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Let me see if I understand this. Sarah Palin, as yet undeclared, should refrain from addressing tea party gatherings to which she’s been invited to speak? Or are you advising that tea party gatherings refrain from inviting as speakers all “undeclared” individuals—like, say, Jim DeMint, Glen Beck, Michelle Malkin, Chuck Norris, prominent bloggers or columnists, or the local preacher?

We’re more than a year away from the election and at least 6 weeks short of any filing deadlines. What’s the rush?

"Sarah Palin, as yet undeclared, should refrain from addressing tea party gatherings to which she’s been invited to speak?"

No, the problem is not addressing Tea Party gatherings. The problem is two fold. One is the largely media generated perception that she is the leader of the Tea Party. That is the issue dealt with by the Tea Party Patriots in the wake of Sarah's keynote address to the Tea Party Nation's convention last year. The media then ran stories giving the impression that she was the leader of the whole Tea Party movement. The Tea Party movement is a loose coalition of some 3500 local groups. Many of us have moved on from high profile rallies with popular speakers to organizing around local issues. While individual members do endorse candidates, a lot of the local groups do not.

The other matter is the perception driven by certain ads that the Iowa speech was going to be some kind of campaign announcement. The speculation is drawing attention that some believe is more productively focused on having a hearing on those who are actually running. A growing number of Tea Party members want the field to be settled so that they can fully evaluate the candidates and start supporting someone. Some groups, like our local group here in NW Vermont, are already mapping out districts where by streets for literature distribution. So far that distribution has been focused on local issues, but some might want to use the network being created to support their candidate of choice.

If you’re addressing me, you should know that I’m just providing info, not “advising that tea party gatherings refrain from inviting as speakers all “undeclared” individuals”. What individual TEA Party groups do is their business, that’s the position I take.