CNN and Tea Party Express to host first-of-its-kind Tea Party presidential primary debate

By: CNN Political Producer Shannon Travis

Washington (CNN) – CNN is teaming up with the Tea Party Express for a first-of-its-kind presidential primary debate, both organizations announced Friday. The Tea Party debate, featuring 2012 Republican presidential candidates, is scheduled for Labor Day week 2011. It will take place in Tampa, Florida – the site of the 2012 Republican National Convention.

Since the spring of 2009, the Tea Party movement has been increasingly vocal in advocating for less government spending, lower taxes and shrinking the deficit. The Tea Party debate will place specific emphasis on those issues.

Tea Party Express Chairman Amy Kremer talked to CNN about what activists hope to hear from Republican presidential candidates. "We want to hear what their ideas are – what their thoughts are – on turning this economy back around and getting us on a sound economic footing, paying down some of our deficit, getting a balanced budget, and reining in the spending," Kremer said.

...have to read again maybe it's satire hard to tell these days.

Oh man you are the first to notice!

Now go to the chat section and have fun with more serious stuff.

You didn’t answer my questions so I’ll repeat them once again:

1. Will the TPX have any control over the selection of the moderators and the debate questions?

2. Or did they surrender those decisions to the liberals at CNN?

The CNN announcement doesn’t speak of ‘jointly made decisions’ between itself and the TPE about the debate. Hope they don’t dominate on things like choosing the ‘moderator’ and/or panel of (biased, snarky) journalists.

That is what it would be like without the TPX involved.

They don't enter into something on this level without knowing what they are getting into.

Ah. The things the Republicans like to talk about and campaign on but never actually do.

The "Tea Party Express," of course, being a Republican group, will have no problem giving them some more cover on that, though, I'm sure.

By the way, we've seen some of the "Tea Party" "leaders" who say conservatives should have nothing to do with "social" issues. Isn't the "specific emphasis" here a tip off about where that attitude is emanating from?

Rove, Huckabee, Romney, Ginrich, Steele, Obama, assorted RINO's etc will always be doing everything they can to keep Conservative Candidates (The CC Riders) from being seen as viable and to thwart any swerve towards what our country really is, a Constitutional Republic.

We have to be aware of that 24/7 and keep working to preserve our Constitution and the American Way of Life.

Can we count you in?

“Quoting a great actor from a great movie”

Ah yes, a great actor and liberal Hollywood hack. One of your heros I presume? ;-)

The Tea Party and its efforts are fantastic.

The “Tea Party Express” is not. Take a good look at who is behind it and you will find a lot of people out for themselves who could care shit for the Tea Party and its ideals.

The Tea Party and the Tea Party Express are two, completely different things and this teaming up with CNN should be a big clue.

Concerning your tagline, Syncro: If the Tea Party is all about the money issues as TPX says it is, and if you say Sarah Palin is the "unofficial Tea Party candidate," surely you can give me a few links to some of her advocacy on behalf of cutting spending, programs, and agencies from the federal behemoth.

I've asked a number of Palin supporters to explain to me how she can be the "Tea Party candidate" without such credentials, and asked for links to her support for cutting back government, and so far they have not provided me even a single link to a single program or agency that she has ever advocated getting rid of. Not one. It's all very strange.

You keep changing the subject. I am concerned that the TPX DID NOT do the proper due diligence before agreeing to work with CNN. So one last time:

1. Will the TPX have any control over the selection of the moderators and the debate questions?

2. Or did they surrender those decisions to the liberals at CNN?

If they did the proper due diligence, you should tell us.

If they didn’t do the proper due diligence, they should pull out until they get the agreements on moderators and questions in writing from CNN.

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