As U.S. News reported yesterday, former Massachusetts Republican Gov. Mitt Romney seems to have the conservative creds to cut it with plenty of voters who consider themselves conservative—and perhaps enough, some argue, to win in a state like South Carolina. The fact that he's even headlining a Tea Party Express rally in Concord, New Hampshire this weekend attests to his esteem among some in the movement.
FreedomWorks, which has come to represent the purest of the pure among the conservative, limited-government Tea Party movement, has a different idea. He's a Tea Party poser, they say, and they're prepared to take action. They've organized a boycott of the former governor's Sunday evening speech at the Tea Party Express event, gathering up their local forces to instead attend an anti-Romney rally at the same time. [Read more about the 2012 presidential election.]
From the announcement on their website:
After months of distancing himself from the tea party, suddenly Mitt Romney wants to be one of us.
That's right, the big-spending former governor who signed Massachusetts' very own version of ObamaCare is scheduled to take the stage this Sunday at a rally in Concord, NH to lecture real conservatives about limited government and fiscal responsibility.
FreedomWorks and tea party groups from around the region will be there. But not to hear more platitudes from an establishment hack posing as an outsider.
We'll be there to tell the real story about Mitt Romney, and to protest his record, which represents everything the tea party stands against.
After all, if we don't hold candidates accountable for their actions while in office, who will? If we let ourselves be used as pawns to provide cover for the establishment, then what is the point of having the tea party?
We're standing on principle, not politics. Will you join us?
FreedomWorks, which is chaired by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, demonstrated their organizing power throughout the healthcare debate and during the 2010 election season. And for Romney, as he continues to gather votes from conservatives in key primary states, the group could certainly create a lot more trouble ahead.
- Read about Romney's odds in the South.
- Vote Now: Who is your pick for the 2012 GOP nomination?
- See cartoons about the Tea Party.
Reader Comments Read all comments (16)
Carol Layne of FL 6:30PM January 29, 2012
tncdel of DE 1:40AM September 05, 2011
Leaper of CO 7:05PM September 04, 2011