Send a Leadership Lemon to the Ohio Republican Party

Patriots,

It’s time to put the “squeeze” on the Lemon-like Leaders of the Ohio Republican Party!

In the spirit of Paul Revere, join us in delivering a message that we our tired of their lemon-like leadership by sending a personalized "Leadership Lemon" to Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine and the sour leaders currently on the ORP State Central Committee.

The Definition of a Lemon

In American English the word lemon was first recorded in 1909 in the slang sense of "worthless thing." Over time, 'lemon' came to refer to anything that was defective or broken or which breaks constantly.

On a date and time to be announced, your replica & life sized LEADERSHIP LEMON, along with those sent by thousands of other concerned Americans, will be hand delivered by Tea Party Patriots faithful in Ohio to the ORP Headquarters.

When we arrive with truckloads of your LEADERSHIP LEMON's at the offices of these self-serving , LEMON- like party leaders... things are sure to get a little sticky for the sour bunch on the State Central Committee too!

Note: The Leadership Lemons are not real lemons-- they are plastic replicas of real sized lemons. Each order will be accompanied by a seperate personalized card from you.

Pelosi & Democrats getting fed up with President Obama

Oh how fun is this! The Democrats are starting their political finger pointing. This time it is at each other...

From Politico --

For months, the California lawmaker has been pushing Obama hard in private while praising him in public. But now she’s being more open in her criticism, in part because she feels the White House was wrong — in the wake of the Democrats’ loss in Massachusetts — to push the Senate health care bill on the House when she knew there was no way it would pass.

“What you’re seeing now in public has been building in private,” said a top House Democratic official. “House members did their work — they did everything the president asked of them. And it gets stuck in the Senate. Or the Senate screws it up.”

Though Pelosi and other House Democrats have made it clear that they’re angry with the Senate, they’re also frustrated with the president, upset that he hasn’t come to terms with the problems of getting legislation through the upper chamber — or done enough to overcome them.

“He wants a jobs bill, we get a jobs bill,” the official said. “He wanted health care, we got health care. Then the answer is, ‘You just need to twist enough arms to pass the Senate bill.’ You can twist arms if you’ve got a handful of them to twist. You can’t twist over 100 arms. There needs to be some reality check there.” More...

NJ Governor Christie Freezes State Spending

Here's a novel idea for some of our elected polticians.... leadership by example!

Keeping a campaign promise, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is freezing state spending...

From WCBS TV --

Calling New Jersey's budget a "shambles," Gov. Chris Christie announced Thursday he is immediately freezing all state spending.

Saying New Jersey is on the verge of bankruptcy, Christie declared a fiscal emergency, announcing drastic cuts. Among them, aid to school districts that have excess surpluses.

"Today we are going to act swiftly to fix problems too long ignored. Today I begin to do what I promised the people of New Jersey I would do," Christie said. More...

What do the elected officials in OH do when money is tight? Our smart as a goose Governor (his words) pushes for a slow-as-a-snail railroad that we don't need and will be forced to subsidized with state funds!

Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine now Threatening Candidates

I guess with smear campaigns not being enough, it appears ORP Chairman Kevin DeWine, still trying to manipulate the integrity of the election process and the will of the voters, is now resorting to veiled threats directed at State Auditor candidate Seth Morgan.

Via Right Ohio from the Dayton Daily News.....

“I think Seth could have a bright future in our party if he makes the right decisions,” Kevin DeWine said in an e-mail. “He’s a politically ambitious young man and sometimes that desire to climb the political ladder can make you do things you end up regretting.” More.....

It sounds as if ORP Chairman DeWine is saying.... "if a candidate for office doesn't adhere and subscribe to the backroon deals we make -- they will regret the day they challenged us."

No Chairman DeWine.... the safe bet would be -- you will regret the day you thumbed your elephant clan trunk at the Tea Party & 9.12 Groups in OH.

OH Republican Party Starts Lie-Filled Smear Campaign

The following lie-filled email from Belmont County GOP Chairman Kent Moore has been sent to the other GOP County Chairman in OH.

From our Tea Leaf filled email bag -- (Emphasis Added)

Dear Republican County Chairman,

Having served as a County Chairman in two very different county's in my life time, it never ceases to amaze me on how some folks ego's can cloud their judgment.

