The Evolution of Wisconsin's Tea Party Movement

Written By: Timothy Dake  |  Posted: Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

When CNBC's Rick Santelli launched into his February 19, 2009 rant against the Obama Administration's reckless spending, he also launched a movement unlike any other in American history. While there have been long term, grassroots movements in our past, none has had the broad appeal that crosses generations, economic strata and, yes, despite the claims of the mainstream media, even races that the Tea Party Movement has shown.

The roots of the Wisconsin movement are deeper and older than February 2009 although they have their basis in the same complaints - taxes and government intrusion. Taxpayer groups such as the Brown County Taxpayers Association and the Pierce County Tea Party extend back for years and even decades prior to the recent movement with their focus having been on the abuse of public spending and taxing authority. Pierce County Tea Party has been holding named "tea parties" since long before the current trend took off.

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