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It's Tea Time in Nashville as Convention Begins-John Dunn
FOX 17 News
It’s tea time in Music City as hundreds of people come to Nashville calling for change.
The National Tea Party Convention has drawn fire and criticism.
The controversy surrounds the event, its organizers, and the people scheduled to speak.
Now the Tea Party begins.
About 600 people have come to Gaylord Opryland, and none of them seem to mind the harsh headlines.
They’re excited about changing America, and Saturday night’s keynote speaker, Sarah Palin.
The line stretches down the halls of the Opryland Resort and Convention Center.
A tea party is planned, and it’s sure to be served steaming hot.
"Getting rid of the politicians that are not doing their job," says Richard Sharpe.
"They seem to forget that we elected them to do a job," says Angela Montgomery.
About 600 people have turned out for the three day convention, undeterred by the $549 admission fee.
They’re excited about Sarah Palin, not the negative press surrounding the gathering.
"If they weren't saying something bad about it, it wouldn't be good. They're scared of it," says Richard Sharpe.
The Tea Party movement was born last year out of frustration with big government, and excessive spending.
But some have criticized this convention for trying to make a profit, and becoming too close to the Republican party.
Some speakers, like Tennessee Congressman Marsha Blackburn, even pulled out of the event.
"These people are activists, they're out on the front-line, and if you're out on the front-line you're out there doing things you believe in, they're always going to be people who want to criticize what you do," says Nancy Hiser.
Not to be outdone Tennessee Democrats are hosting their own gathering, they're calling it the Anything But Tea Party.
There’s no love for Sarah Palin at Cabana, the pages of her book are being cut into snowflakes.
Critics question the tea party’s focus.
"I think there's a huge shift between what it started out as, and what it has ended up being," says Holly Spann, President of the Davidson County Democratic Women.
But Tea Party conventioneers are moving forward with a firm resolve.
"We're here to just join together, and let everybody know that there are a lot of people in this country that feel the same way that we do," says Jack Smith.
While some may question the even, this crowd clearly believes in the cause.
Even as the convention kicked off Thursday night, the controversy continued.
Many members of the media are not being granted access to the event, including FOX 17 News and other local media outlets.
It's Tea Time in Nashville as Convention Begins-John Dunn
Posted: Thursday, February 4 2010, 08:14 PM CST
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