Tea Party Express jabbed for spending habits

[SecularMotion]

The Tea Party Express, the biggest fundraiser among the many loosely affiliated tea party groups out there, gets kicked around in this post on the Red County blog. Writer Bryan Myrick notes that while the PAC has raised $4.8 million this year, it’s spent just a little more than $1.3 million campaigning for and against candidates.

Missing is any rebuttal from the Tea Party Express, which is run by political consultants at Russo Marsh & Associates. Sal Russo subsequently offered me his side of the story – he emphasized the three well-publicized cross-country bus tours they done so far, holding rallies along the way.

“Tea Party 3 (the most recent bus tour) cost nearly $1 million,” Russo said. “This isn’t just to support candidates – it’s to get people engaged and active in the democratic process so they can bring about change.”

The Tea Party Express has been the target of suspicion and derision from some fellow Tea Partiers from the outset of the movement, as I noted in this April overview of the Tea Party phenomenon. Critics have complained that because it’s run by consultants, it’s not part of the true grassroots and worry that it’s trying to hijack the movement to help the Republican Party.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/party-260353-tea-express.html

[qb]

1. It's run by consultants... Outsourcing: It's the Republican way!