Has the tea party movement gotten so boring that it’s holding conventions now?
Apparently. Tea Party Nation, a Nashville-based group with an online social network, is holding the first-ever “National Tea Party Convention” in February.
We don’t have many details, and the organizers declined to divulge anything before their official announcement. But in the original announcement on their site and on Twitter, the group disclosed that the keynote speaker is … Sarah Palin!
They removed the Palin mention after the Washington Speakers Bureau, Palin’s agency, told them they had to wait for confirmation. And judging from her track record with speaking engagements, we aren’t putting any money on it.
The event has some co-sponsors, including Smart Girl Politics (a conservative women’s online-based organization), American Majority (a nonprofit that trains conservative candidates and activists) and SurgeUSA (a web site that promotes the return to more local government).
On its site, SurgeUSA makes clear that the convention is not a rally, not a “media event,” but a place for tea party groups from around the country to focus on “preparations for 2010 Tea Party actions.”
“A primary goal of this meeting is to reinforce personal networking and coordination among local groups nationwide,” the announcement reads.
The event will include workshops, panels, speeches and networking, plus awards for the best of the tea partiers.
We’ll keep an eye out for details as they come in.
