Tea Party divide: Some complain of being ‘ignored’ by RNC, while others warn of being ‘hijacked by GOP.’

By Faiz Shakir

The “tea party” movement can’t seem to find a happy balance in its power-sharing relationship with the Republican Party. The Washington Times reports today that Dale Robertson, head of TeaParty.org, is complaining of being ignored by the GOP. “I have called into the RNC many times, and they still haven’t called me back,” Robertson said. “I’ve called them, lots of times. I called them this morning. I called them yesterday. It’s like they ignore you as they try to figure out a strategy on how to defeat you.” But some tea party organizers, like Texas-based Shane Brooks is advocating that tea partiers ignore the GOP. TPM’s Zachary Roth notes that Brooks has posted a YouTube video urging fellow activists to “boycott the National Tea Party Convention.” “We must not allow the Tea Parties and other patriotic grassroots movement to be hijacked by the GOP,” Brooks wrote. Watch it:

While the RNC can’t seem to return Robertson’s phone calls, it is more than happy to pander to the tea partiers. Last May, RNC Chairman Michael Steele said, “‘Change…is being delivered in a tea bag. And that’s a wonderful thing.” More recently, Steele has said he “embraces” the tea party movement and has claimed he’d be a protester if he weren’t in his current position.