Sarah Palin Lined Up to Headline Tea Party Convention

The Christian Science Monitor reported that Sarah Palin will headline the first Tea Party Convention.

Almost 1-1/2 years since she shook up American politics with her acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is set to headline another landmark political event: the first-ever Tea Party Convention next month in Nashville, Tenn.

On its face, the gig would seem a step down for Ms. Palin, one of conservative America’s most popular and polarizing figures (not to mention major thorn in the side of the Obama White House).

But with an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll ranking a generic “Tea Party” as more popular than either Democrats or Republicans, and Palin herself rivaling the charming Mr. Obama in poll popularity, many experts see the Tea Party event as a potential milestone for a mounting, even transformational, force in US politics. ….

I have to say I’m torn. On the one hand, I’ve gone to a few Tea Parties, and was moved to know that so many of my fellow Central New Yorkers are as fed up as I am with the political class. On the other hand, all this talk of a third party, in my opinion, is counter productive. All a third party will do is ensure democratic victories for years to come. I’m hoping the GOP will learn something from the Tea Party movement and behave accordingly. Some signs indicate they have, but we certainly don’t want to let them go back to business as usual.

My second concern is the news that Palin could be getting paid in the neighborhood of $75,000 to speak at the event. I understand she has to make a living, and I don’t begrudge anyone getting paid whatever another party is willing to pay them. (Unless it’s the government using taxpayer funds to pay cronies, but that’s another issue.) I just don’t know. I like Palin. A lot. But if true, this just seems fake. Who knows? She’ll probably deliver a fantastic speech and I’ll be one of the first to post the video. Just maybe a bit less enthusiastically.

Via memeorandum

Atlantic Wire linked – Thanks!

Update 1/12/10: Sarah Palin explained the fee to Bill O’Reilly. Watch it here. It looks like the fee will go to political campaigns she thinks will help to move America in the right direction.