This weekend is the first Tea Party Convention. So far, two things are clear:
1. A LOT of people are upset with how this government is being run.
2. The Tea Party has ZERO organization.
To give you an indication of how strong the movement is, check out this article.
From MSNBC.
Blink
Blink
Here’s what’s clear: This is pure people-driven politics facilitated by the Internet. This is an ideological mix of libertarianism and conservatism with the common denominator being lower spending and smaller government. This is a loose collection of citizen groups with no leader but many voices. And this is the product of long-simmering anger.
Not one word, not one, about this movement being fringe or a bunch of kooks. There is growing acknowledgment that people, many people, are upset with how things work in Washington right now. And these people are mobilizing.
Personally, I love it. Even if it splinters the Republican party to a degree, I would be happy seeing more of a focus on Role of Government and Fiscal Management.
Let’s just hope these guys don’t succumb to the very things that they are fighting:
The convention itself has had its controversies. It’s a for-profit gathering organized by Nashville lawyer Judson Phillips at the sprawling Gaylord Opryland Hotel
and Convention Center, where vendors hawk mementos that include tea-bag necklaces for $89.99.
Some would-be attendees balked at the $549 ticket price and Sarah Palin’s $100,000 fee to give the keynote address Saturday night, worried the cost was sullying the grass-roots image and preventing activists from attending. Two featured speakers — Republican Reps. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee — pulled out, citing ethics concerns.
Stay true people, stay true.