Much has been written about how the Tea Party movement is simply an extension of the GOP, but I never really bought that argument. As my colleaugue Dan Testa has reported previously, the rallies – at least locally – attract an eclectic group whose concerns range from deficit spending to social issues. In April, Testa wrote:
As the movement enters its first election year it remains a mystery to political observers of every persuasion what the concrete impacts of the Tea Party will eventually be. The grassroots, decentralized nature of the Tea Party movement gives it strength, yet makes it nearly impossible for the group to speak with a unified voice on specific issues.
So when the Helena-area Big Sky Tea Party dismissed its president Tim Ravndal following a Facebook post that suggested he condoned violence against homosexuals, an intra-Tea-Party fight was almost inevitable. Here’s the post in question, which has since been removed:
Tim Ravndal: Marriage is between a man and a woman period! By giving rights to those otherwise would be a violation of the Constitution and my rights
Keith Baker: How dare you exercise your First Amendment Rights!
Dennis Scranton: I think fruits are decorative. Hang up where they can be seen and appreciated. Call Wyoming for display instructions.
Tim Ravndal: “@Kieth, OOPS! I forgot this aint America no more! @Dennis, Where can I get that Wyoming printed instruction manual?”
Dennis Scranton: Should be able to get info Gazette archives. Maybe even an illustration. Go back a bit over ten years.”
It certainly appears to be a reference to the brutal 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student who was beaten, tied to a fencepost and left to die. The board of directors for the Big Sky Tea Party called a meeting Sunday and removed Ravndal from his presidency.
For his part, Ravndal apologized and said he “never made the connection” to Shepard’s murder and does not “condone violence to any human being.” And Tuesday, several members of the Tea Party group called for Ravndal’s reinstatement, which the board now says it will consider Monday.
Meanwhile, at least one board member, Roger Nummerdor, said if Ravndal “stays a member, I will have to step down from the organization.”
Either way, it’s a black eye for the Tea Party movement in this state and somewhat reminiscent of when Mark Williams was kicked out of the National Tea Party Federation for a racist blog post.
Williams shrugged off the dismissal and said, “There is no tea party leadership; every tea partier is a tea party leader.”
True, but that’s not always a good thing.