Today is tax day of course, but for the 2nd straight year it's also a rallying point for Obama administration critics to collectively come together around the belief that the federal government is spending too much money. In other words, the perfect occasion for Tea Party members to celebrate what they hate about America.
There will be several events in the Tampa Bay area taking place today amongst these activists.
The Lakeland Tea Party 2010 is scheduled for 5:30-8 p.m. rally at the Kryger Overlook Park on Massachusetts Avenue in downtown Lakeland.
The 13 Patriots Tea Party 2010 Tax Day rally is scheduled between 4-7 p.m. at the Sarasota Bayfront in Sarasota.
Manatee 2010 Tax Day Tea Party event will take place between 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Mixon Farms, 2712 26th Ave. E. in Bradenton.
And the Tampa Bay area Tea Parties are going downtown, holding a 4:30-8 p.m. rally at Joe Chillura Park, 602 E. Kennedy Blvd.
Not wanting to feel left out, some Hillsborough Democrats say they want to crash that Tea Party, and are organizing around that.
In 2009, these rallies (along with Glenn Beck events) were probably the biggest in the country in terms of a national movement. We covered the Tampa Tea Party rally last April 15, where one business professional man accused me of wimping out because I opted not to travel with him to his office, where he could absolutely prove to me that perpetual whipping boy Acorn was getting federal stimulus money (they weren't, though that didn't stop Glenn Beck from saying otherwise).
There were other big Tea Party events throughout the year, and though pundits will want to analyze the size of the events, the power of the Tea Party movement won't be reflected one way or another in those rallies, but what happens in GOP primaries later this year, and of course, what happens in November.
Meanwhile, the NY Times has teamed up with CBS News on a new poll about the self-described Tea Partiers. The headline in the paper this morning is that they are wealthier and more educated than the general public.
