Tea Party vs. Tea Party in Florida

Travis Pillow of the Washington Independent identifies an odd "Tea Party vs. Tea Party" confrontation in Florida. One Tea Party group is accusing the other of being a fraud:

Back in October, a bitter feud broke out between the Tea Party Patriots and the Tea Party Express, with the former accusing the latter of aligning too closely with the GOP. Then, in March, the Tea Party Express alleged that Scott Ashjian, a self-proclaimed Tea Party candidate for U.S. Senate in Nevada, was a Democratic plant working to get Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) re-elected.

Now, the stage has moved to Florida, where an Orlando rally this weekend saw Tea Partiers criticizing the Florida Tea Party’s motives.

The rally, organized by Americans for Prosperity, brought together several dozen people to oppose the “big government policies” of Reps. Suzanne Kosmas and Alan Grayson, Florida freshmen on the Republican “hit list” of vulnerable Democratic incumbents. Speakers denounced excessive regulation and government spending, and several reserved special wrath for the Florida Tea Party, which they fear could hurt their side’s chances in November.

The long-simmering dispute between party and movement took on new significance last week as the party entered a spate of new candidates before Friday’s filing deadline. Activists claim the Democratic Party is behind many of the candidates.

Click here to read more.