...Two years ago [February 25, 2009] Juliana Johnson and I put out this press release announcing the “Chicago Tea Party” that would take place on February 27th, 2009.
Actually, if we really wanted to get technical about it, there were multiple “tea party” type rallies in 2006-07, long before Rick Santelli’s rant or the Ron Paul movement began using the phrase.
But there can be no doubt the largest wave of tea party activism was born on February 27th, 2009.
Rick Santelli’s rant came on February 19th of 2009. Literally the next day we were hosting conference calls and plotting what would, a week later, be the “Nationwide Chicago Tea Party.”
When we first began planning, we had five cities with tea parties being organized. It quickly became 20, then finally became 40. So in just a week, with no money or experience in this realm, rallies were planned in 40 cities that resulted in more than 30,000 people hitting the streets on the 27th.
The following video was shot (Dan Proft speaking) in front of the Tribune Tower in downtown Chicago that day.
This was long before any “national tea party organizations” or D.C. groups took “leadership” roles in the movement. This was a very mysterious time and none of us had any idea what it all would lead to.
Of course, as we all know, six weeks later more than 800,000 Americans rallied in more than 850 towns across the nation. Later in 2009 these same Americans would crash townhalls across the country, forcing Democrats to lessen the blow of Obamacare and building the foundation that would eventually lead to a Historic shift in power during the 2010 elections.
Backyard Conservative has a great line-up of pictures from the original Chicago tea party of 2009
This one shows yours truly leading the march through downtown Chicago (from Daley Plaza to the Tribune Building).
Happy Birthday Tea Party Movement!
You’re the only reason our nation is still surviving with a fighting chance!
Posts
