User:FranklinBarbosa/sandbox

The Tea Party Patriots is an American political organization and a faction within the Tea Party movement. Ideologically, the Tea Party Patriots is a conservative organization that believes in Libertarian values. The organization was founded by Jenny Beth Martin, Mark Meckler, and Amy Kremer in March 2009. The following month, the Tea Party Patriots officially gained its non-profit status. At its inception, the Tea Party Patriots started with only a few local groups and today it includes over 2200 local groups. The sizable membership of these 2200 groups makes the Tea Party Patriots the largest Tea Party group. As of August 2010, there are “115,311 online members on its main website”. Of this membership, roughly 63% are male, 31% are female, and 6% choose not to identify. The mission statement of the Tea Party Patriots is “to attract, educate, organize, and mobilize our fellow citizens to secure public policy consistent with our three core values”. The three core values of the Tea Party Patriots are: Fiscal responsibility, Constitutionally Limited Government, and Free Market Economics. These three principles are shared by many of the Tea Party factions. It is a common belief in these principles that led to the kinds of protests and rallies that sprung up after the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and amid discussions over healthcare reform. Within the Tea Party movement, the Tea Party patriots are the most grassroots in nature. “Despite its size, Tea Party Patriots budget is considerably smaller than FreedomWorks”. This is because the funding for the Tea Party Patriots comes from the generous donations of its membership, which is predominantly comprised of middle-aged, middle-class Americans. On the other hand, FreedomWorks is funded and led by wealthier political operatives. Since its membership is the largest, the Tea Party Patriots is seen as the engine or muscle of the Tea Party movement. They are a leader within the movement because they have helped local Tea Party groups create an online presence and gain membership. In addition to that, they also help local groups organize rallies and thy provide training for the leaders of the local Tea Party groups