The state chapter of Americans for Prosperity, the conservative anti-tax, smaller government group, is trying to get the North Carolina Tea Party movement organized.
The Raleigh-based chapter is organizing two "North Carolina Tea Party Summits" — one in Hickory and one in Wilmington to help galvanize the movement, Rob Christensen reports.
The Tea Party movement had prided itself on being a grass roots effort of people of varying beliefs but united by unhappiness with what is happening in Washington, particularly during the administration of President Barack Obama.
Americans for Prosperity is headed locally by former Raleigh newsman Dallas Woodhouse and also has ties to conservative Raleigh businessman Art Pope.
Each of the summits will be held over three days. The first will be held at the Hickory Convention Center May 14-16. The second will be held at the Wilmington Hilton Riverside May 21-23.
The meetings will include workshops on get-out-the vote strategies, precinct organization, organizing phone banks and other political skills. They will include talks about how citizen journalists can investigate public officials as newspapers continue to downsize or disappear.
It will include a discussion of the future of the Tea Party movement.
There will also be talks by conservative journalists such as Mary Katharine Ham a writer for the Weekly Standard and a regular on Fox News and the Wall Street Journal's John Fund.
According to its Web site, Americans for Prosperity said it is not trying to hijack the Tea Party movement.
"Our hope is to provide tools, training and information to keep this historic movement alive and work to support those issues."
The Civitas Institute, a Raleigh based conservative organization, is helping raise money for the Tea Party summits, according to the website.
Comments
Liberal Spin
April 1, 2010 - 8:37pm — frontpaigeCurtis Wright knows who is involved in the summit. He was a major facilitator of the the very first one in May 2009. This year's May convention on the Wilmington riverfront will be much larger, and it will include more partners. The 'liberal spin' will portray this summit as a nationally engineered astro-turf event. Not so. This comprehensive event is sponsored by many local organizations, as well as larger state organizations, and it is well supported by local activists, including myself. Sorry, your liberal spin does not work here.
You got it right Curtis !
April 1, 2010 - 12:59pm — constituentYou got it right Curtis !
I am an American-----not a party member !
April 1, 2010 - 12:57pm — constituentGet a life people instead of looking for a free ride, listen to what the vast majority of people want ! this is America.
It's not grassroots if Art
April 1, 2010 - 12:13pm — LazydawgIt's not grassroots if Art Pope in involved.
Well You Almost Got It Correct!!!
April 1, 2010 - 11:20am — curtisjwThe North Carolina Coastal Conservative Conference 2010 is sponsoring the Eastern NC Tea Party Summit at the Hilton Wilmington Riverside Hotel along with our partners AFP-NC and Civitas.
Your article is misleading in that it focuses on only 2 of the "partner organizations" planning and sponsoring this event.
This is th 2nd Annual NC Coastal Conservative Conference to be held. In 2009, over 450 attendees from througout NC attended our first Conference!
The North Carolina Coastal Conservative Conference 2010 is a collaboration of several regional and statewide 'grassroots' organizations:
CarolinaTalkNetwork.com
Cape Fear FairTax
We The People of Brunswick County
John Locke Freedom Clubs
Americans For Prosperity New Hanover County
Cape Fear Tea Party Patriots
Campaign For Liberty Wilmington
Wilmington Liberty Caucus
NC Property Rights Coalition
StopNCAnnexation Coalition
Informed Voters of NC
RightOnCampus
FreedomWorks of NC
(and several Conservative Volunteers)
Curtis Wright, Founding Member
North Carolina Coastal Conservative Coalition
Thank God for some great leadership assembling!
March 31, 2010 - 5:50pm — BitterEXdemocratI hope they can figure out how to OUTLAW the most controlling EVIL force in America, the democrats.
@ riverrat
March 31, 2010 - 4:29pm — penniless_taxpayerYes, grass roots ... from the bottom up, ordinary people doing HARD WORK ... something you GIMME GIMME GIMME socialists know nothing about. GIMME free health care, GIMME free tuition, GIMME free mortgage money ... add it to the national debt and let somebody else pay it.
Grass Roots?? Bull****
March 31, 2010 - 1:37pm — riverrdThese mindless mobs are bought and paid for by repoblican activists in the service of the RNC and Wall Street and the insurance companies. dick armey's "web site front group" organize and pay for this activity!! I am sure the Corporate Media will ignore these facts and only parrot the repoblican "talking points" and show the pretty pictures.