FrankRep
02-04-2010, 03:31 PM
The national convention sponsored by Tea Party Nation convened on February 4 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
It organizers announced shortly before the convention opened that about 600 people had registered for the event — billed as “the First National Tea Party Convention” — that runs through Saturday, February 6. by Warren Mass
Tea Party Convention in Nashville (http://www.jbs.org/jbs-news-feed/5927-tea-party-convention-in-nashville)
Warren Mass | John Birch Society (http://www.jbs.org/)
04 February 2010
The national convention sponsored by Tea Party Nation convened on February 4 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Its organizers announced shortly before the convention opened that about 600 people had registered for the event — billed as “the First National Tea Party Convention” — that runs through Saturday, February 6. Though tickets to the general convention events were sold out prior to the convention, the organizers were still offering tickets to the $349-a-plate Saturday night lobster dinner at which the keynote speaker is former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
Two other conservative/constitutionalist political figures, U.S. Reps. Marsha Blackburn (R. Tenn., The New American’s most recent Freedom Index Score: 100%) and Michelle Bachman (R-Minn, TNA FI Score: 90%) each announced during the week before the event that she would not make her scheduled appearance at the convention. Both cited concerns about House ethics rules governing sitting members of Congress accepting speaker’s fees.
In “Why I'm speaking at Tea Party convention,” her article posted on the USA Today commentary forum on February 3, former Governor Palin wrote:
I look forward to meeting many Americans who share a commitment to limited government, common sense and personal responsibility. This movement is truly a grassroots, organic effort. It's not a top-down organization; it's a ground-up call to action that already has both political parties rethinking the way they do business.
Correctly identifying the Tea Party movement as not a centrally directed organization but as a grassroots effort, Palin added:
But participation won't be limited to those in Nashville who have a ticket. It's much bigger than that. Because the Tea Party movement is spread out across the country — with no central offices or annual events — this is an opportunity to connect with like-minded folks. Yes, there will be speeches given in a room in Nashville. But we'll also be speaking with thousands of Americans watching online at twitter.com/SarahPalinUSA (http://www.jbs.org/twitter.com/SarahPalinUSA), or through various news outlets. And the conversation will continue on my Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/sarahpalin) page.
NewsChannel 5 in Nashville noted that “Some people have been critical of [Palin’s] involvement, citing a reported $100,000 speaking fee....” However, in her column, Palin wrote:
I will not benefit financially from speaking at this event. My only goal is to support the grassroots activists who are fighting for responsible, limited government — and our Constitution. In that spirit, any compensation for my appearance will go right back to the cause.
A February 4 ABC news report headlined “Whose Tea Party Is It? Nashville Convention Stirs Debate (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/tea-party-nashville-convention-stirs-debate/story?id=9741637)” quoted several individuals who expressed opinions about who — if anyone — is entitled to claim leadership of the Tea Party movement or organize national events that suggest that such centralized leadership exists. One such individual, Dan Riehl, identified only as a conservative blogger, opined: "Nobody really is entitled to stand up and say, 'This is the National Tea Party' anything.”
The report also quoted Dale Robertson, who claimed he's been leading the Tea Party effort "longer than anybody else," having created the website teaparty.org (http://teaparty.org/aboutus.html) a year before the first anti-stimulus Tea Parties began in 2009.
But Phillips did not take issue with the way the organizers of the Nashville event billed their convention.
"I mean, a name is just a name. It's just a marketing thing," Robertson told ABC news on February 3 from his East Texas home. While he did not criticize the event, itself, Robertson did disagree with the choice of Sarah Palin as the keynote speaker.
"She hasn't been a part of this movement at all and she doesn't seem to be suffering at all, as many of these patriots who've been donating their time, their money and their resources."
Robertson also addressed Palin's assurance that she would give all compensation from her appearance “right back to the cause,” noting:
"But she's giving money back to the machine, right? Republicans."
In his article for The New American online, “Tea Party Poopers: Weakened Convention Set to Start Thursday (http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/2883-tea-party-poopers-weakened-convention-set-to-start-thursday),” Joe Wolverton II noted:
The first prominent point of disagreement between the leadership and the ranks is the cost of attending the convention. An all-access ticket to the convention is priced at $549, while a pass to attend the keynote address to be delivered by Sarah Palin is set at $349. “It’s become clear to me that Judson [Phillips, one of the event’s principal organizers] and his for-profit Tea Party Nation Corporation are at the forefront of the GOP’s process of hijacking the tea party movement,” said Kevin Smith, a Tea Party activist from Nashville. “How can I honestly object to this same behavior in my government and demand they clean up Washington when I am unwilling to risk the personal and political injury it takes to expose the fraud, corruption, and deceit to which I am privy?” he asked.
Conservative, libertarian, and constitutionalist activists should not become discouraged by apparent differences of opinion among their allies in the fight to restore constitutional government to America, however. Strong differences existed even among our early Founders, especially between Hamilton and Jefferson.
The Tea Party movement has shaken up American politics, and if it helps counter the neoconservative stranglehold on the Republican Party, it will likely serve a useful purpose in helping to bring better representation to Washington.
Though in-fighting may exist among the Tea Party movement, that is a natural consequence of the fact that it is not a monolithic movement, and cannot engage in unified concerted action. However, there is another nationwide group that is monolithic and was designed precisely to do the heavy lifting in the fight for constitutional government that garden variety “conservative” movements cannot do. That group, fighting for family and freedom since 1958, is The John Birch Society.
