The first round of Tea Party protests have been held. Now, what happens?

There are some additional protests already scheduled. The organizers of the original national movement are also talking about a new round on April 15, which is a Wednesday.

I like an April 15 date. It has symbolism and is far enough away that organizing the event should be far less hectic for the people doing that work. Those folks, in 44 plus cities, are owed a big Thank You for their work on the original set of protests. The only drawback is that it is not on the weekend. Working people cannot take time off even when they agree wholeheartedly with the cause.

We need to replicate the original protests in the same cities, with a few needing better venues. More media coverage and more folks attending. Remember, this is not, repeat not, just a Republican issue. Most Democrats and independents are going to get shafted by the stimulus package and they should be urged to participate.

We also need additional cities for protests. That means someone or a group of someones will have to step up and organize each event.

I cannot stress any more strongly that media is important. For suggestions about what needs doing, see the advice provided here.

Let’s please keep this a grassroots movement. The established political powers from both parties have little incentive to mend their ways. If you make this about Republicans versus Democrats, all you do is trade one set of big spenders and pork producers for another. Few politicians on either side of the aisle have clean hands when it comes to earmarks, pork, and wasteful spending.

Mark Tapscott has some suggestions about the future of the Tea Party movement. He is correct that the leadership of the Republican Party must be brought into agreement with the membership of the Party. We cannot tolerate the old way of doing things in Washington and in our state capitals. Our money, our future and that of our children and grandchildren are at risk.

Eric Florak says it well:

Call it what you will , but conservatives organizing protests is something unheard of in recent times. That it happens at all with conservatives, is a huge story. we expect the left to be generating these kind of things. Not the right.

It’s also true that that lack of protest over the years, probably accounts for a large part of the amateurish nature of the whole thing.

This is out of character for conservatives. That they do reach so far out of their character to do things like this, indicates the degree of anger going on. As I’ve suggested before in these spaces, anger is something which is not to be underestimated, as motivation.

I suspect this is going to be a turning point in our history . I have very little in the way of doubt that these organizations will continue to grow and learn and gain influence.

Mountain people will tell you that avalanches start with something as small as a raindrop , or a pebble.

There are more protests being organized nationwide. Keep looking at these sites for more information:

New American Tea Party
Pajamas’s Media

Christian Science Monitor coverage

From Glenn Reynolds

some thoughts from human-rights blogger Robert Mayer:

I just want to offer you and the tea party protesters some words of encouragement. As someone who has studied (and blogged) protest as an act of democratic revolution and people power in the post-Soviet area, I know a lot about the dynamics of mass civil society unrest, government transition, etc…

What we are seeing now is truly huge POTENTIAL for massive civil unrest against the American government gone lunatic with spending. Realistically, 400-1000 people at a protest, even at a dozen protests across the country, will do nothing to change the minds of our idiot leaders.

However, it creates the POTENTIAL that each protest could have a million. The Orange Revolution in Ukraine did not start out with two million people camping in tents in downtown Kiev. It started with only a few hundred diehard activists.

Here is a list of places to see the results from today’s Tea Parties, and to follow up on those activities.

PHOTOS

• Pereiraville – Orlando FL
• Un-Liberaled Woman – Chicago IL
• Michelle Malkin – a variety of locations
• diggz6873 – San Diego – not a separate set for now
• TCUnation – St. Louis – not a separate set for now
• jmdurbin – St. Louis
• Collection from various sites on TCOTTV
• chuckdevore – Washington DC
• Bullneck – Washington DC – not a separate set for now
• str8jacket_atl – Atlanta GA
• bigcat32 – Cleveland OH
• jlilyea – Washington DC – not a separate set for now
• she_knits_at_traff ic_lights’ – San Diego – not a separate set for now
• melanieann79 – Lansing MI – not a separate set for now
• Pixel & Verse – Chicago IL – not a separate set for now
• bour3 – Denver CO

• Tampa Bay Online
• Detroit Free Press
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch
• MSNBC
• WOWT Omaha NB
• KTRK ABC13 Houston TX
• Contra Costa Times

• New American Tea Party
• Pajamas Media American Tea Party Coverage
• Tips for Tea Party Organizers on the Media
• Sunlight Foundation
• Citizens Against Government Waste

• Twitter search
• RSS feed for current blog posts on Tea Party
• Nationwide Chicago Tea Party
• American Tea Party
• Top Conservatives

• San Francisco Chronicle politics blog
• Huffington Post
• Tapped

If you don’t see anything, this has been taken down at YouTube once already.

LOCATIONS:

• Boston – Friday, February 27, 2009 noon, The Barking Crab Restaurant, 88 Sleeper Street, Boston
• Hartford, CT – Friday, February 27, 2009 12:00pm – 1:00pm, State Capitol
• New York City – Saturday, February 28, 2009, 2:00pm – 3:00pm, City Hall Park, New York
• Buffalo, NY – Friday, February 27, 2009 12:00pm, Lafayette Square in downtown Buffalo
• Philadelphia – Friday, February 27, 2009 12:00pm – 1:00pm, Independence Hall
• Washington D.C. – Friday, February 27, 2009 12:00pm – 2:00pm White House on the Lafayette Square Park side
• Pittsburgh – ***May be postponed due to rain *** Friday, February 27, 2009 12 pm – 1 pm, Market Square

