I was contacted shortly after posting Charles Jackson's article "Georgia Tea Parties' Police Targets GOP" this morning and am pleased to present this rebuttal written by Bill Evelyn the Director of the State of Georgia Tea Party.

Mr. Jackson fails to understand what has transpired between the tea parties and the Republican party over the past two years. This could be the reason for some incorrect statements in his article.


Mr. Jackson writes: “The shot gun wedding between the Tea Party and the Republican Party after the 2010 midterm election has been consummated. It definitely wasn't a match made in heaven.” What Mr. Jackson calls shot gun wedding was actually a disciplined strategic action to recapture a political party in order to progress tea party ideology. This plan was rolled-out on December 11, 2010.


Dean Kelley, Director of the Northwest Georgia Tea Party, and I developed a plan to fundamentally transform the Republican Party with tea party values. Grassroots tea party members were keen to participate in the Mass Meetings, but they lacked confidence. A spark was needed to motivate the grassroots to engage in the process. That spark came late in November 2010.


Ms. Trisha Pridemore announced her intentions to seek the Chair of the Republican Party in November 2010. Shortly thereafter Ms. Sue Everhart announced her intention to seek an unprecedented third term. Admission by Ms. Everhart that she embraced tea party inclusion was key to her victory.


On December 11th, I sent a stinging Email Letter to the Editor to 132 news rooms and copied all GOP District and County Chairs denouncing Ms. Everhart's qualifications for a third term. Within twenty minutes Ms. Everhart replied asking me to call her. I waited several hours to respond in order to allow the bevy of expected insulting responses from GOP District and County Chairs to trickle-in. The level of disgust and disdain by the GOP establishment for the tea party was evident in all these Emails. I called Ms. Everhart that evening to get her to state that she embraced the tea party. The next morning I alerted the tea parties of Ms. Everhart's support and forwarded those disdainful emails from the GOP establishment. This was the week most tea party's were having their annual Christmas Party and what better topic than GOP establishment disgust for tea partiers.


Tea Party leaders across the state read the disdainful emails from their District and County Chairs. The outrage was universal and energized members across the state to engage and stand behind Ms. Sue Everhart's candidacy.


Newspaper articles ridiculing my Letter to the Editor pushed the sympathy vote to Ms. Everhart and branded Ms. Pridemore (Governor Nathan Deal's establishment candidate) as the polar opposite of Ms. Everhart (the tea party candidate). Ms. Pridemore tried to capture the grassroots moniker, but it never stuck. Ms. Everhart won a third term with the votes of the tea partiers that were motivated to participate and attend the state convention.


So, Mr. Jackson is absolutely wrong when he makes the statement; “Unelected Tea Party police chieftains are calling the shots.” May I remind Mr. Jackson it was the grassroots tea partier that was elected in their precincts and as delegates to the County, District, and State Conventions. These elected tea partiers are responsible for Ms. Everhart's re election and helping to write and mold the party platform of the Georgia GOP.


Mr. Jackson then goes on to say; “They demand acquiescence to their agenda and intimidate Republican officeholders adhere to it or face a primary challenge. The Tea Party purist police - with their rigid ideological orthodoxy - presume to know who's a "true" conservative. Now various Tea Party groups, most notably the State of Georgia Tea Party, wants to purge the GOP ranks of heretics.” This is an absolutely false statement.


While 2011 was the year of the Tea Party in the Georgia GOP; 2012 would be the year of the primary. Dean Kelley and I started working on the next step in our plan. Energizing grassroots tea partiers to primary bad Republicans. All we did was introduce the concept of primarying Republicans; established an independent funding apparatus (Peach Tea PAC), and set up training for interested candidates. While I welcome purging the GOP ranks of RINO's, the RINOs selected for primarying come from the grassroots. Not a single Republican targeted for primarying was selected by “The Tea Party purist police”, all were selected by grassroots tea partiers in their respective districts including Speaker David Ralston.


Finally Mr. Jackson writes; “ The Tea Party's a malignant Achilles' heel on the body of the Republican Party.”  Nothing could be further from the truth. In the latest Insider Advantage Poll in Georgia 2 of 3 Republicans identify with tea party values. By infusing the Republican Party with tea partiers and ridding the Republican Party of RINO's that reject tea party values, only strengthens the Republican Party in Georgia.   It will motivate more Republicans to vote to crush Democrats across the state.


Mr. Jackson's says: “I was an early, enthusiastic supporter of the Tea Party movement. Its essential belief in limited government and individual freedom form the core of conservative principles. The group's message of low taxes, deficit reduction and fidelity to the Constitution resonated with me.”


This is suspect.