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By TAYLOR BUDOWICH

LEFT-OF-CENTER pundits and activists across the nation are upset about Novembers election results. As they continue grasping for answers, they are mistakenly trying to draw parallels between todays anti-Trump protests and the tea party movement in the false hope that political salvation is just around the corner.

When people think of the tea party, they often remember the national protests. However, the movements legacy was not cemented by rallies. Instead, it is being realized through continuous waves of victories at the ballot box.

Most importantly for conservative activists, those election victories are likely to continue because there is a strong tea party presence in the very essence of the conservative, Republican political infrastructure.

The tea partys coming of age can be traced to January 2010, in a special election to replace the late Sen. Ted Kennedy in dark blue Massachusetts.

It was no surprise that the media reported we had no chance, as the state had not elected a Republican senator to that seat in more than 50 years not to mention the fact that 62 percent of the states voters had just cast ballots in support of Barack Obama. However, the tea party shocked the media and the world by winning handily and sending Scott Brown to Washington.

Through this victory, in which the Tea Party Express played the most significant role in helping to nationalize the election, we were able to prove that support for the tea party message was as broad as it was deep.

That victory in Massachusetts proved that conservatives could win anywhere. That message was carried on to purple states such as Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin, where each of those Senate candidates who won in November 2010 won again in 2016.

At the gubernatorial level, weve seen the number of conservative chief executives swell to 33, complemented by conservative majorities in 69 of the 99 state legislative bodies. And, except for Tom Corbett in Pennsylvania, every governor elected through the 2010 tea party wave was re-elected in 2014.

Key to the tea party support was the inclusiveness of the movement. The only litmus test was opposing the increasing size, cost and intrusiveness of the federal government and supporting fewer taxes and regulatory burdens.

But unlike the tea party, that broad support is not evident in todays anti-Trump protests. Many of these rallies were busy excluding people they disagreed with instead of trying to broaden their base.

An honest look at whats happening today also reveals a significant lack of geographic diversity.

Statistician Nate Silver, editor in chief of FiveThirtyEight and a special correspondent for ABC News, published an in-depth analysis of the anti-Trump Womans March. In his report, Silver finds that 80 percent of march attendance came in states that Clinton won. By comparison, 58 percent of the tea party protests were in states that Obama won in 2008.

RealClearPolitics analyst Sean Trende also explored the Democrats base problems in a series of articles titled How Trump Won, by pointing to the partys heavy, yet limited representation in mega-cities, such as San Francisco and Los Angeles. Moreover, Trendes piece explored the Democrats inability to succeed in small towns.

The result of those two realities is that even though states such as California, New York and Illinois may turn out a lot of anti-Trump protests, those protesters voices are already being heard and represented by their presidential electors, senators and members of Congress.

So, where can this anti-Trump movement go?

Five members of Congress have been chosen to serve in Trumps Cabinet, and their offices will have to be filled. There will be openings in Montana, Alabama, Kansas, Georgia and South Carolina. Does anyone think an anti-Trump candidate will be viable, like Scott Brown was in blue Massachusetts?

Will these protesters dare test just how populist their message is by seriously supporting candidates in any of these races? Or will they take a page from Occupy Wall Street and the recent University of California protests and allow their movement to be pre-empted by those who seek violence and destruction instead of rational debate?

My bet is that these anti-Trump protesters will go the way of Bernie Sanders and seek political purity rather than political victory. Thus, the tea party will continue serving as the most consequential political movement in modern American politics.

Taylor Budowich

is the executive director of the Tea Party Express political action committee. He wrote this for The Dallas Morning News.

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Taylor Budowich: Anti-Trump movement is nothing like Tea Party - Virginian-Pilot

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Thursday on CNNs OutFront, in discussing White House press secretary Sean Spicer saying there are some paid protestors in the wave of rowdy town hall participants objecting to President Donald Trumps agenda, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said it was another lie from the White House because unlike the Tea Party, this is not being funded by the billionaire class.

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After being shown the clip of Spicer, Sanders said, Look, I hope I do not shock your viewers by telling you the White House occasionally lies, and thats just another lie. Whats going on now is that people all over this country are beginning to rise up. Theyre demanding answers to what happens. Erin, if you throw 20 million people off health insurance, thousands of people are going to die.

If you do away with pre-existing conditions, then people are not going to be able to get health insurance who have cancer or have diabetes, he continued. People want to ask their Republican representatives what happens? Why are you doing this? What are your plans for the future? So I think you are seeing people organizing effectively, but unlike the Tea Party, this is not being funded by the billionaire class.

