Below is the question and answer segment of Sarah Palin's appearance at the National Tea Party Convention, which took place in Nashville this past February. By way of background, here's how the New York Times describes the Tea Party Movement:
The Tea Party Movement is a diffuse grass-roots group that taps into antigovernment sentiments.
Tea Party events exploded over the course of 2009, as increasingly large gatherings protested the federal stimulus bill, government bailouts and proposed health care legislation. While they vary by name, specific tenets and relative embrace of libertarianism, such groups tend to unite around fiscal conservatism and a belief that the federal government — whether led by Republicans or Democrats — has overstepped its constitutional powers. On April 15, 2009, 750 Tax Day tea parties attracted demonstrators in cities like Boston, Washington, East Hampton, N.Y., and Yakima, Wash.
Although organizers insisted they had created a nonpartisan grass-roots movement, others argued that these parties were more of the Astroturf variety: an occasion largely created by the clamor of cable news and fueled by the financial and political support of current and former Republican leaders. The Web site TaxDayTeaParty.com listed its sponsors, including FreedomWorks, a group founded by Dick Armey, the former House majority leader; Top Conservatives on Twitter; and RFCRadio.com.
Palin is a popular figure within the Tea Party Movement. This Q&A session took place just after she delivered a 40-minute speech to an adoring crowd.
No comments:
Post a Comment