Connecticut Tea Parties show Joe Visconti the door

As I've written before and as all Tea Party members know, there is no test for membership and no copyright on the label. To be a Tea Party candidate all one must do is state that he or she represents the values of the Tea Party. Two recent "Tea Party" candidates that come quickly to mind are Richard Mourdock and Matt Bevin. Mourdock could best be described as a social conservative with a penchant for big government conservative solutions. Matt Bevin ran a hedge fund and did a superb job of concealing his true political convictions. Both candidates enjoyed the backing of some Tea Party members which only divided the party.
Connecticut's so called Tea Party candidate for governor Joe Visconti is a snake oil salesman of the first water and it looks as if the Connecticut Tea Parties have united to ride him out of the movement. A scathing FaceBook post reads;

Perhaps this is truly the most important point for you to consider. For five years we have stood together, rallied together, protested, plotted and planned together. We’ve grown from a few dozen to several thousand strong. We’ve moved from the street corner into the political process. We are now members of Town Committees, Boards of Education, Boards of Finance, City and Town Councils, State Representatives, and even a State Senator or two. We have managed to work our way into every level of politics and government. We have changed the conversation in this state in a profound way. Since 2010 every single political conversation has had to consider our ideals, our goals, our message. One of our steepest learning curves over these years is that we have to both keep our energy and our supporters focused on principle and avoid flaming out over singular elections. If we have learned anything over the last five years, it’s that this is a marathon, not a sprint.
We will get into the Governor’s Mansion in due time. We must live to fight another day, but your candidacy is tearing us apart. Consider what is happening on social media. We are sniping at each other in full view of the public. Friends and allies are no longer speaking in civil tones, if they are speaking at all.

And then the Dear John moment!

While we admire and respect your efforts, and those of your dedicated volunteers, if you continue in this race, you do so without the support of the majority of tea party, conservative and grassroots groups. We all stood together for over five years now. Today, we are standing together against your candidacy in this race.

Bravo! Right through the heart! That's about as clear as a non endorsement as one could ask for and reflecting a united Tea Party it is signed by everybody who is anybody in the Nutmeg State's Tea Party movement.

• Tanya Bachand, founder, New Haven Tea Party
• Bob MacGuffie, founder, Right Principles
• Art McNally, AKA Joe The Voter Woodbury, Former Member of the Hartford Tea Party
  Dale Dauphinais, Chairman, Quiet Corner Tea Party Patriots
• Jen Ezzell, founder, 2nd District Tea Party Patriots
  
• Pamela Kurtz, founder, Brookfield Tea Party
• Robin and Stan Emond, co-founders, Southington Tea Party
• John Beidler, co-founder, Southington Tea Party
• Cheryl Lemos, founder, Stratford Tea Party
• John Pepper, founder, Cheshire Tea Party
• Jerri MacMillan