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As Tea Party takes a victory lap in Tampa, liberals take issue

By Mitch Perry on Sat, Sep 10, 2011 at 3:21 pm

Activists are calling their protest a "Rally of Conscience" to be held at the Florida Fairgrounds (4800 North US Highway 301 in Tampa) beginning Monday night at 6 p.m. (Check out their Facebook page here).

Now at this point you might be thinking: What the hell is CNN doing partnering with the Tea Party for a debate?

The moderator for Monday night's forum, Wolf Blitzer, is prepared for that question. This is what he told the Times' Eric Deggans about that:

"The important thing is: Are we going to help them better define who these candidates are?" he said, predicting lots of discussion on jobs, Social Security and limiting government. "If everybody emerges from this debate a little bit smarter … I don't have a problem teaming up (with the tea party)."

That hasn't satiated the anger of some liberal bloggers who have little respect for the Tea Party. And some point to former Tea Party Express Chairman Mark Williams comment last year when this pairing was initially announced that shows that CNN has chosen the wrong path here.

"That a respected international, serious news organization like CNN and even the potential presidential candidates recognize that the Tea Party is anything but racist simply thrills me.”

Meanwhile, Monday afternoon at the Fairgrounds, CNN's King will moderate a discussion with Mike Franc, Vice President of Government Studies at The Heritage Foundation,Al Cardenas, Chairman, American Conservative Union, J. Robert McClure III, President and CEO, The James Madison Institute and Billie Tucker with the First Coast Tea Party.

CNN says that more than 100 different tea party groups are co-sponsoring the debate. The debate begins at 8 p.m. Monday night

Like it or not, the Tea Party movement is flourishing (poll numbers be damned). Their crowning achievement so far this year is that they led President Obama to blink during the seemingly endless debt-ceiling negotiations last month. House Republicans, led by the upstart tea party movement, refused to support any tax increases to go along with the significant spending cuts which will come our way with the so-called Supercommittee later this year.

As CNN and the political world come to Tampa Monday night for the next GOP presidential debate, the activist movement (dubbed by one political reporter as the most significant since the liberal activism of the 1960s) is getting center stage attention, with the Tea Party Express the official co-host of the debate.

Liberal activists, who were energized earlier this year by their opposition to Governor Rick Scott and the GOP-led Legislature, say they intend to protest the Tea Party on Monday as well.

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