Tea Party Express Town Hall   ...1 of 2 >
Feb. 8, 2011--Amy Kremer, chair of the Tea Party Express, introduced a town hall hosted by Tea Party Express and Tea Party HD at the National Press Club.  Sens. Mike Lee (UT), Rand Paul (KY) and Orrin Hatch (UT) and Reps. Alan West (FL), Steve King (IA) and Michele Bachmann (MN) received an enthusiastic reception from about 200 activists.  The legislators outlined their activities and priorities for the 112th Congress and took some questions.  High on the list were defunding ObamaCare and cutting spending.  For example, Sens. Lee and Paul, who constitute two-thirds of the newly formed Senate Tea Party Caucus (the other member is Sen. Jim DeMint), have introduced a balanced budget amendment; Sen. Hatch has as well, a different bill.  Sen. Lee, who took out his pocket Constitution several times during the evening, emphasized that, "This is a movement that's not going away."  "We're right, and we will win."  Kremer vowed, "We are going to continue to build this movement."  "We're here to support you to make those tough decisions," she said.  
Sen. Hatch, a 34-year veteran in the Senate, was a somewhat incongruous fit on stage among the Tea Party firebrands.  He did a short interview with Anthony Loiacono, CEO and founder of Tea Party HD, before the town hall started.  Hatch is up for re-election in 2012 and would like to avoid a challenge such as the one that ousted his colleague Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) in 2010.  Sal Russo, chief strategist of the Tea Party Express, has worked for Hatch in past.
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