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN

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Sanders: WH Is Lying Unlike the Tea Party, Town Hall Protests Are Not Being Funded - Breitbart News

Jenny Beth Martin, leader of TeaPartyPatriots.org, has announced thaton Wednesday, March 15, 2017the Tea Party will be back in Washington for a rally at the U.S. Capitol.

In an email to Tea Party movement activists and supporters Martin says its time for the Tea Party to go BACK to Washington, DC. President Trump is working to keep the promises he made on the campaign trail, but hes running into opposition at every turn - from the intolerant leftist Democrats, to the mainstream media, and even some establishment Republicans.

Its time for us to show up again in Washington and remind these politicians that its time to start enacting the agenda that will make America great again, wrote Martin.

Among the goals of the Washington rally will be to demand Congress confirm Judge Neil Gorsuch - repeal Obamacare - secure the border - cut taxesand balance the budget within fiveyears.

Jenny Beth Martins email said:

On March 15th, were partnering withFreedomWorksto host a grassroots lobbying day on Capitol Hill. Office visits are one of the most effective ways to make our voices heard in Washington, D.C. and to hold our elected officials accountable. The committee hearing for Judge Gorsuch is set for March 20, which increases the importance of us being in DC together making our voices heard on March 15.

I want to make sure its clear - we will hold a rally, but the major focus of our action for this day is to act as citizen lobbyists and visit Members offices in person. Wouldnt it be great if we could flood their offices with supporters of the Presidents nominees and agenda? If there is even a small possibility that you can make it to D.C. for this day of action, please do whatever you can to be there. Remember, when we show up, we win!!

If you needanymoreinspiration to show up on March 15th, take a look atthis articleabout how local Democratic parties are swelling with new members and excitement, and check out the resistance website, complete with events they are holding in your area. The LEFT is showing up and its time for us to show up in even greater numbers!

Jenny Beth Martin is right, save the date and we will send additional details as soon as they are available from Tea Party Patriots.

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Tea Party Going Back To Washington - ConservativeHQ

One month into his tenure as the one of the most disliked US presidents in modern history, Donald Trump has created far more headlines than actual policy. Aside from his incendiary rhetoricpainting the media as an enemy, implying the courts may be culpable for some future attackTrumps legislative feats, so far, are scant.

But its still early in this administration, and the president has plenty of timeat least 47 months, in factto find ways to achieve his most ambitious goals, from an effective (and somehow Constitutional) Muslim ban to eradicating the Affordable Care Act. By the same token, the resistancethat amorphous collective of anti-Trump protesters, writers, and legislatorsshould not be patting itself on the back just yet. As evidenced by the loud and often tumultuous town halls that greeted this weeks Congressional recess, this fight is only beginning.

Just as Trumps cabinet is rethinking its policy strategy, those who would oppose Trumps agenda must spend this spring refining their own approach. Crowdsourced guides like Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda, are part of this effort. The new blueprint provides a series of relatively straightforward building blocks. Importantly, the guide notes the importance of pressuring Congress, as well as the White House. Both the House and the Senate, despite their current fealty to the president, still have the tools to derail Trumps darker visions for America.

Guides like Indivisible understand that grassroots disruption is one of the best ways to build strong movements. After a frustrating Electoral College defeat, American liberals know they may have sheer numbers on their sidebut they dont have the structure. Instead of depending on big money organizations like the Democratic National Committee, the anti-Trump movement needs to follow in the footsteps of the Tea Party, which decimated Democratic legislatures at the state and Congressional level across the country during the Obama years. The Tea Party used highly effective messaging and unrelenting enthusiasm. (As The American Prospects Paul Waldman wrote this week, midterm elections are all about enthusiasmwhich almost always means anger.)

The most striking thing about this strategy is its simplicity. The Tea Party didnt simply bring a hefty turnout to the polls, or employ the kind of sophisticated door-to-door approach that ultimately did not work for Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election. It also cranked up an angry roar of protest that drowned out the Democratic response.

Despite its seeming spontaneity, the Tea Party was well-prepared. Trump opponents will need to similarly research how their Congressional and local officials have voted. There are plenty of websites that track votes, including VoteSmart.org. Websites like OpenSecrets.org can help track funding (although its prudent to crosscheck findings against the investigative reporting of media outlets). Setting up a Google Alert for specific politicians is also a good way to keep informed in real time.

