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 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 government or any ot ...

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 A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

founded by

American conservative Conservatism in the United States is a political and social philosophy based on a belief in limited government, individualism, traditionalism, republicanism, and limited federal governmental power in relation to U.S. states. Conser ...

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 B ...

, who had previously created the

blog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...

''The Next Right'', and libertarian Eric Odom, an internet marketer living in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

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 entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

, their members strongly favored further drilling and supported the

Republican 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 ...

revolt on the issue. Founders Odom and Ruffini intended for their website to work as a clearinghouse of information for the Republicans.Conservative online activists launch '#dont Go' Web site
By Martina Stewart.

CNN.com CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

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 groups, DontGo,

FreedomWorks FreedomWorks is a conservative and libertarian advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. FreedomWorks trains volunteers, assists in campaigns, and encourages them to mobilize, interacting with both fellow citizens and their political representat ...

, and

Americans for Prosperity Americans for Prosperity (AFP), founded in 2004, is a libertarian conservative political advocacy group in the United States funded by Charles Koch and formerly his brother David. As the Koch brothers' primary political advocacy group, it is one ...

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

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'' 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, 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. He served as a federal prosecutor and as a Congressman. He represented Georgia's 7th congressional district as a Republican from 1995 to 2003. Barr attai ...

supporter with libertarian leanings, opposes too much

involvement with their protests. Notably, he turned down a request from

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. Political action committee, political committee that assists the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republi ...

Chairman

Michael Steele Michael Stephen Steele (born October 19, 1958) is an American political commentator, attorney, and Republican Party politician. Steele served as the seventh lieutenant governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007; he was the first African-American ...

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