Rick Barber's Must-Watch Tea Party Ad: "Gather Your Armies"

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Campaign 2010

Rick Barber, a Tea Party-affiliated candidate for Congress in Alabama's second district, released an ad Sunday in which he angrily tells men dressed as America's founding fathers that Americans are being taxed without representation, prompting the George Washington character to soberly intone that the time had come to "gather your armies."

Check out the ad above, and be sure to watch all the way through.

"And I would impeach him," Barber, sitting at a table in an empty bar, says as the spot begins. "And if that's not enough - some of your men own taverns. Sam [Adams], you were a brewer, Mr. President, a distiller. You know how tough it is to run a small business without a tyrannical government on your back."

(Credit: YouTube)

"Today, we have an internal revenue service that enforces what they call a progressive income tax," he continues. "You'll love this. Every year, if not every quarter, we're basically required to spy on ourselves. Report what we earn, who we hire and fire, with an all powerful separate court system. Without representation they could increase taxes, add costly regulations, or perform malicious audits."

According to his website, Barber is a proponent of the so-called "FairTax," which would replace the federal income tax with a national sales tax. The "all powerful separate court system" he refers to appears to be the U.S. Tax Court.

Back to the ad: As the camera shows a Revolutionary War-era pistol resting on the table, and the George Washington character tapping his fingers, Barber goes on to say "that same IRS" is going to "force us to buy health insurance - cram it down our throats, or else."

"Now I took an oath to defend that with my life," Barber continues, jabbing his finger on a copy of the Constitution sitting on the table. "And I can't stand by while these evils are perpetrated."

"You gentlemen revolted over a Tea tax - a Tea Tax!" he says, voice rising as Washington, Adams and Ben Franklin stare intently across at him. "Now look at us."

At this point, the camera zooms in on Washington, his chin resting in his hand in a moment of contemplation. "Are you with me?" Barber asks.

Replies Washington, a look of disgust and anger on his face, speaking slowly and deliberately: "Gather your armies."

Washington's response doesn't seem to make a lot of sense historically, as the Washington Post notes.

"President Washington presided over, and approved, the first tax levied by the federal government -- the 1791 whiskey tax," points out David Weigel. "When the tax met resistance, he approved the assembling of militias to enforce the law and mobilization of agents to collect the revenue."

Earlier this month Barber forced a runoff in the GOP primary, winning about 28 percent of the vote against preferred establishment GOP candidate Martha Roby, who did not get the 50 percent necessary to avoid a July 13th runoff despite outspending Barber 7-1. The Alabama Tea Party express has backed Barber in the runoff. The seat, in a heavily Republican district, is currently held by Democratic Rep. Rep. Bobby Bright.

In an earlier video, Barber railed against Islam and complained that "the Obama administration wants to call 9/11 a man-caused disaster." (Watch above.) He goes on to complain that "Muslims want to build a mosque just two blocks from where the World Trade Center once stood."

Barber's ad is the latest in a string of striking ads to come out of Alabama Republicans in the 2010 campaign cycle. Among them: Tim James' "We speak English" spot; Les Philips' forged Obama photo ad; Dale Peterson's angry horse-and-Winchester spot; and the ad from the state teachers union attacking Bradley Byrne for allegedly believing in evolution.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by magoo2u1 June 16, 2010 7:05 PM EDT: If you really want to watch something scary, spend 5 minutes watching that nutcase GlennBeck. I did, and he's scarier than a week long Nazi festival on the History channel. All I can say is: " Wow, holy s__t". How do they let him on the air? Wow. If I saw him walking down a dark alley , I'd look for some Crips to hide behind.; Reply to this comment


by patrickvee June 15, 2010 2:55 PM EDT: one more thing, that congressman wannabe, Barber, should be worried about his state since it borders the gulf of mexico, but no, he is worried about falacies, untruths, or, FAKE OUTRAGE!!!! HE'S A JOKE!; Reply to this comment


by TooComplex June 15, 2010 12:17 PM EDT: Just another violent, hate-filled Republican...; Reply to this comment

by miamina June 15, 2010 11:14 AM EDT

I see, then if Armies is a direct reference to an armed revolt, perhaps the Salvation Army is a threat. How about gather those of like minds so that we can be heard? Is Obama really going to solve the oil crisis by literally kicking someone's ass? Do you understand hyperbole. If you think that refers to an armed insurrection, there's no hope for you. How did Rand Paul get into this? People who want less government and more freedom are not all Libertarians. As a conservative it might surprise you to know that I don't think there is any place in the federal government for laws for or against abortion. The federal government needs to get it's nose out of everything except protecting the population from foreign or domestic harm and the infrastructure they have created. Everything else should be done by the States. If they fund it they run it, yet they have no accountability.

