I haven’t been able to shake the bad feeling I’ve had about the Tea Party Nation convention and its organizer. Something didn’t smell right. Now it’s confirmed. The guy’s a d-bag.
Dr. Melissa Clothier: Embattled Tea Party Nation, Inc. owner Judson Phillips has been making the media rounds to defend his up-coming, February 4-6 conference at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee.
Disillusioned Tea Party volunteers are angry at Phillips for turning the grass-roots group into a for-profit venture without their consent and for charging more than $500 per person to an event that many worked for but can’t afford.
Local Tea Party insiders say that long-time Republican donor Bill Hemrick [he gave $1000 to the NRCC in late 2009 and to the Fred Thompson and Marsha Blackburn campaigns among others], owner of Upper Deck Trading cards, gave Judson Philips at least $50,000 and maybe the whole $125,000 to cover Tea Party Nation’s Sarah Palin speaker’s fee. This act led Tea Party activists to believe the Tennessee Republican Party has been involved in the closed-door organizing.
Meanwhile, all money made by the sold-out event will go straight to Tea Party Nation, Inc. while grassroots activists have donated their time to make the event happen.
Tami Killmarx, a nurse, and an original member of the Nashville Tea Party Nation Steering Committee says,” I don’t believe for an instant that this money that Judson Philips is making will go to anyone but him. He doesn’t have a PAC. He’s been promising to form a 527.”
He has done neither. Killmarx was asked to leave the Tea Party Nation group of volunteers and kicked off the Tea Party Nation social networking site for voicing her concerns. Her husband, Robert, was asked to leave soon after.
That’s not the only financial funny business Phillips is accused of making. Kevin Smith, the website developer who was never compensated for his work on the Tea Party Nation social networking site and who wrote an insider’s account of the Tea Party Nation dealings, says that Phillips called his account a lie, but offered no proof to the contrary. Smith asserted that Philips mishandled Tea Party funds by paying for expenses out of his wife Sherry’s PayPal account. Judson Phillips did not return my request for comment.
Smith says, “Judson has been very slick and deceptive about PayPal. He’s answered the wrong question. He had two different accounts. One was his wife’s account. After August, there was a TPN account.” Smith was paid from Sherry’s account.
In the same NBC article, reporter Domenico Montanaro notes Judson Phillips personal financial problems:
A background check of various public records databases raises questions about how he has handled money in the past. The search shows that during Phillips filed for Chapter 7 personal bankruptcy in 1999 and during the past decade, he has had three federal tax liens against him, totaling more than $22,000.
In an interview with NBC News, Phillips admitted to the financial difficulties. He declined to comment on the bankruptcy, but said the federal tax liens have been paid off.
Tami Killmarx said that she heard Phillips say more than once, “I want to make a million from this movement.” ……
I’m all for making money. And if someone gives up a paying job to organize a movement there’s nothing wrong with accepting compensation. But this guy just sounds like a vulture. How many of us have given up time at work to go to tea parties? How many of us blog for very little compensation? How many of us are more concerned with getting our country back on the right track than making a quick buck? This is a slap in the face to all of us who have been working tirelessly to change the course of our republic.
On the bright side, Phillips doesn’t represent the grass roots tea party movement. As we’re seeing in Massachusetts, the American spirit is alive and well.
Find out what others are saying at memeorandum.
The Tea Party movement will have it’s growing pains, and this is one of them. From what I’ve been hearing, there are a lot of Tea Party people who have been uneasy with this convention. Live and learn. The People will move forward, a little smarter
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I agree Lisa, nothing works 100%. The success of all the meetings and organizing is amazing considering their is zero financing from special interest groups.
Garett
http://www.socialteaparty.com
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
GONE TOO FAR
As a nation, we have allowed ourselves to drift too far from our roots, those established when the Pilgrims arrived and when our system was codified by the 19th century Democrats from Jefferson, Madison on to Cleveland, as cited in The Changing Face of Democrats on Amazon.com and claysamerica.com. We’ve allowed the Old World ideas of Rousseau and Marx to infect our politics through the 20th century Democrats, and now we are paying the price for it. Whether we will regain our proven way again remains to be seen. Whether enough of the electorate will choose the New World way or stay the course being laid down by Obama and become just another nation ruled by the few elite over the wishes of the many with individual freedom a thing of the past is yet to be decided. America proved prosperity comes from freedom, not dictatorship. Claysamerica.com
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
First of all, the pilrgims had little to do with the formation of American government. The Constitution was written over 150 years after the Pilgrims established the colony at Plymouth in 1620.
Second, without so-called “Old-World” ideals, we would have no Constitution. The ideas of Montesquieu and Locke, European intellectuals, shaped the formation of the government. While the early American government is held today as a paragon of conservativism, by the standards of the time it was ludicrously radical. New ideas are not inherantly a bad thing, we just need to see what works and what doesn’t. Trying to fit a purely 18th century governing style doesn’t necessarily work, as demographics, population, values, technology, and basically everything related to daily life has changed. The Constitution is, of course, necessary to maintain the government. But changing a few things and adapting seems like the best choice. The hardcore conservatives such as the Teabaggers seem to want to cling to an outdated system, which will stifle the growth of America in the 21st century.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Very nice try. Mechanisms in the Constitution were specifically included to “adapt” as you mention, but your way is to use judicial activism instead of the persuasion of your fellow citizens as the founders intended to institute Constitutional changes, they are called Amendments not “decisions”.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I am very uneasy about the movement as a whole. I feel its a few zealots who are trying to yell and scream their way into becomin a political party. Nothing about this party seems legit and I feel like they are clinging to beliefs that don’t fit in todays world. They don’t even allow non members to post their thoughts or ideas on their website. I’m not saying the God and country are not important, but, you have to be open to all ideas as to how this country should run. How can you say that the direction the country is going is wrong or bad if you don’t consider other points of view. I do it whenever I make any political decision. I’ve listened to and agreed with conservatives from time to time although I typically lean left. I just wish the tea party were more receptive to different ideas.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
The “TEA PARTY” is a bunch of Racists losers… Why do you have to try to take down our country….THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA…You should be ashamed of your selfs !!!!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Whats important to realise is that the tea party is just a repackaging of the religious right that has failed to make inroads into government. More importantly, the candidates they put forth may do well in the activist primary but will fail in the general election.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
First of all, Anonymous, it’s “Tea Party”. Not Tea Bagger, which is a term referring to a sexual act as I’m sure you know. Go have coffee with Joy Behar if that’s the best you can do.
Also, Ron and Jim, I am the Tea Party. I am neither racist or unreasonably religious. The Tea Party is a gathering of people from Everywhere–all colors, genders, sexual persuasions, religions, political affiliations. They/we are people most concerned with handing the Federal Government power that it was neither given nor intended to have under the Constitution. The Constitution was and is all about a framework in which the Federal Government has limited powers; it is there to serve US, not the other way around. The framers of the Constitution knew well and understood the abuse of power—-the reason we are America today, and not a British commonwealth.
Disagree if you like, but frame an adult argument. Not this childish, rude, hit and run sort of thing without offering a shred of logic to back up your comments.
High five Michigan.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0