Tea Party Chief Quits FreedomWorks Citing Internal Split
Tea Party chief quits FreedomWorks, citing an internal group split in the conservative political group. Former GOP House Majority Leader Dick Armey says he left the Tea Party group because they could not decide their future direction.
According to The Kansas City Star, the Tea Party chief may be quitting but he’s quitting in style. TEA might stand for Taxed Enough Already but this Tea Party chief could probably change the name to PEA: Paid Enough Already. In return for his role as chairman of Washington-based FreedomWorks, Dick Armey will receive $8 million in consulting fees paid in annual $400,000 installments. They should be able to afford it since FreedomWorks was the $5.28 million recipient of the largest political contribution to a super PAC in 2012 from a business group that would not identify its donor.
The Tea Party originally started as an independent grass-roots effort by Republicans, Democrats, and Independents with a common purpose but over time Democrats found themselves ostracized from the movement. Now that the November election has Democrats retaining control over both the Senate and the Presidency the major organizations comprising the Tea Party are uncertain whether their principles stand. Some have said a Tea Party 2.0 must be started.
When the Tea Party chief quit he cited concerns over FreedomWork’s direction and claimed his “differences with FreedomWorks are a matter of principle.” Specific reasons were never specified. Dick Armey had originally wanted to quit FreedomWorks before the November election, believing that the organization was moving in an unproductive direction, but the board urged him to stay on.
Armey also indicated dissatisfaction with candidates supported by FreedomWorks Super PAC donations being beaten by Democratic Party rivals. The Senate candidates included Josh Mandel in Ohio, Connie Mack in Florida, and Richard Mourdock in Indiana.
As the Tea Party chief quits what do you think is the future of the Tea Party?
