A year ago, when the Tea Party movement first stirred to life, ithad to shout to be noticed, with big public rallies that drew thousandsof conservatives to places like Fountain Square and VOA Park in WestChester - citizens angry about government bailouts, billions of taxdollars for economic stimulus and political parties that didn't seem tobe listening.

Now, though, the speech-making over loudspeakers to angry throngsseems to have given way to a much quieter form of protest - one inwhich Tea Party activists, here and across the country, are trying toeither take over or gain a foothold in the political parties from theground up.

They are doing it here by the hundreds by filing ascandidates in the May 4 primary election for the office of precinctexecutive, the lowest rung of the political party structure.

"It'sthe place where you can have the most impact,'' said Mike Wilson, thefounder of the Cincinnati Tea Party. "It's one thing to talk to theparty leaders about change. It's another thing to actually be the partyleadership and make the change from within."

It is a strategythat has worked elsewhere - Tea Party activists essentially took overthe Nevada Republican Party earlier this month; and, in Florida, theywere successful in forcing out a state party chairman who was seen astoo centrist.

A Tea Party takeover of a county party organizationwould, no doubt, result in a far more conservative party organizationthat would likely field candidates who are hard-liners on taxes andspending.

Wilson and other Tea Party leaders - working with aloose affiliation of conservative groups like Ohio Liberty Council andthe Cincinnati 9/12 project - have traveled around Southwest Ohio overthe past few months holding meetings where they give Tea Partyactivists a PowerPoint crash course on how to run for precinctexecutives.