College Republicans attend Tea Party rally
Speakers addressed national and local political issues.
Published Sept. 14, 2010
The College Republicans took a road trip to the "Gateway to November" St. Louis Tea Party on Sunday at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial under the St. Louis Gateway Arch.
Amanda Swysgood, vice chair for social events, was among the approximately 20 members of the College Republicans who attended.
"Sometimes we volunteer with different candidates or just in general for the Tea Party," Swysgood said.
According to stlouisteaparty.com, the Sept. 12 Tea Party was sponsored by the St. Louis Tea Party, the Tea Party Patriots and News Talk/97.1 FM. Speakers addressed national and local political issues. "Gateway to November" was the last nationally coordinated Tea Party before the November elections, according to the website.
Swysgood said the significance of holding the St. Louis Tea Party on Sept. 12 was to honor America after Sept. 11.
The St. Louis Tea Party also served as an outlet where Republican candidates could have tables selling and giving away things, said Swysgood. There were parades and concessions as well.
Professor Bill Horner, director of the Undergraduate Department of Political Science at MU, said Tea Parties typically consist of a variety of different organizations on the local and national level.
"I suppose they are conservative advocacy groups that clearly don't agree with things the Obama administration has done, and they seem to feel the Republican Party has not been strong enough in standing up to the Obama administration," Horner said.
Swysgood said the event was the fifth or sixth party she has been to.
"This was a bigger one because it was weekend-long thing, so more people came," she said.
College Republicans Co-Chairman Brett Dinkins said a few people within their group hosted a Tea Party in Jefferson City two years ago. Dinkins said the point is not who hosts a Tea Party, but rather to get people involved who have never had an active role in politics before. He said there are no specific platforms for tea parties, and people are not members, just participants trying to be actively involved in politics.
"The point is to get people out with conservative viewpoints," Dinkins said. "They're getting out and they're talking."
Horner said he feels it is very useful for young people to get involved in events like tea parties.
"I think it's a good idea for young people to get involved in politics," Horner said. "It's still true that young people are less likely to vote than any other age group."