http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=137733America's tea-party movement is set to explode in less than one week with taxpayer rallies in an estimated 800 U.S. cities and a massive march on the White House.
The movement is now putting President Obama himself on notice with a Tax Day tea party at the White House Ellipse on April 15, 2010, from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. FreedomWorks is partnering with the American Liberty Alliance and several other groups to launch the Washington event.
"This April 15 will be the largest network of events across the country that I believe we've seen in a long time," FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe said in a conference call. "As far as we can tell, we count somewhere between 800 and 900 tea parties across the country. We expect millions of people to show up across the country protesting a government that is out of control, a government that does not listen to the American people. We want to take our country back."
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Kibbe referenced a newly released survey by Rasmussen Reports that reveals Americans identify more with the tea-party movement than President Obama. On major issues, 48 percent of voters say that the average tea-party member is closer to their views than Obama. Just last month, Rasmussen released data showing that 47 percent of voters felt closer to the views of tea-party members than to Congress.
Kibbe said speakers at the Washington event will talk about the major economic issues of the day.
"We'll talk about what needs to be done on Obamacare, a policy that was forced down the throats of the American people," he said. "We believe there is a battle for public opinion between now and the election. We very much support what the states are doing to challenge its constitutionality. We believe that these next two election cycles – for better or worse – will be a mandate on Obamacare and the process that the Democrats in Congress and the White House used to force it through."
Speakers will also discuss energy taxation and a 50-state strategy to take America back.
"The tea-party movement is organized in every community across the country, in every state, in every battleground congressional district, at every battleground senate district," Kibbe said. "The people who make up the movement are going to let their voices be heard on Nov. 2."
Speakers at the Washington rally include Lord Monckton, Andrew Breitbart, former Rep. Dick Armey, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, Tucker Carlson, Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., and Rev. C.L. Bryant.
Ryan Heckler, spokesman for the Tea Party Patriots, said a Contract from America will be unveiled all over the nation on April 15. The document emphasizes free-market principles, limited government and individual liberty. Thousands of Americans have been voting for the 10 issues that matter most to them.
The top three issues, as of this report, are:
1. Protect the Constitution, 81.8 percent
2. Reject cap and trade, 72.1 percent
3. Demand a balanced budget, 69.8 percent
"What we have here is a document that truly represents, in a very transparent way, what the grass-roots movement and the majority of the American people want," he said.
Adam Brandon, spokesman for FreedomWorks, said the Online Tax Revolt, a citizens' virtual march on the nation's capital, will be available to Americans who can't make it to Washington and want to show their support on Tax Day.
"There are more than 200,000 people who have opted to participate in that," Brandon said.
Those who wish to join the march can simply log on to OnlineTaxRevolt.com, choose an "avatar" – an animated, online representation of a real person – and start its march to the nation's capital. Organizers explain that participants can march individually or in teams and boast the site is equipped with Google Maps, which enables participants to track the location their avatars and follow their progress to Washington.
In addition to the rally in Washington, Kibbe said he believes millions of citizens will participate in Tax Day rallies across the nation. Some of the largest events are expected to take place in cities such as Tampa, Fla.; New York City, N.Y.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Atlanta, Ga.; Chicago, Ill.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Sacramento, Calif.; Lansing, Mich.; St. Louis, Mo.; and Cleveland, Ohio.
Many of the rallies are listed at the FreedomWorks events page.
"I believe, nationally, we're going to have twice as many people as we had last year," Kibbe said.