Tea Party Organizers to RNC's Michael Steele: Don't Go

If you haven't heard already, there are going to be a series of demonstrations on April 15 protesting against higher taxes, federal bailouts and wasteful government spending. The Tea Party movement, as its called, is an organic campaign that pretty much sprung up from the conservative (and libertarian) political grassroots.

Hundreds of rallies are scheduled across the country with the standard array of right-minded speakers inspiring the troops. Locally, the Evergreen Freedom Foundation is holding a rally in Olympia and another in Spokane. (We'll be having coverage of some of the local events in the next few days.)

One person who is not welcome to sip a little Lipton is Republican National Chairman Michael Steele. Organizers of the aptly named "Don't Go Movement" have rebuffed him, flatly denying his request to speak at the Chicago Tea Party event.

A press release by the group sums up the anti-Steele sentiment.

"Steele hasn't shown any interest in this movement until now, until the cameras are rolling. We denied his invitation. In addition, this is a nonpartisan event, not an RNC event."

Eric Odom, Director of the DontGo Movement, said in his letter to Steele's people, "...We're still excited to know that Chairman Steele will be in Chicago and we hope, after knowing that he'll be in the city, that he'll stop by and mingle with the Americans who will be rallying on April 15th. This will also present a fantastic time for Chairman Steele to LISTEN to what we have to say and perhaps gather some thoughts on what the RNC needs to be doing moving forward."

Oh snap!

Since being selected as the GOP chair last January, Steele has been a non-stop gaffe machine and a target of political bloggers from the left and right. The most famous of these, in March, was his attempt to throw radio host Rush Limbaugh under the bus by saying his show was ugly and incendiary on, of all places, CNN's "D.L. Hughley Breaks the News".

Boiling Kettle: And as should be noted, the Tea Party movement is an organic movement in the fact that there isn't a single organizer of all these events. For example, EFF in Olympia isn't taking its marching orders from the Don't Go Movement in Chicago, who isn't consulting with groups in Denver or D.C. or elsewhere.