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by patrickvee June 15, 2010 2:52 PM EDT: wow, I am just sick by the hate ya'll have against the gov't... are you guys for real? It's simple... You can't call our president ******, so you join the tea party. That man, Rick Barber is sooooo angry that it's unbelievable.. it's scary actually! We all know why, it's because he's a racist pig and as a white male, I'm embarrassed by his behavior. You know what, right now, it's the dems turn to stear, maybe in four years (doubtful the way ya'll are acting) it might be the republicans turn to stear... it's called democracy... Oh, wait, we can't even call it democracy anymore, well in texas anyways, cause it sounds too much like democrats. It's simple, you guys are out of control and all this blatent racism is backlash for having a black president. Damn, he's no al sharpton or jesse jackson.. he's a good educated family man... oh, and give up on this crazy **** about the big gov't this and the "he's taking away our guns" it's rather pitiful and you all are laughing stocks of us sane people... The real shame, is you people are doing your kids such injustices by passing down the hate and intolerances, their lives will be sooo much more difficult.. they will be the minority and not accepted by mainstream.


by miamina June 15, 2010 11:02 AM EDT: Whose responsibility is it to determine whether or not you can afford to buy a house? They figured they would buy the house now they couldn't afford, just pay a percentage of the interest and when the home was worth 20% more, they would sell it and make a profit. When housing stopped going up they were caught. Realtors who loaned them money under the table and then had them refinance, banks who were told they had to make low income funding available for housing, and in the end the person who thinks short term, instead of 'what if'. If I knew you were going to build a condo on my head, I would know I couldn't sustain that, so yes, it would be my fault.; Reply to this comment

by miamina June 15, 2010 10:52 AM EDT

Give me back my contributions and my employer's contributions over the 35 years I worked and you can have my SS check. I paid my own premiums for health insurance for many years, and having an HMO, I could still do that also. You really need to be prepared for the eventuality that there will be no SS or Medicare in the future. I didn't have a choice, those things were deducted from my paycheck. If you don't prepare to take care of yourself, you'll be on that rooftop in New Orleans.

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by patrickvee June 15, 2010 3:20 PM EDT: if you hate this country so damn bad... SEE YA!!!!!!! what a damn whiner you are!!!! little beaitch


by wyodutch June 14, 2010 10:15 PM EDT: I hate those Tea Party people. They want to cut off my government checks. Don't they understand that without my government checks... I'd have to find a job?
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Forget the Tea Party... give me the good old Republicans or Democrats... They know what I need.; Reply to this comment


by wyodutch June 14, 2010 10:12 PM EDT: Ignore those T Party people who are always griping about the government.
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Miracles DO happen! I saw on the news just today that over in Afghanistan... Where we have had over a thousand of our working class kids come home in boxes... That we miraculously found a TRILLIOPN dollars worth of ore and minerals!
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If GOD wasn't on the side of the government... would He have cast all those pearls at our swine-feet?; Reply to this comment


by user000049586849302948602 June 14, 2010 9:25 PM EDT: Ding, ding, ding. Sound the retreat, George. Looks like we're surrounded by a mental case.; Reply to this comment


by miamina June 14, 2010 8:04 PM EDT: So maybe the government should stop spending so much. And by the way if you want this 'regressive, flat sales tax' not to hit the middle class you can not pay it by not purchasing that 56" television set. You need to learn the difference between what you NEED and what you WANT. We have a 9 3/4% sales tax here and I found a way to keep using my old refrigerator in spite of all the new gadgets on the new ones.; Reply to this comment