HAWAII TEA Party Protests: Photos: 2,000 Rally against Tax Hikes at Capitol, 300 in Kona, 150 in Hilo, 100 in Lihue, 100s in Kahului

by Tim Phillips, Americans for Prosperity

Liberal elites said we were losing steam.  Media pundits claimed the tea party movement "had run its course."  MSNBC and many leading Democrats trashed us as racists, bigots, bitter angry extremists and worse while claiming our fellow citizens were rejecting us.  Radical leftist groups planned "tea party crashing" counter-events. 

But yesterday, you and hundreds of thousands of our fellow Americans demonstrated anew the passion of a conservative movement determined to take back our nation.

In Madison, Wisconsin 12,000 cheering activists staged one of the biggest rallies in state history.  AFP state director Mark Block called me with the crowd roaring in the background to say, "Tim, Wisconsin is going to lead the way this year."

Madison, Wisconsin Tea Party

In the heartland of Kansas City 10,000 tea partiers turned out - even bigger than last year - and in Oregon at least 30 tea parties swept that deeply blue state, with 3,000 folks even turning out in Salem.     

Kansas City Tea Party

Mark Meckler and the Tea Party Patriots welcomed thousands more in Sacramento, California while Amy Kremer and the "Tea Party Express" rolled into Washington, D.C. for yet another huge event in our nation's capital - I'm sure Speaker Pelosi was thrilled.

I could go on and on but you get the picture.  In fact, get a load of these pictures!

At Diablo Stadium in Tempe, Arizona I stood with thousands of grassroots activists filling up the baseball stadium and sang "God Bless America."  A father, grandfather, Army veteran and job-creating businessman, Foster Friess, told the crowd how we will win if we fearlessly and joyfully stand on our values - ignoring the slurs and attacks from the Left and winning over our fellow Americans one by one with the force of our ideas.

AFP President Tim Phillips at the Tempe, Arizona Tea Party

In yesterday's email I asked you for your thoughts and pictures from the tea parties and boy did you respond.  Here are just a couple of responses.

- "I am somebody who is not normally 'involved in politics' but I was stirred up..." - Dylan from NC

- "I am a member of the Tea Party and know real changes are long overdue....Being a small business owner I have lost 80% of my business over the past 5 years." - Steve from Oregon

- "We are 100% committed to this conservative movement and will be certain to vote that way." - Miriam from Connecticut

President Reagan often said that we "have it within our power to make our nation new again," and I'm telling you we do.

The American people are looking for principled leadership and bold ideas.  Forget Washington, D.C.  It's not there and our fellow citizens know it.

The leadership they're looking for, the bold ideas they want - they're right with you and other Americans just like you. 

We've just got to seize this moment.  With days like yesterday, we're well on our way.

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PS:  Click here to go to our website to see pictures and coverage of yesterday's tea parties and rallies across the nation.

HAWAII TEA Party Protests: Photos: 2,000 Rally against Tax Hikes at Capitol, 300 in Kona, 150 in Hilo, 100 in Lihue, 100s in Kahului