On the heels of the Chicago tea-party protests that grew out of Rick Santelli's recent rant on CNBC, anti-stimulus folks are planning to kick it up a few hundred notches with a Nationwide Tax Day Tea Party.
The Tea Party HQ already has a list up of organizers in 24 cities, and is trying to recruit more with a how-to list with details on coordinating, obtaining permits, etc.
On a related note, Santelli denied his affiliation with the tea party movement in a blog post on CNBC's web site this week, claiming the outburst was spontaneous. He wrote:
As a financial reporter I have never shied away from trying to promote discourse and dialogue of the important issues that affect markets and therefore our lives. The one spot in particular that occurred on February 19th at roughly 8:15 est time and maybe lasted for a minute probably wasn't even in my top 5 in terms of intensity, energy, or controversy. It was unique in that it obviously struck a chord with the public thus inciting what can only be described as a groundswell of feedback from the public, the White House, the Internet, and the media at large.
Santelli also missed an opportunity to make light of the situation on The Daily Show by bailing out of a planned appearance. Check out Jon Stewart's reaction here.
Paul of DC @ Apr 15, 2009 15:55:53 PM
mac of NM @ Apr 06, 2009 11:06:36 AM
ptutini of MD @ Apr 03, 2009 06:39:10 AM