The Teaparty of America --- Who Are The Founding Members and Co-Ordinators?

Guest Post by Ebbtide

Regarding this upcoming September 3 event. Does it strike anyone else as odd that this is an event sponsored by a shiny new group that has just recently sprung up? Or that the group has already cancelled a previously planned event? Or that, within a month of the September 3 event, they have totally changed the venue—not across the street or down the block, but to another town more than 30 miles away? And, if they’ve only had 200 or so responses, why did they move it?

Who is paying for this event, which is supposedly offering free admission? Did the original venue not charge them some kind of deposit that they have had to forfeit? Did the new venue charge a deposit? Did they have to get permits? Or arrange security?

When you change venues, you have to do a lot of prep work—traffic flow, vendor space, sound system, staging, etc. It takes a lot of time and work. One of my clients just did a simple ribbon-cutting event, and it involved about two months of prep and organization. Who is coordinating this upcoming gala?

Has there been any gnashing of teeth or concern among the sycophants who had already booked their hotels in Waukee and planned their adjunct events?

Something about this event seems very fishy.

1. A while ago, before the Disquis nightmare, someone suggested I check further into Teaparty of America, the group that’s sponsoring the 9/3 shindig in Iowa.

Here’s what I’ve found so far (jump in with more at any time)

There are four names on the website:

Ken Crow—founder

Charlie Gruschow—co-founder

Harlan Colt

Susan Geddes—Event coordinator

Let's start with Ken Crow.

He is the registrant of the site. Four months ago on

http://kencrow.hubpages.com/hub/POLITICAL-SCIENCE-INTERNS-NEEDED

he said website was still under construction—and would be up in 30-45 days. He also said: “We are not only going to endorse the members recommendation for that seat in Congress, we are going one step or two steps further. We are going to assist with funding of the campaign, put boots on the ground, provide that candidate with all media ( television ads, radio and news print ) and we are going to rally for that candidate. Thus making that candidate virtually unbeatable.”

Sounds like an ambitious undertaking.

According to whois

Domain ID:D161938527-LROR

Domain Name:TEAPARTYOFAMERICA.ORG

Created On:02-Apr-2011 23:00:36 UTC

Last Updated On:16-Aug-2011 21:34:23 UTC

Expiration Date:02-Apr-2012 23:00:36 UTC

Sponsoring Registrar:GoDaddy.com, Inc. (R91-LROR)

Status:CLIENT DELETE PROHIBITED

Status:CLIENT RENEW PROHIBITED

Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED

Status:CLIENT UPDATE PROHIBITED

Registrant ID:CR79641778

Registrant Name:Ken Crow

Registrant Street1:511 South 8th Ave

Registrant Street2:

Registrant Street3:

Registrant City:Winterset

Registrant State/Province:Iowa

2. More on Teaparty of America—second name on the site—Charlie Gruschow, co-founder.

Charlie was the founder of the Des Moines Tea Party, and, until around July 4, he was HERMAN CAIN’s Iowa field director.

“Charlie Gruschow, former leader of the Des Moines Tea Party, resigned from the campaign on Sunday “to pursue other interests.” Gruschow had been an early supporter and activist for Cain having been with him since last year even though he was only on the payroll since May.

“Gruschow was a direct line for Cain into the grassroots tea party base in the first-caucus state. He was the candidate’s first Iowa organizer, doing everything from picking the candidate up from the airport to planning meet-and-greet events. But even before resigning, Gruschow was conspicuously missing from campaign activity in recent weeks.

“Gruschow attributed his resignation to being “disappointed in some of the decisions that were made and some of the comments that were made by others,” and a campaign that had become “just too messy.” But Gruschow said he had no plans to sign on with another presidential campaign, despite severing his ties.”

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/58344.html#ixzz1VbORiafv

So, while Charlie was working for Cain, he was co-founding Teaparty of America, which now seems quite smitten with you-know-who.

“Charlie Gruschow, a co-founder of the Tea Party of America and one of the state’s most recognized Tea Party leaders is excited that Governor Palin is attending the event. “It’s huge, I don’t have any other way to describe it,” Gruschow told

TheIowaRepublican.com. “We were looking for someone who is respected and admired by Tea Party activists, and Governor Palin has shown a willingness to stand for the issues and principles that the Tea Party was founded on.”

How quickly they revise their thinking.

3. Number three on the Teaparty of America hit parade—Susan Geddes.

Geddes has a political consultant business, and is a home-schooling advocate. She was a big name in Huckabee’s 2008 Iowa campaign (was even mentioned in his book)

But what a fickle supporter.

As of April 26, she was backing businessman Herman Cain for president. “I decided several months ago that our country could not afford another career politician,” Geddes said.

Then, on August 2, Susan Geddes, announced this am as Tim Pawlenty's Warren County coordinator, ran the state Senate campaign last year of Kent Sorenson, the same Kent Sorenson who is heading Michele Bachmann's Iowa campaign.

And now, as Teaparty of America Event Coordinator, Susan Geddes told ABC News that despite the organization only being a few months old, she found it easy to get Palin to sign on to the September event.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/60500.html#ixzz1VbSL2ViQ

Quite the little gadfly, our Susan.

Next up—Harlan Colt

4. The fourth horseman of Teaparty of America is Harlan Colt. He doesn’t have a “title” on the website, and I couldn’t find much about him. It appears that he responded to Ken Crow’s hublink when Crow was starting things up and claims to have worked in media for about 15 years. Couldn’t find much more of interest.

So, to recap Teaparty of America—one of the co-founders was already a big Teaparty name in Iowa, and was working for Herman Cain when he got involved. One had been a big player for Huckabee in 2008, then worked for Cain, then Pawlenty and now found it easy to get Sarah to participate in their little event. This for a group that just started a few months ago. Something just doesn’t seem right. Any thoughts?