Mitt Romney will win big in large part because of hard work by Tea Partiers to defeat Obama and generous support for their efforts by major contributors. So says Michael Patrick Leahy, a Tea Party leader, in a Daily Caller article, “The Coming Conservative Landslide.” Leahy is the author of “Covenant of liberty: the Ideological Origins of the Tea party Movement.” According to Leahy:
Only the tea party has the enthusiasm and manpower to get out the vote for Mitt Romney….As we’re beginning to see, conservative donors are finally realizing that the scope of the conservative victory in November will be determined by the level of financial support they provide to local grassroots conservatives. They understand that when it comes to political return on investment, local tea party groups provide the biggest bang for the buck.
Leahy writes that new Tea Party groups are being formed at an accelerating rate and points to polls showing that support for the Tea Party is higher than ever. “Reports that the Tea Party movement has lost steam are entirely the creation of a mainstream media that wants the movement to go away,” he comments. He notes that the Tea Party is changing focus from demonstrations to efforts aimed at getting people to the polls.
The tactics of this large and growing group have evolved from the high-profile rallies of 2009-2010 to a more organized and focused national get-out-the-vote effort….Polls (showing Obama ahead) are missing one key ingredient: the intensity of feeling and the level of determination among the 28% of American adults (66 million people) who consider themselves part of the Tea Party or are supportive of it. To these people, 2012 is not “just another election.” It is the defining political battle of our lifetime. Most of these 66 million Tea Partiers will vote in November. But they will do much more than vote. They will also make unprecedented personal sacrifices in time and money to help get out the vote. To a person, these 66 million Americans believe that if Barack Obama is re-elected, the constitutional republic as we know it will be destroyed. They are determined not to let this happen on their watch.
The Richmond Tea Party, like the national movement, is stressing get-out-the-vote efforts this year, in partnership with “We r Virginia,” a group devoted to voter turnout efforts. In addition, RTP is mounting a vigorous campaign to prevent voter fraud, which is expected to be a significant problem in Virginia with Obama supporters.
Observers of this election cycle say that Obama’s campaign will be almost entirely based on getting out the vote for him. Conservative leaders are convinced they have got to match those efforts to get out the vote for Romney.
“Voters with conservative values have traditionally been way behind in professionalizing and perfecting political activism, but this year we will catch up,” said Tony Whitehead, Chair of RTP’s Election Committee.
Whitehead and Joe Guarino, RTP Chairman, recently issued calls for volunteers in the get-out-the vote and election integrity efforts.
According to Guarino, “We must all begin putting in time now, not this fall. Otherwise, we’ll all be sitting in the dust in a few years wondering what hit us.” He listed some of the positions that need to be filled soon:
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According to Whitehead, “Any amount of time is helpful and much can even be done from home in your PJs. If you have a lot of time on your hands, we need leaders to help coordinate as well. All training will be provided, so sign up now.” He asked that volunteers contact him at tonyw@richmondteaparty.com.
