Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin gave the closing address to the thousand plus participants in the first annual National Tea Party Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. The speech capped off a vigorous three days of events ranging from prayer sessions to documentaries.
The convention, intentionally or unintentionally, seemed to focus around one question; where does the movement go from here? That question remains one of the most difficult to achieve consensus on. Many would like to see the movement remain decentralized and grassroots, others would like to see the Tea Party Movement organize and field candidates.
Others question whether or not to be affiliated with a party. Many tea partiers see both Republicans and Democrats as out of touch and fiscally out of control.
However, the issues that divide the group are far lesser than the issue that unites them; the frustration of paying for a government they feel is beholden to special interests and a frustration with Washington’s addiction to deficit spending.
Regardless of whether or not any semblance of consensus has been achieved in Nashville, one thing is for certain; the whole nation will be watching what direction this new grassroots effort takes.