• Atlanta – Friday, February 27, 2009 12:00pm – 1:00pm at the Georgia State Capitol Building ~ Downtown Atlanta Washington Street Exit
• Fayetteville – Friday, February 27, 2009 12:00pm – 1:00pm, Liberty Point Resolves Marker, downtown Fayetteville, Hay Street
• Asheville, NC – Friday, February 27 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, Pritchard Park, Corner of Haywood St. and Patton Ave.
• Columbia, SC – TBD
• Greenville, SC – Friday, February 27, 2009 6:00pm, on the banks of the Reedy River and on the walking bridge just west of Main Street
• Orlando – Friday, February 27, 2009 12:00pm – 1:00pm on Lake Eola across from Panera Bread
• Tampa – Friday, February 27, 2009 12:00pm – 1:00pm, Federal Courthouse, 801 N. Florida Ave., Tampa
• Gainesville FL – Friday, February 27, 2009 2:00pm – 6:00pm, Ale House, 3950 SW Archer Rd
• Fort Meyers Beach – Friday, February 27, 2009 11:30am – 1:00pm Bowditch Park, 50 Estero Blvd., Fort Myers Beach
• Sarasota – Friday, February 27, 2009, 12:00pm – 1:00pm, Island Park and Marina Jacks, Bayfront Drive (41) and Ringling Blvd, Sarasota
• Nashville – Friday, February 27, 2009 12:00pm – 1:00pm Legislative Plaza
• Shelby County Alabama – Friday, February 27, 2009 12:00pm – 1:00pm, entrance to Eagle Point Neighborhood, Highway 280
• Jackson, Miss – Friday, February 27, 2009 12:00pm – 1:30pm, On the steps of the Capital Building in Jackson

• Cleveland – Friday, February 27, 2009 12:00pm – 1:00pm Public Square in Downtown Cleveland, 1 Public Square
• Chicago – Friday, February 27, 2009 11:00am – 12:20pm at
  Daley Plaza Civic Center, 50 W Washington St.
• Lansing, MI – Friday, February 27, 2009 12:00pm – 1:00pm, State Capitol bldg
• St. Louis – Friday, February 27, 2009 11:00am – 12:00pm The Steps of Arch, Wharf Street
• Springfield, MO – Friday, February 27, 2009, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, Lake Springfield Park
• Kansas City – Saturday, February 28, 2009 10:00am – 2:00pm J.C. Nichols Foundation, 47th and J.C. Nichols Parkway K.C. MO
• Wichita, Kansas – Friday, February 27, 2009, 11:30am – 12:30pm, Farm Credit Bank Building, 245 N. Waco
• Omaha – Friday, February 27, 2009, 11:00am – 12:00pm, Douglas County Courthouse, 16th and Farnam St, Omaha
• Davenport, Iowa – Saturday, February 28, 2009, 12:00pm – 1 pm, Corner of Brady & Locust Streets, Davenport

• Austin – Friday, February 27, 2009, 11:00am – 12 pm, Capitol steps
• Dallas – Friday, February 27, 2009, 11:00am – 12 pm, Victory Plaza at the American Airlines Center
• Fort Worth – Friday, February 27, 2009 3pm to 7pm at the Cowtown Bar & Grill, 7108 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth
• Houston – Friday, February 27, 2009 11:00am – 2:00pm, Fondren Green at Discovery Green Park, in front of Amphitheatre
• San Antonio – Friday, February 27, 2009, 11:00am – 12 pm, Alamo Plaza
• Oklahoma City – Friday, February 27, 2009, 11:00am – 12:00pm, State Capitol Steps, Oklahoma City
• Tulsa – Friday, February 27, 2009 11 am to 1 pm, Veteran’s Park, 21st & Boulder
• Phoenix – Friday, February 27, 2009, 10:00am – 11:00am, State Capitol, 1700 W Washington St, Phoenix
• Tempe AZ – Friday, February 27, 2009 noon, Tempe Beach Park, west of the Mill Avenue Bridge

• Denver – Friday, February 27, 2009 10:00am – 12:00pm Colorado State Capitol Building – West side steps 200 E. Colfax Ave.

• Seattle – Friday, February 27, 2009, 12:15pm – 1:15pm, Westlake Park, 410 Pine St. by the big arch
• Portland – Friday, February 27, 2009 9:00am – 10:00am Pioneer Courthouse Square @ the corner of Broadway & Morrison (in front of the STARBUCKS), 715 SW Morrison St
• San Diego – Friday, February 27, 2009 9-10 am, Just north of the Star of India on San Diego Bay
• Sacramento CA – Friday, February 27, 12 Noon, California State Capitol, North Steps, L Street, Sacramento
• Los Angeles – Friday, February 27, 2009, 9:00am – 10:00am, Santa Monica Pier
• Orange County – Friday, February 27, 2009, 9:00am – 10:00am, Huntington Beach Pier

Here is a list of online resources for the growing revolt against the stimulus package, the proposed government fix for those not paying their mortgages, pork busting, and other government waste issues.

Tips for Tea Party Organizers on the Media. If you look no farther, please read this before you start organizing.

Twitter search

Pajamas Media American Tea Party Coverage

American Tea Party

Nationwide Chicago Tea Party

Pajamas’s Media

Sunlight Foundation

Citizens Against Government Waste