In response to the formation of a Tea Party Party in Florida, I wrote last week that I didn't think it was a good idea for the Tea Party movement to become a political party.

The strength of the Tea Party movement is in holding all parties accountable, especially for fiscal responsibility.  We should seek out, encourage, support and endorse candidates who hold our values regardless of party.

I think it's time to begin building a strategy for what the Tea Parties can and should do to bring this nation back to a path of fiscal responsibility and limited, constitutional government.  Here's a list of activities for a start:

• Activist recruitment/training
• Education on issues
• Promoting Tea Party values
• Voter registration
• Communication with parties & candidates
• Promoting specific candidates

The first three are already being done throughout the country.  There are something over 800 local Tea Party organizations.  That is an unprecedented rise in grass-roots activism.  We've organized rallies, marches and demonstrations.  We've flooded our elected representatives with email, faxes and phone calls.  We've caused many of them to cancel town hall meetings and turn off their answering machines--not a good thing to be sure, but a predictable response from those who weren't in office to represent us in the first place.  read more »