[citation needed] The 9-12 Project grew out of that campaign, as a result of the original call Beck took on his nationally syndicated talk radio show, from "Ed" of New Haven, Connecticut.

During that phone call in late January, 2009, "Ed" said that he felt "outnumbered" (as a true conservative in today's political battles).

[10] In an interview before the 2016 US presidential election, Beck stated that while the 9-12 Project had often been conflated with the Tea Party movement, it had actually been set up in opposition to it.

[12][13][16] For instance, in Murphy, North Carolina, a meeting of self-proclaimed 9-12 Project members was held on August 29, 2009 "to plan how to elect their own representatives to the U.S. House and decrease the size and control of the federal government over the lives of American people".

[15] Another event, in Salt Lake City, Utah, on September 12, 2009 (9-12-09), featured several speakers, from activists to conservative public officials.

Dubbed "Operation: Can You Hear Us Now", the project was started with the aim of protesting against a liberal bias in the mainstream media, and called for more honest reporting in journalism.