I think the Tea Party Convention is a big mistake. Once this grass-roots movement becomes just another big machine it will most certainly lose many, myself included. The only convention important to this movement is marching on Washington and keeping the pressure on Congress to stop the corruption and spending.
I fully support Sarah Palin and if she chooses to campaign for McCain she is free to do so. She is not my leader or the leader of Tea Parties - the people are. Once people forget that it is done.
AMEN!
The convention is not a mistake as long as it is used to disseminate information between the local groups in a format that allows face to face exchanges on policy and goals. Only then does it provide the immediate strategy planning for a cohesive message so we define the narrative instead of letting the media and leftist groups free reign to define it for us in the court of public opinion.
If the convention organizers agenda is to become a big machine, there will not be another one but only the best organized groups dedicated to consitutional principles will survive. Lets face the facts that this movement is less than a year old so what comes out of the convention will be the beginning of a new and greater phase or the best efforts of those truely committed to finding the combination that works while keeping the movement alive.
Leadership does not have to be in an individual, but individuals are needed to lead the group to a cohesive and coherent agenda true to the foundings, just as the founding of our nation was.