Boulder is a Stoopid Place

But disorganization has its benefits. This was not a partisan political event. The national GOP, and even most Republican members of Congress kept their distance. One elected representative who was there, State Rep. Joe Carr of Murfreesboro, was careful to draw a distinction that this Tea Party protest was a “conservative” movement, and not a Republican one. And by conservative, he meant not all Republicans, along with quite a few fiscally-responsible Democrats, Libertarians, and Independents. There were perhaps another dozen representatives who popped up from time to time to see what was happening–one legislative aide told me that the size of the rally astonished many of his fellow staffers on Capitol Hill. But for the most part, Tennessee’s representatives stayed on the sidelines like their national counterparts. Even when one of the speakers was nearby Congressman Marsha Blackburn, the event still kept its distance from the GOP, just as the GOP did from it. A sign near the center of the crowd summed up the sentiment succinctly: Above side-by-side pictures of President Bush and President Obama were the words “Dumb & Dumber”.

One source of the disorganization was that the event’s genesis was virtually all virtual. It was organized in the ether of the blogosphere and on social networks like Facebook. There were no paid community organizers there to organize things. Instead, it was several Tennessee bloggers who witnessed what they had a large hand in creating. Ben Cunningham, Kay Brooks, Jane Whitson, Blake Wylie (along with his lovely new bride) were all there recording the event, volunteers all.

There were no paid community organizers there to organize things.

But Republicans should not be rejoicing quite yet. Many protesters went out of their way to say they are upset with both parties and hold George W. Bush equally responsible for launching the now never-ending stream of bailouts. And the crowd, if anything, was libertarian in bent rather than conservative. These people are advocating less government, restraints on federal power, and a return to “constitutional government.” Social conservatives who seek expansion of state power on issues from abortion to support for faith-based programs may find themselves at odds with a newly invigorated movement to shrink government and enhance individual liberty.

It is not clear whether this is the making of a new political party or a flash in the pan. What it does show is that the absence of a single Republican leader does not hinder some impressive grassroots organizing. It also shows that young conservatives, who were out in abundance in Lafayette Park even in the pouring rain, do know how to organize through new media including Twitter. And it shows that for conservatives and libertarians, the Obama presidency is a powerful organizing tool. Just as the Left coalesced in opposition to George W. Bush, these activists are, to a large extent, acting out of resentment and anger toward the president and Democratic congressional leaders.