secret weapon; the truth.  Truth of what has occurred. Truth of what it means to our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.  The radical left fears truth. 

We have our energy and interest to turn the tide. We must all support the candidate of our choice with our time and sweat. Money if you have it.  We must work harder and longer than ever.  The very future of our nation is at stake.

Jump in and help. Spread the word about the evil, out-of-touch, uncaring politicians and what they have done to our country.  Distribute flyers. Place signs. Knock on doors. Telephone. E-mail.  Fax to lists of persons in each precinct, township, parish and village.  Use those same methods to contact Washington politicians.  Visit their local office. Let them know you are outraged. 

What can one person do? 
They can make a major difference by joining groups of like-minded persons. They can be part of a force.  The Tea Party Movement is a major force in national politics--in less than one year.

One person can be counted among those who stood up for what is right. One person can encourage others to pay attention to our government. One person can speak out against wrong-doing by our elected officials. One person can be a voice that otherwise would not be heard.  One person can join a rally in support of their tea party group that includes their neighbors. One person can march on Washington, the state capitol or city hall. 

Right now, we need one person to maintain our momentum. Just one more person. Every week.  Will the questioner who asks, "What can one person do?" be the one person that makes things tilt in our favor and helps save our way of life?  Keep asking for one more person. That's what one person can do.   

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The words are red, white and blue-aligned right. It represents your editor's allegiance and political leanings. Any questions?