Press Release August 24, 2011

NH Tea Party Coalition
www.nhteapartycoalition.org
603.471.0138
August 24, 2011

For Immediate Release:

NH Tea Party Coalition Statement on Request for Resignation of Jack Kimball

Regarding the regrettable situation where some are calling for State Party Chair Jack Kimball’s resignation, we have this to say: Our relationship with the State GOP has always been, and remains, cordial but SEPARATE. We do not strive to overtake the GOP, nor do we seek to be absorbed by them. We continue to work on conservative issues of similar interest but only in parallel to the Party. While a tea party supporter from our group currently serves as Chair, he has not consulted with our organization since his election.

We also understand and respect the scope of the Chair’s duties, and the limitations of the State Party as outlined by the State Party bylaws and are not looking to interfere with that day-to-day process.

We regret any difficulties the Chair has encountered. We hope that he will be able to sort out any conflicts that are preventing him from executing his duties. We have not declared ‘war’ with the GOP and hope all parties employed by that office can get to work doing the job they have been hired to do.

About the Coalition

The NHTPC was formed in late 2008 by a few members of one of our supporting groups. Other groups were later invited to join as a show of strength and support for the tea party movement which began in 2007 and gained wider popularity in 2009. Almost 50 long-standing and new NH groups are currently members, with one person from each group to sit at the Coalition. Once any organizer runs for and/or is elected to an official office, or goes to work for a candidate for pay, he or she must substitute another person to represent his or her group to the Coalition’s meetings and planning sessions.

The Coalition is not candidate-centric, but issue-oriented as our mailings show. Our goal is to work together within the grassroots on issues that are important to conservative activists, while motivating and educating them on the political process. We do not endorse candidates or collect money, nor do we get funding. Each group is autonomous but shares things such as information, publicity for each other’s events or collaborates on events. There is no one “head”. These are a few of the basic parameters upon which the groups of the Coalition have agreed to operate.
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Note: Some of you may have received a phony ‘press release’ from a phony tea party with the words ‘granite state’ in the domain name. This is not a legitimate tea party, but a sole individual from outside NH, repeating the same attacks and threats on the GOP that we decry. Please ignore it.
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Addendum: We have been asked by some of the groups in our Coalition, which serves as a sort of ‘better business bureau’ for the protection of the movement, to clarify our positions, seeing as some of our groups’ organizational rules require them to be non-partisan, and refrain from involvement in partisan activities. See #4 and parts in bold. Groups that support the tea party MOVEMENT and have joined our Coalition, have discussed and agreed upon these principles:

1) The Coalition was formed to demonstrate the wide support for the tea party ‘movement’ from a number of NH groups of all types. (About 50) There are no anointed leaders or job titles. Every group has its own rules and functions on its own as it would. Their membership in this Coalition merely shows support for the general movement. We are not affiliates of any of the so-called national groups that have sprung up after the fact, and we do not get funding from them or anyone.

2) The Coalition does not endorse candidates but focuses on issues and activism. The eBlast that is sent to people who sign on never promotes candidates. When people sign up, it is always suggested that they join one of the groups in their area as well. We also do NOT share their email addresses with campaigns or any other organization.

3) The Coalition does not accept funds as a Coalition. (Koch conspiracy theorists won’t be happy to hear that fact but it’s a fact)

4) The Coalition will remain cordial but SEPARATE from the GOP while working on issues of common interest. We have no desire to take over, be overtaken by or merge with the GOP despite the fact that many of our individual members may be part of the GOP or any other political party. We also do not want to form a third party.

5) The Coalition plans and shares events of all the groups and sometimes plans events together. One person from each group represents that group at the Coalition. If that representative gets elected to office, or goes to work for pay for a candidate, they are required to send a different person to represent their groups to our planning sessions/mailing list.

6) Our internal Coalition list messages for the above mentioned organizers are never to be forwarded to anyone outside of the organizers as they are not to be construed as official statements to our members but respected as private email conversations. Only the eBlast is sent to the subscribers.