Tea Party Group Cries GOP Foul in Web Ads

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The Republican Party is silencing Donald Trump, Newt Gingrich, and Sarah Palin at its Tampa convention. At least, that's the visual message presented by TheTeaParty.net, a conservative group that's running ads on Drudge Report and presumably elsewhere online in the hopes of gathering email addresses and donations.

In the ad, big name Republicans, many of whom ran unsuccessfully for president in the GOP primaries, are pictured with red tape covering their mouths. "These voices should be heard at the Republican Convention. Let Them Speak," declares the ad, which features Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann, and Allen West, along with Trump, Gingrich, and Palin.

The ad leads to a petition-style page that exclaims, "Yes! I want our Tea Party leaders to speak at the Convention!" The page goes on to state, "The RNC's blatant attempt to silence TEA PARTY voices and ignore the historic success of the Tea Party since 2009 is not only outrageous -- it threatens to hand this election to Barack Obama and further bankrupt our country."

The ad leaves out former presidential hopeful Ron Paul, who has also been ignored on the GOP's convention speaker roster.

Though the message aims to convince conservatives that the Republican Party is shutting out tea party leaders, the group is clearly seeking fresh email addresses. As always, the goal is to continue building a supporter list to contact in the future for donations and ultimately, to get out the vote - mainly against President Obama - in November.

The organization is also promoting a rally it plans to hold on Sunday at The River Church in Tampa.