DontGo (also commonly spelled in numerous other ways such as Don't Go, DontGO, and Don'tGO) is a

free market In economics, a free market is an economic market (economics), system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of ...

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...

non-profit group founded by

American conservative ''The American Conservative'' (''TAC'') is a bimonthly magazine published by the American Ideas Institute. The magazine was founded in 2002 by Pat Buchanan, Scott McConnell and Taki Theodoracopulos to advance an anti- neoconservative perspect ...

Patrick Ruffini Patrick Ruffini is a Republican Party pollster and political strategist in the United States. He founded Engage, LLC, a Washington, D.C.–based political media firm, and now runs the political research and intelligence firm, Echelon Insights. ...

, who had previously created the

blog A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries also known as posts. Posts are typically displayed in Reverse chronology, reverse chronologic ...

''The Next Right'', and

libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

Eric Odom, an internet marketer living in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

History

The group started during the August 2008 offshore oil drilling debate in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

, their members strongly favored further drilling and supported the Republican revolt on the issue. Founders Odom and Ruffini intended for their website to work as a clearinghouse of information for the

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

.Conservative online activists launch '#dont Go' Web site
By Martina Stewart.

CNN.com Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable new ...

Published August 5, 2008. Critics of the group accused it of taking contributions from

oil companies The following is a list of notable companies in the petroleum industry that are engaged in petroleum exploration and production. The list is in alphabetical order by continent and then by country. This list does not include companies only involved ...

. Eric Odom strongly disputes the charges, saying that he's "still waiting on those magical checks". Eric Odom has stated that "Our agenda is to declare war on incumbency and long term power. The group's mission statement on its website labels it "for anyone who supports free markets, low-taxes, low-regulation and personal freedoms."Objectivedontgomovement.com
Accessed April 14, 2009. Three

national conservative National conservatism is a nationalist variant of conservatism that concentrates on upholding national and cultural identity, communitarianism and the public role of religion. It shares aspects of traditionalist conservatism and social conserva ...

groups, DontGo,

FreedomWorks FreedomWorks was a conservative and libertarian advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. FreedomWorks trained volunteers and assisted in campaigns. It was widely associated with the Tea Party movement. The Koch brothers were once a source of ...

, and

Americans for Prosperity Americans for Prosperity (AFP), founded in 2004, is a Libertarian conservatism, libertarian conservative political advocacy group in the United States affiliated with brothers Charles Koch and the late David Koch. As the Koch family's primary pol ...

led the tea party movement in April, 2009, according to ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'' magazine, which referred to DontGo as a "tech savvy" "online rapid response team".

Projects

The group is instrumental in co-coordinating the

Nationwide Chicago Tea Party The Tea Party protests were a series of protests throughout the United States that began in early 2009. The protests were part of the larger political Tea Party movement. Most Tea Party activities have since been focused on opposing efforts o ...

, which led to the Tax Day Tea Party protests. It claims to have worked with 700 separate demonstrations. Odom, a

Bob Barr Robert Laurence Barr Jr. (born November 5, 1948) is an American attorney and politician who served as president of the National Rifle Association from 2024 to 2025. He previously served as a federal prosecutor and as a U.S. Representative, repr ...

supporter with libertarian leanings, opposes too much Republican involvement with their protests. Notably, he turned down a request from

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...

Chairman

Michael Steele Michael Stephen Steele (born October 19, 1958) is an American politician, attorney, and political commentator who served as the seventh lieutenant governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007 and as chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) f ...

to speak at the group's Chicago protest.The Tea Party Movement: Who's In Charge?
By Chris Good. ''

Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 ...

''. Posted April 13, 2009. After the snub, the

released a statement saying that "They're just having a little fun."GOP Chairman Michael Steele Denies Tea Party Claim
. By Paul Bedard. '' U.S. News & World Report''. Published April 4, 2009.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dontgo Political organizations based in the United States Non-profit organizations based in the United States Tea Party movement 2008 establishments in the United States