Tea Party Convention Will Make A Million!

The man who said he wants to "make a million dollars" from the Tea Party is back and planning to strike it rich in Las Vegas.

We shouldn't be surprised Judson Phillips hopes to strike it rich in the land the high rollers. He is betting it all on a sure thing. Like they say, if he holds it, they will come. Maybe not the locals, but people from around the country who do not know any better. The Tea Party Groups have been very effective in changing the political landscape in Southern Nevada and are very popular in Las Vegas. Well over 10,000 Tea Party faithfuls turned-out to see Sarah Palin not long ago and drove over 50 miles to Searchlight for the pleasure.

Like bees to honey, this activity has also gained the attention of the grafters and carpetbaggers hoping to make a fast buck. Judson Phillips, the wanna B "King of the Tea Party" is back at it again. And this time, he has added his buddy, radio talk show Mark Skoda as his heavy hitter. Will Skoda's non profit status now be called into question? You bet it will. He has already announced the formation of a new PAC. Let the money roll in!

No Limits

"We will do that in a systematic way, with transparency that is obviously lacking in too much of the political process today," Skoda said. (Ya right. Where have we heard that before)

But a more complete description of the fundraising rules for a 501(c)(4) like the Ensuring Liberty Corp. would go like this: It can raise as much as it can get — no limits — from wealthy donors and from corporations. And there's no disclosure. No possible backlash against the Ensuring Liberty Corp. for taking the money, or against a corporate donor for giving it. How convenient.

Graft is defined as the dishonest use of office or position to get money. Judson Phillips could be the poster child for this activity. He wants $400 a head to attend his latest FOR PROFIT venture in Las Vegas. Add to that the cost of lodging and meals and you easily have a $1000 price tag. Do you think you will get your moneys worth while making Judson a millionaire? Wouldn't that money be better spent supporting your own candidates and local party? Ask yourself what your $400 is really going for.

Here is what a Convention should cost:
Date: May 1st
Location: Reno Sparks Convention Center
Time:
Education seminars 8:00-12:00
Candidate Forum: 1:00-5:00
Cost: $10 for Forum, $20 for Forum and educational seminars.
Visit www.ProjectAmericans for sign-up information

This is a perfect example of what you should be paying to attend a day long grassroots educational event, leaving you, oh about $900 for a cause or candidate you really believe in.

Dare ask where your money is going and you get dropped from Judson's TPN group faster than a hot potato. He changed his Non-Profit group to a For Profit Corporation in the dead of night, without telling his membership, just before the Nashville fiasco. Are these people mad as Hell? You bet they are and with good reason. They were taken to the cleaners like a dirty pair of coveralls by a man claiming to be a patriot. In fact, he was lining his own pockets like a revival preacher selling snake oil, paying his legal bills and personal debts with Mom and Pop donations. To me, this is just as dishonorable, if not just as criminal as someone claiming to be a war hero, who actually sat out the action in a nice safe place and got a Purple Heart for a hangnail. Some patriot.

Mr. Phillips has kept a pretty low profile since being exposed and causing the near disaster in Nashville, TN with his first convention. He was saved due to the fact that he had Sarah Palin under contract and she could not pull out. The GOP had no choice but to step in and save the affair. Mark Skoda now does Judson's bidding and they are as close as two peas in a pod. I don't know exactly what Mark hopes to get out of this partnership with Phillips, but Mr. Skoda can be sure that people will be watching him now with renewed interest. His claim that he is going to unite all the major Tea Party Groups under his benevolent rule is right out of the Philips "Get Rich Quick" play book. More on this new consolidation of power and money, "Federation of Tea Party Groups" later.

Behind the scenes, the lawsuits demanding accountability from Judson slowly wind their way through the legal system. This is a system the failed and bankrupted D.U.I. lawyer knows well. Ask the people who know him in his home State of TN, but be prepared for words you won't hear in church. Taking a clue from the ACORN disaster, in his place, his partners in crime have formed a new political action committee in an attempt to distance themselves from the name of Phillips, but don't let that fool you. Judson and his wife still hold the purse strings. Money and power are more addictive than crack cocaine.

Who is this man that the TEA Party Express allowed to speak at the tail end their stop in Nashville? Why was the event so poorly attended? I suspect it was not the date or the weather that kept people away, it was the name of Judson Philips. Over half of the only 600 attendees left the event before Judson spoke. Nobody wanted to hear him. This in his own backyard, hometown and home State. Why the Tea Party Express would want to be associated with this man and his moneymaker convention is beyond me. They could hold their own convention and not risk having the slime rub off on them, damaging their credibility. For the most part, the management of the Tea Party Express are good people doing a service for the Tea Party movement. Phillips brings nothing to the table but problems they need no part of. He can however damage the credibility of the entire movement.

Philips may claim to be the important leader of the Tea Party Nation, a group boasting 10,000 members, but a closer look reveals a fractured group with only half that number still active and maybe 10% of them still willing to contribute any time or money. Whoopee zip! This sounds more like a local social club than a "National Group." All the evidence anyone needs can be found by a simple Google search. (a few links provided)

I do not know of even ONE local Las Vegas Patriotic group that supports the man or his "Convention." Even searching the known groups in the State of Nevada, I have yet to come up with one. You would think that someone would sell-out for the opportunity to have their 15 min. of fame on stage with Judson or Mike, but I can't find one. Take from this what you will, but the Grassroots Patriot Groups of Nevada are not stupid gullible people interested in fame or fortune and they are not buying what this Snake Oil Salesman is selling.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123859296

http://www.melissaclouthier.com/2010/01/15/tea-party-nations-judson-phillips-i-want-to-make-a-million-from-this-movement/

http://imr.modernpublius.us/2010/01/12/on-the-backs-of-tennessees-middle-class-or-the-story-behind-tea-party-nations-dishonest-beginnings/

http://imr.modernpublius.us/2010/01/17/prove-me-wrong-tea-party-nation-paypal-accounts-and-a-shady-financial-past/

http://imr.modernpublius.us/2010/01/29/another-blow-to-the-national-tea-party-convention/

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/32255.html

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/01/the_tea_party_movement_is_about_to_be_hijacked_act.php

http://politics.nashvillepost.com/2010/01/13/key-sponsor-drops-out-of-tea-party-convention-after-accusation-against-organizer-surface/