Rarely in politics have I come across a candidate who is at once so openly disdainful of our party and our process, yet still brazen enough to ask for your support. Seth Morgan is currently trying to have it both ways with you, and I thought you should know the truth about this young man.

Recently, we needed to fill a void on the statewide ticket left when Mary Taylor decided to join John Kasich’s campaign and not seek re-election. You may recall that I immediately sent you an email requesting your consideration of Dave Yost for that spot. Dave had been all over Ohio during the previous year, and had built a statewide network that was truly impressive. Dave’s been in my county, and undoubtedly in many of yours. He is a former County Auditor, and is ready to fill Mary’s shoes right away. Polling has already shown that voters want an Auditor to be Auditor, which neither Seth Morgan, nor David Pepper is or has ever been.

I for one, not even knowing Seth Morgan's interest at the time, did reach out to Dave and ask him if he, given his Auditor background, would consider running for State Auditor. Given the importance of this office and with his proven track record, he would give us the best opportunity to retain it. I along with others I am sure, suggested for him to consider it, knowing he would be the one who would have to make that decision. My decision to urge you to consider Dave’s candidacy was decried by Seth’s campaign as a “backroom deal” and he accused Dave of “bending to political pressure” when he made his decision to step up and bring his considerable skills to the Auditor’s race. But Seth saw fit to judge my decision as political expediency –even though he does not know me. His campaign’s barrage of negative attacks on the party and our traditions and processes did not end there.

About two weeks ago, the Ohio Republican State Central Committee met in Columbus to consider an endorsement in this race. Dave Yost won the endorsement easily, joining the other slate of endorsed candidates we had already chosen to win back Ohio for us in 2010. Seth Morgan’s name was not placed into nomination by anyone on the Committee.

Seth had spent several days leading up to the meeting, apparently asking his small group of vocal supporters to call and harass voting members. Many were told they would draw challengers for their seats when their re-elections came up. They were bombarded with scripted emails and angry phone calls from individuals accusing them of playing old politics and calling them “RINOs” among other things.

Instead of vying for the nomination and respecting our party, Seth created a spectacle outside of party headquarters with people holding signs, yelling at committee members as they walked into the building, and chanting angry slogans – all for the media to see – based on fallacies about our party and our chairman, assumed to be true by Seth. One Committee member was physically threatened by a misguided individual who was sent to Columbus.

The whole thing was shameful, orchestrated by a guy who thought attacking them would scare them into supporting his candidacy. They are volunteers, elected by the members of their party in their districts – and I for one, don't respond well to threats or scare tactics when doing what I believe to be best for my party.

Now Seth has sent around the email below, asking you at the county level to consider supporting his candidacy. For one, he’s asking you to ignore the State Central Committee, who has already endorsed, in another attempt to divide allegiances and draw attention to himself.

He’s also asking you to pay no attention to the pitiful tactics he’s already employed when criticizing party leaders, many who are volunteer's like you and me, following their conscience and doing their jobs on behalf of a well qualified candidate who has out-worked Seth.

Seth may in fact have a future in our party, but he has a lot to learn about working with and for people. I suggest, that as a newly elected official, he work harder at doing the job of which people in his district elected him to do. I’ll be happy to explain to Seth that the reason he will not receive the support of this chairman at this time is not because I believe in “waiting your turn” as Seth again assumes to be the case – but because he needs to learn to respect the GOP and it's elected leaders, before he can expect to earn our support. I hope you’ll join me in delivering this message to him.

Sincerely,

Kent Moore
Belmont County Chairman

Though the Tea Party Patriots do not endorse candidates, we do and will continue doing our best to educate our members and the general public -- which is why the above lies cannot go unanswered.

The peaceful protest at the ORP HQ against the personal vendetta's over good politics and political musical chairs being played by the lemon-like leadership in the ORP & the State Central Committee in the State Auditor & Attorney General race was NOT orchestrated by the Morgan campaign, it was -- in the truest sense -- a grass roots effort by a majority of the Tea Parties, 9.12 groups and other conservative groups throughout OH.

On a side note.... I have also been informed that in his interview with the City Club of Cleveland, ORP Chairman Kevin DeWine described this protest as a small handful of angry protesters that has been blown out of proportion. Oh Really?!?

