The American TEA Party Congress

New Jersey Tea Partiers have never been satisfiied to wait around for someone to tell them what to do.  For three years, they’ve been engaged in local political skirmishes.  Now that they know their own strength and know whom they can trust, 16 New Jersey Tea Party groups and six Conservative advocacy groups, inspired by New Jersey blogger Gene Hoyas, have joined forces to unite as the American TEA Party Congress.

A little over a month ago, Hoyas proposed a system of unification on his website.  Then, on July 14, 2012, a number of Tea Party and Conservative groups met at the headquarters of the Bayshore Tea Party in Red Bank to formally create the American TEA Party Congress, voting unanimously for a charter.  This was an important first step in sending a message to elected officials and candidates to represent New Jersey citizens more effectively.

For many, both the establishment Republicans and Democrats have failed to heed the founding principles of a constitutionally limited and moral government. Their message: time to stop going along to get along.

In the course of a day-long meeting, they unified under the umbrella of an agency organization empowered and governed exclusively by them to act on their behalf.  Although numerous attempts at unification have been made in the three years the Tea Party movement has existed, all have either failed or met with limited success.

By a unanimous vote, the delegates committed their organizations to unity and authorized the creation of the American Tea Party Congress, an agency organization governed by a Board comprised of representatives from each of the constituent member groups.  This is a crucial and historically important action, as it demonstrates that the Tea Party movement is capable of joining forces in a single organization where all of the member groups retain their sovereignty.
Dwight Kehoe, founder of the Tea Party Advocacy Tracking Hub (TPATH), observed “No longer will the establishment swat away individual Tea Party groups: as of this date, for statewide and national issues, We The People will speak with one voice. There is no doubt this coalition will grow, not only here in the Garden State, but everywhere else. The format and procedures used in putting this together will be a model for every state in the union.”

The next session of the American Tea Party Congress is scheduled to meet on July 28, at which time the group will begin the process of ratifying a charter.  Here is a list of the Tea Party groups and kindred conservative groups that asked to be present at the summit. Four of the groups were absent while one arrived late and one departed early:

Agenders
Bayshore Tea Party Group
Conservative Headquarters
Constitutional Accountability
East Jersey Tea Party
Greenwich Tea Party
Jackson Tea Party Patriots
Jersey City Tea Party Alliance
Jersey Shore Tea Party Patriots
League of American Families
Liber-Tea Tea Party
Liberty and Prosperity
Manchester Tea Party
Monmouth County Tea Party Caucus
New Jersey Tea Party Caucus
North Jersey Regional Tea Party
Ocean County Tea Party
Right Direction
Sea Oaks Tea Party Group
TPath
Tea Party of Middlesex County
Ventnor Tea Party
West Jersey Tea Party

According to Hoyas, representatives opposing the creation of the American TEA Party Congress prevailed upon at least eight northern New Jersey Tea Party groups to avoid attending the summit.    Ever since the Tea Parties began forming, infiltrators have attempted to discourage Tea Partiers and Conservative groups from forming and educating the public about liberty and limited government.  We’ve learned to recognize them and the stake they have in obstructing the Tea Party movement.

Since the American Tea Party Congress acknowledges the individuality of the local Tea Parties and Conservative groups, as the Constitution once protected states’ rights, there should be nothing to fear and everything to cheer at such a coalition.

The North Jersey Regional Tea Party welcomes residents in the northern New Jersey counties to attend their next meeting and learn more about how and why this new coalition came to be, and how it will affect the selection of candidates for future State and Congressional elections. This is a big step in magnifying our voices.  Please feel free to patronize the Barnyard for their graciousness in providing a venue for NJRTP’s monthly meetings. You’re encouraged to bring a friend for dinner and then proceed to the attached hall for the monthly meeting.

Date: Thursday July 19th.
Time: 7:00 pm sharp
Place: Barnyard and Carriage House

754 Totowa Road, Totowa, NJ 07512.
Directions: 973-942-8229