Austin Tea Party Patriots - Boots on the Ground
February 2, 2010

History

• Founded by Judy Holloway in February 2009 following Rick Santelli rant
• First Tea party held April 15 – attended by over 5,000 patriots, with extensive media coverage
• Organized statewide training at Capitol in May 2009
• Second Tea Party held July 3, 2009 at Zilker Park – focused on healthcare and keynoted by Joe the Plumber
• Anti-government healthcare rallies held during Summer 2009
• Bi-partisan Healthcare Town Hall held August 2009
• Stand up for Texas Rally held September 5, 2009 - with tea parties from around the state
• Pelosi protest held in September 2009
• Common Sense Texas coalition formed in October 2009
• KBH protest held December 21, 2009
• Working with Central Texas 9-12 Project and other grassroots groups around the state

Recent developments

• Scott Brown election brought tea partiers and 9-12ers closer to political middle (without movement by us!)
• More organization on local, statewide and national levels
• More resources available
• More opportunities for success

Challenges

• 24 hour messaging cycle
• They don’t play fair
• Desire to stay with “bottom up” organization
• Need more boots on the ground!

Key areas of opportunity

• The election battleground
• Video messaging
• Building the base
• The information superhighway
• Continued thought leadership

The election battleground

• Winning one precinct at a time
• Voter maps
• Lots of legs needed to pound pavement

Video messaging

• Need to attract younger voters
• Tell them with a smile
• Avenue for creativity

Building the base

• Continued drive for database management
• Keeping us connected
• Maintaining an open door policy

The information superhighway

• The “tiger team” concept
• Issues driven
• Location driven
• Coordination with statewide groups

Continued thought leadership

• Keeping the brain active while the boots are moving
• Listening to the people
• Making sure the movement stays about the country and issues, not about the leaders or the group

Next steps

• Need the Boots
• March 2 primaries
• Local elections
• Preparing for fall elections

Upcoming events

• Candidate forums
• April 15
• Memorial Day
• Pre-election event (right before election day)