ATP and ATPPAC lose credibility

EDITORIAL
Bill Fishburne | Asheville Tribune | July 15, 2010

A political organization such as the Asheville Tea Party has little currency other than its credibility. Sadly, the ATP and its political action committee, the ATPPAC, seem to be broke right now.

The most recent case of intentionally misleading the public is in the case of the ATP’s claims to having received an award from The Heritage Foundation.

Asheville Tea Party Receives Award from Heritage Foundation

ASHEVILLE – The Asheville Tea Party is proud to announce that it is a recipient of the Heritage Foundation’s Henry Salvatori Prize for American Citizenship. Enclosed with the award was the following letter from Heritage president, Edwin J. Feulner:

“It is our pleasure to award the 2010 Salvatori Prize for American Citizenship to the citizen-patriots of the Tea Party Movement…”

“This year, because of the significance of the Tea Party movement — bringing America’s first principles to the fore of public debate, motivating millions of their fellow Americans to get involved in the effort to revive those principles, and reinvigorating the larger movement in the United States to reorient American politics toward those principles — the Henry Salvatori Prize for American Citizenship has been awarded to the Tea Party movement, and honors all those American citizens nationwide who are newly committed to the renewal of American liberty.

“Appropriate for a spontaneous, nationwide movement, the Prize does not recognize any one individual or group. Instead, the award will be used to deepen a commitment to and advocacy of America’s first principles through the popular distribution of pocket Constitutions and educational materials, and by providing the First Principles Collection of monographs and books to Tea Party leaders like you throughout the United States.

(Signed) Edwin J. Feulner, Ph.D. President.”

In addition to a handsome certificate of recognition, the Asheville Tea Party received a “First Principles Field Kit”, containing the books The Heritage Guide to the Constitution, We Still Hold These Truths: Rediscovering Our Principles, Reclaiming Our Future by Matthew Spalding, The Founder’s Almanac, the trilogy Why States? The Challenge of Federalism, How To Read the Federalist Papers, and Reading the Right Books: A Guide for the Intelligent Conservative, and 3 pocket Constitutions.

The award was a nationwide award to that did not mention the Asheville Tea Party.

The Tea Party in Asheville also confuses things with the blurry distinctions between the 501(c)(3) parent group and their Political Action Committee, the ATPPAC. Both were incorporated by Erika Franzi. The ATP Inc. in April, 2009, and the ATPPAC on January 28, 2010.

Distinguishing between the two is difficult. Both meet every Friday at 6 p.m. at the same location.

The ATP’s brushes with credibility came to a head March 8, 2010, when they put on a public forum for Congressional candidates that was nothing but a set-up for former Libertarian candidate Dr. Dan Eichenbaum. The ATPPAC leadership, which includes several current or former Libertarian Party stalwarts, wrote the questions in advance, kept them secret, and did not allow questions from the floor. We point out the candidates were running in the Republican primary, not attending a Libertarian District Convention.

One of the candidates, Dr. Eichenbaum, had run for office as a Libertarian. In the opinion of this newspaper and many impartial observers, the deck was decidedly stacked in his favor. At the forum the ATP did not allow any of them to distribute campaign literature prior to or after the event.

A formalized voting system after the event allowed “weighted” voting. To no ones surprise, considering the questions, Eichenbaum was the clear winner. The ATPPAC immediately endorsed him and campaigned for him heavily.

We don’t dislike Dr. Eichenbaum. He is an articulate, engaging personality with well thought out positions on a wide variety of topics. He acknowledges he was a Libertarian “for six years” or so, and we acknowledge he would have been a very good Republican candidate. The fact is, Eichenbaum lost, Jeff Miller won, and the ATP and ATPPAC picked up their marbles and went home.

If we could make suggestions as to how to improve these organizations, we might suggest they need separate leadership. Right now, they are indistinguishable. This confuses everyone. If someone shows up at an ATP event to protest taxation, are they also supporting the ATPPAC-endorsed candidate Dickie Green for Sheriff? If they go to an event to protest or influence a vote by Rep. Heath Shuler, are they allowed to carry signs supporting Republican candidate Jeff Miller?

The ATP supports the Constitution, lower taxation and limited government. As a 501(c)(3), they are allowed to conduct public education campaigns on the issues. Anti-taxation rallies certainly fit that requirement. The ATPPAC supports political candidates. Does the guy on the street see the difference? Does the ATP? Can its leaders quit focusing on themselves and awards not aimed at them, long enough to look at the big picture?

It is incredible to us that they not only endorsed a candidate in the primary, they came away as sore losers afterwards. Elections are A or B events. Support A, or support B, but don’t let everyone else make your decision for you.

The Asheville Tea Party today reminds us of an old rotary aircraft engine. It turns great gobs of energy into noise.

RELATED

Asheville Tribune
Erika Franzi and Tim Peck | May 17, 2010
So, the Asheville Tribune takes issue with the methods employed by the nonpartisan Asheville Tea Party in their District 11 congressional debate and straw poll that contributed ultimately to an endorsement of Dan Eichenbaum.

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Read the original story at Asheville Tea Party