On the ground, local advocacy groups will need to seek out similar communities already in existence; no matter the county or constituency, many Americans are concerned by Trumps policy proposals. Indeed, this is where Trump opponents may actually find themselves better positioned than the Tea Party. While Obama opponents were formidable, a plurality of American voters preferred Hillary Clinton on Nov. 6. That represents a much broader coalition.

At town halls, advocates would be wise to spread out and stay organized. Its smart to stagger questioning and, as Indivisible recommends, keep a firm hold on the mic. No staffer in their right mind wants to look like theyre physically intimidating a constituent, soif theyre trying to wrest the microphone away from youthey will back off.

Meanwhile, photo-ops are a protesters best friend. Local school events, local business openings are all opportunities to ask officials questions they may have managed to previously ignore. Indeed, the outpouring of dissent has already pushed some elected officials to sneak out of meetings incognito. Businesses care about public perception, too. A Twitter group called Sleeping Giants has successfully convinced hundreds of companies that support the alt-right website Breitbart to stop advertising with them.

In our hyper-wired world, a cellphone recording has become a key tool of protest movements and citizen journalists alike. Getting something on the record, no matter how enthusiastic or milquetoast, is a victory for advocates of all political persuasions. Its almost impossible to know whats going to gain traction on social media. And Congressional officials know this, too.

At the same time, however, Trump opponents in particular need to encourage open dialogue and reward those officials willing to embrace it. This is especially true whenas we saw from South Carolina Rep. Mark Sanford, who hosted a four-hour discussion with anti-Trump constituents over the weekendsuch a move comes from unexpected quarters.

Obviously, violence runs counter to any protests aims. Not only does violence risk damaging the material interests of innocent bystanders, but, as Erica Chenoweth recently wrote, states have easily exploited the appearance of violent flanks to re-assert their legitimacy and suppress larger nonviolent dissent.

Most importantly, Trump protesters will need to persevere. Trump and members of his administration are already claiming that protesters, in an echo of the Tea Partys initial upswell, are little more than paid shills. Thats good news for protesters, at least; it means Trumps team is rattled.

Resistance movements may be built on hope, but the successful ones are also built on a pushback that authorities cant ignore. Ultimately, this means that resistance to Trump will only succeed if it manages to combine tactics with temerity. This is month one of a long slog. It will only succeed if constituents get out the vote for special elections, if they can cohere at every event and every town halland if they can engage and recruit non-traditional allies along the way. After all, as one of the most popular signs at the January Womens March in Washington read, Lots of straight white guys hate Trump too.

Follow Casey on Twitter at @cjcmichel. Learn how to write for Quartz Ideas. We welcome your comments at ideas@qz.com.

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A comprehensive guide to resisting Trumpripped straight from the Tea Party playbook - Quartz

2/23/2017 6:00AM Transcript

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... the ... to read stories of the week has been the way people have been turning out to meetings out in the country ... that lawmakers members of the House and members of the Senate are heading ... back to their home states in the home district ... to protest Donald Trump to protest Trump policies ... to basically go in the attack to some extent against Republican lawmakers at their town hall meetings back home ... give this movement has been dismissed by the White House among some Republicans as ... especially something as manufactured a people who are turnout by organizers on the left who are generating these crowds ... and are certainly some truth to that there is deftly some organizational owns ... behind these people who are turning up at town halls ... but they're also two other factors at work in a probably ... would give Republicans pauses to think about this ... the first is is true that there's some organizational effort to turn out people at these town hall meetings but people tend not to show up just because some is ask them unless they feel some passion in such an extent people are showing up ... to demonstrate passion about unhappiness with the Donald Trump immigration ban for example ... or with the way Republicans are trying to repeal Obamacare you have to see that a summit in genuine not manufactured ... the second thing is that well this movement has been compared to some extent with the tea party movement that came sprung up on the right in twenty ten it has been a factor ever since ... there's one is significant difference only so far the tea party movement a lot of energy was actually directed at Republicans people in the tea party movement on the right side of the political spectrum or angry Republicans ... for not being sufficiently conservative or for not challenging President Obama sufficiently ... so far this movement this town hall angers been directed not at Democrats but Republicans people on the left not going after people in their own party the people of the opposite party and basically try to lay down some markers in that differ ways of the tea party itself while I think Republicans will probably dismiss some of this as manufactured and to some extent fake ... and not representing a majority of opinion in their own districts to show the elements of these town hall protests that think Republicans ... are going to have to take seriously ...

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Are Protesters the New Tea Party Movement? - Wall Street Journal (subscription)