Fox is running a story, “Tea Party Slams Boehner and Ryan on Debt Ceiling.”  The store includes a picture of William Temple (whomever that is) who is stated to be “chair of the “National Tea Party Convention” (whatever that is) showing him dressed in a costume along with someone else dressed similarly.  Stunts like this do nothing but damage the Tea Party movement. Does he want to be taken seriously? He should not be  dressing like a fool. Taxes, debt etc are serious topics, and trivializing them does no good.

No one is ridiculing free speech here, but Temple trivializes the issues and hurts the tea party movement by dressing like a fool. If Obama or McCain had shown up dressed as a clown in 2008 or Darth Vader, who would take them seriously?  The answer is no one.

It is necessary that one be aware of how people perceive you and these gentlemen do not appear to be aware. Concentrate on ideas, not playing dress-up.  Not all press is good.  This is one example of an occasion when the ideas matter, not stunts.  It makes one question their judgement which is the last thing that the Tea Party needs.  Unless they are intentionally attempting to hurt the Tea Party.

There are numerous Tea Party groups, the National Tea Party Convention and William Temple are doing nothing but damaging the other groups.

The press will look for nuts like him in order to portray the entire Tea Party movement as old, out-of-touch, and touched.

Tea-Parties.com does not support stunts like this either.