National Tea Party Convention

Tea Party Nation is a conservative American group considered part of the Tea Party movement. Their official website describes them as "group of like-minded people who desire our God given Individual Freedoms which were written out by the Founding Fathers. We believe in Limited Government, Free Speech, the 2nd Amendment, our Military, Secure Borders and our Country!"

The group was created by former Shelby County, Tennessee assistant district attorney Judson Phillips in 2009. It runs a social networking site for conservative activists and is best known for organizing the 2010 National Tea Party Convention. In February 2010, Tea Party Nation was among the twelve most influential groups in the Tea Party movement, according to the National Journal. In September 2010, it was one of the top five most influential organizations in the Tea Party movement, according to the Washington Post.

Tea Party Nation organized the National Tea Party Convention held February 4–6, 2010. Around 600 activists attended the event, and Sarah Palin was featured as the keynote speaker. The event was criticized for its $549 ticket price, as well as the fact that Palin was apparently paid US$100,000 for her appearance.^{[source needs translation]} Palin has said she will donate the fee to unspecified conservative causes.

Several prominent conservative organizations refused to participate in the event due to its for-profit nature. The Tea Party Patriots advised members not to participate in December 2009.Erick Erickson of the conservative blog RedState.com described the convention as "scammy" on January 11. The American Liberty Alliance (ALA), initially a co-sponsor, withdrew its support on January 13. Later in January, Michele Bachmann and Marsha Blackburn cancelled their plans to speak.

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