Did Palin Have a Crib Sheet?

The Q&A portion of Sarah Palin’s appearance before the National Tea Party Convention was supposed to be a casual give and take of a few pre-submitted and pre-screened questions. We don’t know if Palin got those questions in advance but at one point during the session she seems to be reading something off of her [...]

Palin’s Speech

The Grand Ole Opry may have been next door but Sarah Palin preached to the choir on Saturday at the National Tea Party Convention and brought down the house. The two-day event, held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Hotel, had been a relatively placid affair – Tea Partiers learned how to social network and [...]

The Tea Party Goes Mainstream

The organizers of the National Tea Party Convention today announced that they will be forming a 501(c)4 corporation and related political action committee (PAC) to raise money to support 15-20 candidates for Congress or the Senate in the 2010 elections. “I have long said that the Tea Party movement doesn’t endorse candidates, candidates endorse it,” [...]

Tea and Crumpets

Here’s my take from the first day – which was mostly meet and greet. Later in the evening former Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo delivered a predictable speech on immigration reform and the health care bill – an updated version of his 2008 stump speeches during his short-lived presidential campaign — as the audience munched on [...]

Bring on the Tea

In what will be one of the biggest thematic swings in my reporting career, a week after getting back from Haiti I’m heading to Nashville, Tennessee to cover the first ever National Tea Party convention. As with any kind of grassroots movement, holding a national convention is somewhat of an oxymoron. Before dispatching me, my [...]