Gainesville Tea Party rally draws more than 1,000

The Gainesville Tea Party held its first rally Saturday, which apparently was a success.

Karianne Williams, president of the group, told The Gainesville Sun that its "main objective is to educate our members about the Constitution, our Founding Fathers, liberty. Our other main objective ... is vetting candidates. We want to pull out information for our group and the community so they know more about who they are electing." The Gainesville chapter will not endorse candidates, she said.

The Sun reports about the rally below:

More than 1,000 people from across North Florida who are concerned about government spending, regulations and other issues converged in Gainesville for the first official rally held by the Gainesville Tea Party.

Politicians and political activists called for a decrease in the size of government and an increased focus on the U.S. Constitution, which some believe is being subverted by current lawmakers.

"As we face barbarism at the gate ... we need you, brothers and sisters, for this fight," said Tom Gaitens, field coordinator for FreedomWorks. "We need to spotlight members of both parties who care more about their 40 pieces of silver than the Constitution, more about their 40 pieces of silver than doing what is right. We know we were founded as a nation of Christian principles -- were we not? -- and we were gifted this great nation. As stewards of this great nation, we need to stand strong together."

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