A poster boy for the national Republican Party’s next generation of leaders told a crowd Thursday at Willis Park that it’s time to take America back, not just protest excessive taxes.

Lenny McAllister, a national conservative political commentator who regularly appears on CNN and FOX News, opened up his speech—which he had written just for the Bainbridge TEA party rally—by breaking some myths.

First, that no black people willingly come to tea party rallies, and that no tea party patriots willingly invite black people to a tea party. McAllister was invited by the local Tea party organizers, and that he was not compensated for his travels nor for speaking.

The next myth dispelled, he said, was not the tea party movement was any less than an honorable attempts by Americans who love their country to act with pride, not hate.

“Let me clarify for anyone willing to protest out of malice to derail this historic populist movement to take government in America back to the constructs of the Constitution: This Tea Party—and tea parties around the nation—will not tolerate your hatred, buy into your distractions and will not be stopped until government goes back to the primary focus of serving the American people, not its own selfish gain.”

McAllister said the tea party movement started with “Taxed Enough Already,” but advocated that it is not enough.

“We must move forward with the T-B-A Party: Taking Back America,” said McAllister, who was interrupted numerous times during his nearly half-hour speech. He and his wife, Lannie, and their young son, Neilan, stayed almost an hour more signing his book “Diary of a Mad Black PYC (Proud Young Conservative),” which was given away at the rally.

Organizers estimated that anywhere from 200 to 250 attended the rally.

“Taking back America means taking up the lamp of liberty on behalf of those that fought this good fight before us—and for those that seek to ensure that there is an America to give to generations after us,” McAllister said.

He cited the cap and trade legislation, which he said puts America at risk by not ensuring that other countries obey the same rules of business engagement.

He also said that this nation has a misguided philosophy that it can spend its way out of this economic mess from the top, such as the stimulus package. He also cited the health care debate as usurping the voices of everyday Americans.

“The move toward socialism at the top of the government structure in America threatens the republican form of government in the small towns of everyday America. If we merely focus on being a T-E-A Party, we will be successful. If we believe that we are T-B-A Movement, we will overcome—just as we did in the 1800s and the 1900s,” McAllister said. “This movement—T-B-A Movement—is about smaller government, bigger people.”

McAllister said the broader sense of taking back America “is about increasing the amount of prosperity and freedom in America. This is about having laws in place that allow our citizens to touch the American Dream and own their destiny in our nation. This is about having politicians in place that lead with humble, servant leadership—not politicians that vote for cap and trade legislation against the will of the people, vote for installing goverment-based health care plans against the will of the people, and support reconciliation in order to skirt the basic tenets of procedure of Congress.”

McAllister concluded, “We talked of T-E-A to protect our children and grandchildren financially, but now is the time to be historic to talk of T-B-A in order to defend our forefathers and our descendants for the vitality of the U.S.A.”

A native of Pittsburgh, McAllister now lives in North Carolina. He graduated from Davidson College, but he had dropped out of the college before returning and earning a diploma in 2002. When he did receive his diploma, he had his two other children with him.

Other speakers

McAllister was introduced by Shelia Lane, who also talked about Nov. 2 being the date that “We the people are coming.”

She also cited some statistics, noting that Thursday was the date federal income taxes were due.

“Today, 30 percent of Americans are dependent on some type of government assistance. One in eight relies on food stamps; in the 1970s, it was only one in 50,” Lane said. “Currently, transfer payments, which include Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, are 40 percent as large as all private wages and salaries combined.”

Other speakers were Bob Lane, Kathy Fowler, Roy Zimmerman, Anita Zimmerman and Keith Sellars. Carly and Bobby Forrester sang “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless America.”

Brenda Huggins did a skit, first coming out as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then taking off her wig and glasses to look like Sarah Palin.