Saturday, April 18, 2009

VIDEO REPORT: ThinkProgress Reports From Virginia Tea Parties

On Wednesday, ThinkProgress traveled to Lynchburg and Charlottesville, Virginia to witness the tax day ‘tea parties.’ Victor Zapanta compiled a short video report on the protests. Watch it:

Former Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA), a speaker at the Lynchburg rally, launched into a tirade against “illegal immigrants.” Goode declared, “The next thing Obama and his followers in the House and the Senate want to do is tell the illegals ‘come on, we’re going to give you another amnesty.’”

George Caylor, another speaker featured in the film, and a radio show host on local ESPN and Lynchburg talk radio, said:

CAYLOR: The next American revolution begins here and begins tonight. […] Yesterday a friend of mine gave me a report from Homeland Security telling the FBI that people who are unhappy with government spending, the tax code, the general dismantling of our country, with supporting illegal immigrants with tens of millions of tax dollars, that you may be dangerous people. [audience cheers]

AUDIENCE MEMBER: We might be!

CAYLOR: I pray to God you are.

As ThinkProgress has noted, corporate front groups like Americans for Prosperity took a leading role in organizing the tea party protests across the country, including the ones in Virginia. Americans for Prosperity is financed with oil industry money and is run by Tim Phillips, a former partner in Ralph Reed’s lobbying firm.

About 40 Republican lawmakers and Governors attended the protests on Wednesday.

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