Shocked that anyone would dare challenge the entitlement mindset of the ORP and their process, just like some of the Democrats did in our visits with them, the goose-stepping goons of the OH GOP even called the police on the Tea Partiers that came to visit.

(Click here for an accurate overview of the disgusting backroom politics behind the OH GOP endorsement in the State Auditor race. )

Patriots.... it is clear from the above email and the previous comments of Columbiana County Chairman Dave Johnson that -- "the Tea Parties & 9.12 Groups are nothing without the GOP" -- it is the Ohio Republican Party, under the lemon-like leadership of Chairman Kevin DeWine and the current State Central Committee, that they still don't get it and a message must be delivered to them!

This message should reflect their leadership! Join us in sending Leadership Lemons to ORP Chairman Kevin DeWine & the ORP State Central Committee...

Tea Party Patriot 2010 Schedule of Events

Dear Fellow Tea Party Patriots,

Thousands of you responded to our "Three for Tea" survey at the end of 2009. Thank you for taking the time to help set the direction for Tea Party Patriots. The National and Local Coordinators took those results and have created the plan you will see below. It was a lengthy and thoughtful process, which we describe below.

Outline of What is to Come in 2010

• Final Voting on Contract from America Begins: February 18, 2010
• Recharge the Movement Protests: February 27, 2010
• Nationwide Screenings of Tea Party Movie: February 27, 2010
• Tax Day Tea Parties: April 15, 2010
• Rollout of Final Contract from America: April 15, 2010
• Constitutional Educational Training, Founding Principles Bus Tour
• Activist Educational Training
• Independence Day Events: July 2 - July 4, 2010
• AUGUST HEAT - Congressional Town Hall Meetings
• 912 March on DC: September 12, 2010
• Get Out the Vote and Voter Education: October - November, 2010
• ELECTION DAY, Tuesday, November 2, 2010
• Year-Round grassroots lobbying when legislation arises

February, 2010

Three exciting things are happening in February of 2010:

• Rollout of Final Voting for Contract from America, February 18
• Recharge the Movement Street Demonstrations, February 27
• Tea Party the Documentary House Viewing Parties, February 27

February 27th marks the 1-year anniversary of the Nationwide Tea Party movement and we cannot let that pass without highlighting where we have been, what we have accomplished and where we are going. To highlight what we have accomplished and where we are going, we will roll out our final 20 options for the Contract from America at a press conference on February 18. That will begin the final voting process for the Contract from America. Be sure to watch for an email telling how to vote for it so you have an impact on the final document.

On February 27th, to show where we have been and that we intend to continue to make our voices heard, we will have a round of Tea Party Patriots Street Demonstrations called Recharge the Movement Demonstrations. These will be very raw and rough like the first round of tea parties were last year. Most locations will not have lots of predetermined people to speak and instead will use bullhorns and be a bit more unscripted as they were on February 27th of last year. The messaging will continue to be our core values of fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government, and free markets.

April, 2010 - TAX DAY TEA PARTIES

Last year on April 15th, we had over 850 tea parties with over 1.2 million people in attendance, on a Wednesday, protesting out of control government taxing and spending. These tea parties were all over the country. This year, we will have Tax Day Tea Parties again on April 15th.

We will have tea parties both small and large around the country. There will be several major regional events including in Washington, DC, Atlanta, and Sacramento. We are also working on regional events in 1 - 3 other locations which are still to be determined. The regional events will be in the late afternoon (on the west coast) and evening hours (on the east coast) and will be webcast across the country. Additionally, keynote speakers at each of the locations will be simulcast on jumbotrons to the other regional locations.

This approach will hopefully give people who want to participate in a larger event the ability to do so without having to go to through the full expense of traveling across the country to a single location. Additionally, it will give those who want to participate from their home the ability to do so via the webcast.

At the Tax Day Tea Parties, we will roll out our final version of the Contract from America. We will ask you to sign the Contract from America and we will also be asking elected officials to sign the Contract from America at the Tax Day Tea Parties.

Last year many organizations signed on as coalition partners for Tax Day Tea Parties. We are working to do the same this year. So far, we have Freedom Works and American Liberty Alliance as coalition partners. We will be announcing more coalition partners in the weeks to come.