SOURCE:
http://www.jbs.org/jbs-news-feed/5927-tea-party-convention-in-nashville
It organizers announced shortly before the convention opened that about 600 people had registered for the event — billed as “the First National Tea Party Convention” — that runs through Saturday, February 6. by Warren Mass
Tea Party Convention in Nashville (http://www.jbs.org/jbs-news-feed/5927-tea-party-convention-in-nashville)
Warren Mass | John Birch Society (http://www.jbs.org/)
04 February 2010
The national convention sponsored by Tea Party Nation convened on February 4 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Its organizers announced shortly before the convention opened that about 600 people had registered for the event — billed as “the First National Tea Party Convention” — that runs through Saturday, February 6. Though tickets to the general convention events were sold out prior to the convention, the organizers were still offering tickets to the $349-a-plate Saturday night lobster dinner at which the keynote speaker is former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
Two other conservative/constitutionalist political figures, U.S. Reps. Marsha Blackburn (R. Tenn., The New American’s most recent Freedom Index Score: 100%) and Michelle Bachman (R-Minn, TNA FI Score: 90%) each announced during the week before the event that she would not make her scheduled appearance at the convention. Both cited concerns about House ethics rules governing sitting members of Congress accepting speaker’s fees.
In “Why I'm speaking at Tea Party convention,” her article posted on the USA Today commentary forum on February 3, former Governor Palin wrote:
I look forward to meeting many Americans who share a commitment to limited government, common sense and personal responsibility. This movement is truly a grassroots, organic effort. It's not a top-down organization; it's a ground-up call to action that already has both political parties rethinking the way they do business.
Correctly identifying the Tea Party movement as not a centrally directed organization but as a grassroots effort, Palin added:
But participation won't be limited to those in Nashville who have a ticket. It's much bigger than that. Because the Tea Party movement is spread out across the country — with no central offices or annual events — this is an opportunity to connect with like-minded folks. Yes, there will be speeches given in a room in Nashville. But we'll also be speaking with thousands of Americans watching online at twitter.com/SarahPalinUSA (http://www.jbs.org/twitter.com/SarahPalinUSA), or through various news outlets. And the conversation will continue on my Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/sarahpalin) page.
NewsChannel 5 in Nashville noted that “Some people have been critical of [Palin’s] involvement, citing a reported $100,000 speaking fee....” However, in her column, Palin wrote:
I will not benefit financially from speaking at this event. My only goal is to support the grassroots activists who are fighting for responsible, limited government — and our Constitution. In that spirit, any compensation for my appearance will go right back to the cause.
A February 4 ABC news report headlined “Whose Tea Party Is It? Nashville Convention Stirs Debate (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/tea-party-nashville-convention-stirs-debate/story?id=9741637)” quoted several individuals who expressed opinions about who — if anyone — is entitled to claim leadership of the Tea Party movement or organize national events that suggest that such centralized leadership exists. One such individual, Dan Riehl, identified only as a conservative blogger, opined: "Nobody really is entitled to stand up and say, 'This is the National Tea Party' anything.”
The report also quoted Dale Robertson, who claimed he's been leading the Tea Party effort "longer than anybody else," having created the website teaparty.org (http://teaparty.org/aboutus.html) a year before the first anti-stimulus Tea Parties began in 2009.
But Phillips did not take issue with the way the organizers of the Nashville event billed their convention.
"I mean, a name is just a name. It's just a marketing thing," Robertson told ABC news on February 3 from his East Texas home. While he did not criticize the event, itself, Robertson did disagree with the choice of Sarah Palin as the keynote speaker.
"She hasn't been a part of this movement at all and she doesn't seem to be suffering at all, as many of these patriots who've been donating their time, their money and their resources."
Robertson also addressed Palin's assurance that she would give all compensation from her appearance “right back to the cause,” noting:
"But she's giving money back to the machine, right? Republicans."
In his article for The New American online, “Tea Party Poopers: Weakened Convention Set to Start Thursday (http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/2883-tea-party-poopers-weakened-convention-set-to-start-thursday),” Joe Wolverton II noted:
The first prominent point of disagreement between the leadership and the ranks is the cost of attending the convention. An all-access ticket to the convention is priced at $549, while a pass to attend the keynote address to be delivered by Sarah Palin is set at $349. “It’s become clear to me that Judson [Phillips, one of the event’s principal organizers] and his for-profit Tea Party Nation Corporation are at the forefront of the GOP’s process of hijacking the tea party movement,” said Kevin Smith, a Tea Party activist from Nashville. “How can I honestly object to this same behavior in my government and demand they clean up Washington when I am unwilling to risk the personal and political injury it takes to expose the fraud, corruption, and deceit to which I am privy?” he asked.
Conservative, libertarian, and constitutionalist activists should not become discouraged by apparent differences of opinion among their allies in the fight to restore constitutional government to America, however. Strong differences existed even among our early Founders, especially between Hamilton and Jefferson.
The Tea Party movement has shaken up American politics, and if it helps counter the neoconservative stranglehold on the Republican Party, it will likely serve a useful purpose in helping to bring better representation to Washington.
Though in-fighting may exist among the Tea Party movement, that is a natural consequence of the fact that it is not a monolithic movement, and cannot engage in unified concerted action. However, there is another nationwide group that is monolithic and was designed precisely to do the heavy lifting in the fight for constitutional government that garden variety “conservative” movements cannot do. That group, fighting for family and freedom since 1958, is The John Birch Society.
SOURCE:
http://www.jbs.org/jbs-news-feed/5927-tea-party-convention-in-nashville