All Michelle wants for BO's birthday is $$$

Michelle Obama is sending around an e-card to Democratic supporters to sign wishing the President a happy birthday. Once you sign your name and email address though you are taken to a site where you are asked to donate money, with a disclaimer saying that none of this money will go to political candidates.

So who is it going to? Does the President really need private money to spend? Can't he already bill everything to the taxpayers? This whole thing is just kind of weird to me.

Here is the text on the donation page

Thank you for standing alongside us, with the President

Now can you make a donation to help us take on the year ahead?

This movement has done incredible work by contacting Congress to help push stalled legislation forward, by re-engaging supporters in the political process, by giving back with service projects across the country, and by doing so much more. Together, we have made history.

Now we need the resources to make sure we can continue pushing forward for change -- in this year’s elections and beyond.

Please make a donation today, using the form on the right.

Tea Party Protest in Holland (Michigan)

President Obama visited the LG chem battery factory yesterday in Holland Michigan. The tea party was prepared for Obama's visit. A handful of tea partier stood with signs waving and a don't tread on my flag behind them. When asked why they were protesting Steve Redmond said:

"Most of the Tea Party members feel that the President and government are not listening to the citizenry, as we share concerns about health care reform, out of control deficits, and very great disregard for the rule of the land, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights," said Steve Redmond.

Good for you tea party members for standing up for what you believe in. This is one avenue for getting the word out about the movement.

I think a fun feature will be to highlight reader comments to these stories, to illustrate that the left is a party of hate for example:

TEA PARTY- TAKE YOUR TEA PARTY TO BOSTON and drown while your at it. your just a bunch of republicans in disguise.

North Iowa Tea Party Compares Obama to Hitler

This is a tea party blog, don't get me wrong. But when I see billboards like this paid for by the North Iowa Teaparty my heart sinks. What were you thinking? Were you trying to be bold? This is overbearing. And there are two considerations here,; first you are implying that the majority of Americans are fearful and naive, which I don't believe they are, second aren't you doing the very thing that we got so upset towards Nancy Pelosi? Remember when she called the tea party Nazi's? How is this different? It's not, it's hypocritical. I'm sorry fellow tea party patriots in North Iowa but this sign was a mistake?

What do you think? Please leave comments.

The History of the Tea Party Movement

While the tea party movement is something that happened near spontaneously, it is possible to point to a few early indicators that this movement was about to begin. This series of articles, appearing on Saturdays, attempts to write a brief history of the tea party movement.

It could be argued that beginning of the tea party movement happened in the hearts of the Americana people during the end of the Bush years. Bush ran for president as a compassionate conservative, yet he was heavy on the compassionate (i.e. liberal policies) policies, and light on the conservative policies. The people began to sing the song of angry men as one betrayal of trust led to another, culminating in the TARP program.

These unpopular policies, and a weak Republican candidate, led to an Obama victory. The people had voted that they were tired of a President who spent their money like a drunken sailor. However, Obama picked right up where Bush left off, passing the so called stimulus package and subsequently over the course of the next year tripling the US deficit. Obama spent more money in his first year of office than Bush spent during his eight years as President.

An unlikely, and unwilling hero was born during the presidential campaign, Joe Wurzelbacher aka Joe the Plumber. Joe felt as though politicians are never asked tough questions, and so he asked Obama if his plan would tax him more when he decided to expand his company. Obama responded "It's not that I want to punish your success. I just want to make sure that everybody who is behind you-that they have got a chance at success too."

The first organized protest was held in response to the imminent passage of the second stimulus in February of 2009. Mary Rakovich was the organizer of this event. Held in Fort Myers outside of Obama's townhall meeting. She held signs that decried the coupons for digital tv converter boxes, and others protesting the subsidies for AMTRAK.

On the eve of the passage of the stimulus package a "porkulus protest" was organized in Seattle where dozens of individuals protested. This was organized by blogger Kelli Carender.

February 17 the Colorado state GOP party held a protest against the stimulus package. Nearly 200 hundred people showed up for this event, the group ate showcased a black pot belly pig, and ate pork for lunch.

Perhaps the greatest indicator of the start of this movement was a protest held outside Dobson Highschool in Arizona, the day after the President signed the bill into law. In a story that was largely ignored by the mainstream media, over 500 protesters lined up outside the highschool to greet the president. This was the first time that any large amount of protesters gathered against President Obama.

These protest were vital to the leading up of the first organized tea party, by our friend Mary Rakovich. The next article will take a look at those early tea parties, and the establishment of a more permanent movement.