AFP state director says Tea Party movement real, deep, but future TBD
4/13/2010

Mark Block says it may take a few years of perspective to figure out what exactly the Tea Party movement accomplishes.

“I think we’re all trying to get our hands and handle around — what is this movement and where is it going? Can it be sustained?” Block said this week in a WisPolitics interview.

Block, the Americans For Prosperity-Wisconsin state director, has had a front row seat as the movement has sprouted and taken root. AFP Wisconsin sponsored the first series of events last year on tax day, April 15, which drew thousands around the state, including an estimated 5,000 at the state Capitol.

A second annual tax day rally is scheduled for Thursday, and Block is hoping this year’s numbers can match last year’s.

But he says the Tea Party movement is neither a subsidiary of AFP Wisconsin nor a branch of the GOP.

“We were very fortunate, Americans for Prosperity. When this movement exploded last year on April 15, we were in position to have the infrastructure in place to kind of give direction to those independent groups,” Block said. “We give them advice. Do we control them? Absolutely not. The day that happens is … the day that the movement will die. Then the movement just becomes another party, becomes a Republican or Democrat party. And I don’t think that’s what the people across Wisconsin are looking for right now.”

Block commended Republican Party of Wisconsin chairman Reince Priebus for listening to the concerns of Tea Party activists and reaching out to them. But that outreach isn’t coming from all GOP quarters.

“There are some Republicans around the state of Wisconsin that quite frankly don’t get it. They don’t understand that this movement, for whatever this movement ends up being, is for real and it’s very deep. They look at groups like Americans for Prosperity as competition. And they shouldn’t. They should embrace us,” he said.

At the same time the Tea Party movement has exploded — Block estimates there are 65 to 70 separate Tea Party groups across the state — so has AFP Wisconsin’s membership. It’s risen to more than 50,000 in the last year, making it the state’s second largest grassroots organization, after WEAC.

Block is pushing for membership to reach 100,000 by July 4. Membership in AFP Wisconsin is free, and the organization is funded through donations, most of which fall in the $150 to $200 range.

Accusations that the organization is funded by Washington, D.C., interests or big oil or insurance companies is “a misperception,” Block said.

“All the things that we do in Wisconsin come from Wisconsin donations or donors,” he said, estimating he spends 60 percent to 70 percent of his time fundraising.

Block, a member of the Republican Party of Waukesha County, agrees that the views of Tea Party activists are more in line with Republican principles.

“If you want to describe being fiscally responsible as a Republican principle, the answer is yes,” he said.

But he said that doesn’t mean a Democrat won’t get support from Tea Party members.

“You have to look at the candidate,” he said. “Is (Dem state Rep.) Bob Ziegelbauer somebody who would be supported by a voter that’s fiscally responsible? I’d answer that `yes.’ Are there other Democrats that are running for office that are fiscally responsible? Absolutely. I think you’re going to see the electorate really take a look at what candidates are saying and what they’re standing for.”

Block said he’s expecting “a Tsunami of epic proportions” this November – though he admits there’s a long way until November. After that, it will be up to the activists to keep the momentum going.

“Will the Tea Party movement hold these people accountable like they should have during the Bush Administration and prior administrations on the spend-and-tax spree that we’re on?” Block said. “It would be very disappointing to me for all of the work and energy and resources we’ve put in to building Americans for Prosperity in Wisconsin to have everybody go home in November and let somebody else watch the store.”

Listen to the interview with Block:
http://www.wispolitics.com/1006/100406Block.mp3