April - June, 2010

Our focus in May and June will be training. We will have training opportunities for you regarding the Constitution and founding principles. Additionally, we will have training to teach you how to become a better activist.

The training will show you how you can become more involved in the tea party movement. Whether it is writing blog posts about our core values, walking door to door to teach people about our core values, or making phone calls to elected officials, you will learn about ways you can use your talents to get more involved.

While this training is scheduled to start in April, it will be ongoing throughout the year.

In addition to the training, we will watch for educational and grassroots lobbying opportunities regarding hot legislative topics. These activities will be similar to what we have already been doing with Cap and Trade and Government Takeover of Health Care.

July, 2010

Since we are patriots, we cannot let July 4th go by without celebrating America's Birth and Independence. Rather than compete with existing and traditional Independence Day celebrations, this year on July and around July 4th, we are encouraging each local coordinator (or representative of a local tea party group) to organize your local tea party group to participate in Independence Day Parades, Fairs, and Festivals in your local communities.

Tea Party Patriots is also exploring an idea for a bi-coastal Independence Day Family Tea Party Event. This idea is in the preliminary stages and we will have to see how it plays out.

We also encourage you to host a Tea Party Patriots Backyard BBQ and Ice Cream Social in your own home in July. We will have 1 day around the country where we are asking Tea Party Patriots members to host house parties. At these house parties, we will teach our own circle of influence about what the tea party movement is, what we stand for, and why it matters. We have some fun activities planned to go along with these Backyard BBQ and Ice Cream Socials. Stay tuned for details.

August, 2010 - TOWN HALL HEAT

In 2009 Tea Party Patriots, like you, redefined the traditional Town Hall meetings held by members of Congress during their summer break. Congress will be on recess in August 2010 and back at home in their districts around the country. We will keep you up-to-date on Town Hall dates, times, and locations, as well as the hot legislative issues which will be on the agendas.

In addition to Town Halls, we will be planning for our second 912 March on DC.

September, 2010 - 912 March on DC

We had many questions and thoughts regarding whether or not to do the 9/12 March on DC again this year. Do we have the resources? What are our expectations? Etc. In the end, the question became, "How can we not do the march again this year?" You, the grassroots members, want to come back to Washington, DC on a single day to make your voices heard.

We are a grassroots, bottom-up organization and we honor your desire. So, we are headed back to DC on September 12 for another March on DC. Again, Freedom Works will be the primary host of the event. We will be one of their coalition partners. Our National Coordinator, Jenny Beth Martin, will again be National Co-Coordinator for the 912 March on DC along with Freedom Works' Brendan Steinhauser. Just like with the Tax Day Tea Parties and last year's 912 March on DC, we will reach out to other like-minded fiscal and constitutional organizations to partner with them as we plan and implement the March on DC.

Like last year, there will be opportunities for training and networking. Also, Tea Party Patriots will host the Sign Making Party again on September 11.

Watch for details in the coming months regarding other partnering organizations, speakers, training events, and more.

October - November, 2010

As we draw closer to Election Day, we will have voter guides online that will compare candidates for various offices based on our core values:

• Fiscal Responsibility
• Constitutionally Limited Government
• Free Markets.

We will provide you the information you need to make the best decision when you are at the ballot box.

December, 2010

One way to grow is to evaluate what you have done and what lessons you have learned from your actions. In December, we will do just that. At the end of the year, we will recap what we have done, what we have learned, what we can do better, and how we can make a bigger and better impact in the future. There will be another survey similar to the Three for Tea Survey that individual members may fill out to offer their input on what we have done, where we should go, etc.

We will use this feedback to plan for 2011 and beyond.

The Process

After reading the responses to the 2009 survey, the First Coast Tea Party in the Jacksonville, Florida area graciously sponsored and hosted the National Coordinator team at a Board Strategy Meeting. The National Coordinator team reviewed the results and created a plan for what they thought you our grassroots Tea Party Patriots wanted.

But, the National Coordinator Team never makes a final decision without input from the Local Coordinators. We know that they are in touch with you on a daily basis and we trust their judgment. After the Board Strategy Meeting, Local Coordinators from around the country came to Washington, DC for a Local Coordinator Leadership Summit.

