Several people have pointed out an obvious reason that conservatives might have registered tea party domains last August--Ron Paul was fond of them. To be sure, I'm not sure that timeline works out either, but it's at least as plausible as believing that some entry-level activist started plotting this months and months ago.
Meanwhile, I've spoken with Brendan Steinhauser, the chap at FreedomWorks who has helped organize the tea parties. FreedomWorks has been, as far as I can tell, completely open about their interest in furthering the tea parties, which is not surprising because they've been completely open about opposing bailouts since before Obama took office. As Brendan describes it, he and FreedomWorks were calling for demonstrations against the stimulus even before it passed, but he got the teaparty idea from Michelle Malkin's blog. FreedomWorks emailed its members and set up a website to encourage people to join in. This seems like pretty standard political organization tactics.
Overall, I'm pretty surprised that Playboy let the piece go up, left it up so long, and then took it down with no notice. To be sure, bloggers speculate all the time. But they make it clear that that's what they're doing. And when it seems clear that they've made an error (and those assertions about the Koch family now seem to, at best, require some good sourcing), bloggers update their posts. They don't vanish them and hope that no one will notice. I'm contacting Playboy's offices for comment, but not holding out all that much hope.
Copyright © 2010 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All rights reserved.
And when it seems clear that they've made an error ...bloggers update their posts.
Apparently posted without irony.
You seem very invested in this topic. Hunting for a Pulitzer, or is there another reason?
Since Megan is beating them over the head pretty severely, that probably means Playboy doesn't have in their possession certain outtakes from Girls of the Ivy League, circa 1993.
Enough, already. Talk about inside the beltway. While you've spent your day digging into who gets credit for the "idea" of some dumb play on the Boston Tea Party and telling us Playboy's blog maybe isn't an altogether trustworthy news source, the stock market dove to its lowest level in 12 years. Move on.
I'm interested to see if there will be any follow up by the bloggers who championed this story.
Reading the thing again I just can't see Santelli or anyone else clearing the very high bar for a libel lawsuit.
OMG, of course it was the Ron Paul people who initiated the teaparty Ideas. There was one in 2008, as well as 2007.
In fact many teaparties are awash with rally for the republic Tee Shirts, and other Campaign for Liberty paraphernalia.
Of course, Ron Paul was the only candidate that called the crisis back in 2007. Perhaps you would want to reconsider some of your criticisms ?
To liberals people who disagree with them are not even human beings, except in the crudest biological sense, and they certainly don't have souls. So obviously a conservative protest would have to be a corporate conspiracy.
Paul's various groups had nothing to do with the recent Tea parties. However, now that we found them, we have more numbers waking up to liberty. Shocking to think that now as the economy is tanking more and more right wingers have time on there hands to get out in the streets and protest against taxes and big Gov't? The difference is these groups don't want anything from Gov't. While the leftists want and demand everything handed to them from Gov't. Can't wait for more tea parties.
"To liberals people who disagree with them are not even human beings, except in the crudest biological sense, and they certainly don't have souls. So obviously a conservative protest would have to be a corporate conspiracy."
Really???
I'm not really a liberal but that's just... stupid.
Go read any mainstream "Conservative" site like Malkin, Freepers or LGF and let me know how that goes if you want to talk whack jobs.
It's NOT a tea party.
It's a Tea ParTAY.
I think I can see Santelli in the background, riding shotgun...ride up on the fools, I say.
Sara: "I'm interested to see if there will be any follow up by the bloggers who championed this story."
http://exiledonline.com/cnbc-bitch-slaps-santelli-into-line-freedomworks-admits-it-organized-grassroots-tea-parties-jon-stewart-cancels-santelli-megan-mcardle-queefs-on-our-founding-fathers/
Have to say it sems like they totally pwned you on this, Megan. Freedomworks did organise the tea parties, metion of their involvment was taken of the various websites to make it seem grassroots, Santelli was not libelled in any way that would stand up in any American court.
Deal with it.
Stupid Jane Hamsher noticed familiar tactics she and her Townhouse email crew employ and fell for the Playboy scam too
http://firedoglake.com/2009/03/03/hello-suckers-cnbc-santelli-rant-rightorg-and-the-smell-of-astroturf-in-the-morning/
Through some cosmic coinkydink, Insty promoted what appears to be the same internship mentioned in the Playboy piece on 2/19:
pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/70327
Regarding FreedomWorks, they could have had a major impact on the stimulus if they'd been smarter. Instead, they were involved in sending Melanie Morgan to go "storm" Specter's office. She just ranted and did nothing useful. If they'd sent someone else and had had that person ask real questions, they might have been able to embarrass Specter enough that he might have changed his vote.
Meanwhile, I’ve spoken with Brendan Steinhauser, the chap at FreedomWorks who has helped organize the tea parties. FreedomWorks has been, as far as I can tell, completely open about their interest in furthering the tea parties, which is not surprising because they’ve been completely open about opposing bailouts since before Obama took office. As Brendan describes it, he and FreedomWorks were calling for demonstrations against the stimulus even before it passed, but he got the teaparty idea from Michelle Malkin’s blog.
The cruel, swearing, Liberal bloggers thank you.
You're dissembling again, McArdle.
As you mentioned, yes -- the timeline is off. What you didn't mention: The story broke well more than a month after the site was even registered. More to the point, it never included any content for Ron Paul and was set up two months after he ended his campaign.
Why the red herring of an entry-level activist? Playboy's article was abundantly clear that the Tea Party campaign was backed not by wet-behind-the-ears neophytes but experienced astroturfers.
I know you're not stupid. But that means the only other option is that you're throwing up a big cloud of chaff to cast doubt on things that are immaterial to the article's stance.
If you really want to throw down with the source over it, The Exiled is hosting the original article and several followups. They don't buy your act either.
Hey Megan, care to ask Peter why he doesn't work at FreedomWorks anymore? Tell him Sickle wants to know.