You may not be aware of the fact that many dedicated Tea Party Patriots Local Coordinators around the country have quit their jobs or stopped their second jobs to promote this movement. They are having to make decisions about whether to continue with the movement or to go back to work to pay for their bills or cut out all the niceties like going out to dinner or date nights with their spouses they enjoyed before last February. Most of the local coordinators we talk to no longer watch TV at night but instead are on long conference calls and meetings to keep the momentum moving. They have dropped their involvement in other activities they used to participate in to give every spare minute to the movement. They are literally sacrificing their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor. We wanted to make sure we could accommodate as many of those people as possible with your generous donations.

While in DC, the local coordinators went through the plans and refined them. It was an incredible meeting! There were members of 912 Groups and members from Freedom Works who also participated in the meeting. Finally, they had the opportunity to meet others face-to-face who they have talked to over the phone for the past year. They also discussed the best practices, plans for the 2010, plans for beyond 2010.

Since several more Local Coordinators could not make it Washington, DC (most only had 5 days notice), we took the 2010 plans to the Local Coordinator Leadership Council weekly conference call this Monday for final approval of the plan. With their final approval, we present the plan to you. We present it knowing that each individual member of Tea Party Patriots has had the opportunity to set the direction for the tea party movement this year and beyond.

You are the heart and soul of the Tea Party Movement. Thank you for promoting the causes of fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government, and free markets with us!

Your Tea Party Patriots National Coordinator Team,
Debbie Dooley, Mike Gaske, Kellen Giuda, Ryan Hecker, Jenny Beth Martin, Mark Meckler, Sally Oljar, Diana Reimer, Billie Tucker, and Dawn Wildman

Support OH's Freedom of Choice Health Care

From The Cleveland 9.12 Project --

We're still in limbo on the healthcare bill in DC. Earlier this week, in a blog titled “The State of the Undead Bill,” Hot Air argued that “The only safe conclusion is that the Democrats are, at some level, still trying to pass ObamaCare, including the politically risky step returning it to the front burner closer to the election.” http://hotair.com/arc...

While the legislation in Congress is stalled, many states have been formulating legislation to inoculate residents from any federal healthcare mandates. Good news. The Washington Post reported the other day that “Virginia's Democratic-controlled state Senate passed measures Monday that would make it illegal to require individuals to purchase health insurance, a direct challenge to the party's efforts in Washington to reform health care.” http://www.washington...

Here is a website that is monitoring "Freedom of Choice Health Care" legislation in all 50 states : http://www.alec.org/A...

As most of you know, last summer, members of the Ohio House of Representatives proposed HJR3, a joint resolution to free Ohioans from federally mandated health insurance. You can read the resolution here http://www.legislatur...

Rep. Ron Maag is one of the sponsors of this resolution. I am told by Rep. Maag’s office that the HJR3 had one hearing and is now stuck in the Insurance Committee. Rep. Dan Dodd is the chair of this Committee, and he needs to hear from us.

The message: the Chair of the Insurance Committee needs to put the second hearing of HJR3 onto the calendar, so it does not die in committee. We want to see this resolution get voted out of committee and onto the House floor, and then get on a ballot before Ohio voters. Ohio should follow Virginia's lead, and join other states (per the link above) that are proposing similar resolutions or bills to protect citizens from federally mandated healthcare insurance.

In addition, Rep. Maag will be grateful for any ammunition you can provide him, with your calls / faxes/ e-mails to him on this resolution. The committee and the House are both Democrat-majority, so this alert needs to be sustained. For those of you who prefer, snail mail is also an option. Be sure to cc: your own representative.

Here are details:

Representative Dan Dodd (D-District 91), Chair of Insurance Committee
77 S. High St., 11th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215-6111
Tel: (614) 466-2500 Fax: (614) 719-6991
Email: district91@ohr.state.oh.us

Representative Ron Maag (R), co-sponsor of HJR377
S. High St., 10th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215-6111
Tel: (614) 644-6023 Fax: (614) 719-3589
Email: district35@ohr.state.oh.us

If you live in District 10, your representative is:

Representative Robin Belcher (D- District 10)
77 S. High St., 13th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215-6111
Tel: (614) 466-7954 Fax: (614) 719-0010
Email: district10@ohr.state.oh.us

If you live in another district, find your representative here: http://www.house.stat...

Let's let them start hearing from us!