This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/americas/8498688.stm

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
First US national Tea Party held Palin lashes Obama at Tea Party
(3 days later)
The first US national convention of the Tea Party movement has begun, with former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin due to appear as a speaker. Former US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has spoken at the first US Tea Party convention, urging a return to conservate principles.
The movement brings together people who oppose President Barack Obama's healthcare plan, stimulus package and other issues. Speaking in Nashville, Mrs Palin called President Obama's 2011 budget "immoral" and said it would raise the US debt.
Some activists have complained about the $500 (£317) registration fee for the Nashville conference. The year-old Tea Party movement includes many people who oppose Barack Obama's plans for healthcare reform and the president's stimulus package.
Barely a year old, the movement gained influence during the healthcare debate. Mrs Palin said future generations would pay the cost if spending was not cut.
"It's easy to understand why Americans are shaking their heads when Washington has broken trust with the people that these politicians are to be serving," she told the convention.
'Drowning in debt'
When she warned that the US was "drowning in national debt, and many of us have had enough," the former governor of Alaska was rewarded with a standing ovation.
I am a big supporter of this movement. America is ready for another revolution and you are part of this Sarah Palin
She also berated the Obama administration for focusing on adversaries of the US rather than its allies.
"We need a foreign policy that distinguishes America's friends from her enemies, and recognises the true nature of the threats that we face," Mrs Palin said.
She praised the leaderless, bottom-up approach of the Tea Party movement, saying its success had Washington politicians running scared.
"I am a big supporter of this movement," she said, and added - in a nod to the Tea Party's name, a reference to a famous protest against British colonial rule: "America is ready for another revolution and you are part of this".
Congress goal
Barely a year old, the Tea Party gained influence during the acrimonious US healthcare reform debate.
TEA PARTY The movement takes its name from the 1773 protest against British taxation, the Boston Tea Party American colonists rebelled against attempts by Britain to impose parliamentary taxes on them without allowing the colonists representation in the British parliamentThe modern-day Tea Party is described as a grassroots movement that supports limited government and opposes high government spendingThe informal movement is unified against President Barack Obama's healthcare proposals, his economic stimulus package and other aspects of his agendaTEA PARTY The movement takes its name from the 1773 protest against British taxation, the Boston Tea Party American colonists rebelled against attempts by Britain to impose parliamentary taxes on them without allowing the colonists representation in the British parliamentThe modern-day Tea Party is described as a grassroots movement that supports limited government and opposes high government spendingThe informal movement is unified against President Barack Obama's healthcare proposals, his economic stimulus package and other aspects of his agenda
Members, gathered from state-level Tea Parties, complain that big spending to stimulate the economy is being wasted in Washington and on Wall Street while small-town America has to tighten its belt.Members, gathered from state-level Tea Parties, complain that big spending to stimulate the economy is being wasted in Washington and on Wall Street while small-town America has to tighten its belt.
And the coalition of disaffected conservatives is undoubtedly growing in influence - its endorsement of Republican Scott Brown helped his election last month as Massachusetts senator, says the BBC's Madeleine Morris from Washington. And the coalition of disaffected conservatives is undoubtedly growing in influence - its endorsement of Republican Scott Brown helped his election last month as Massachusetts senator, says the BBC's Madeleine Morris, attending the Nashville event.
But there has been controversy over the conference's use of paid lobbyists and PR companies and former Alaskan governor Mrs Palin's reported $100,000 fee. Our correspondent says that movement's organisers have announced the formation of a political action committee, with funds of $10m, whose goal will be to get up to 20 conservative candidates into Congress in November's mid-term congressional elections.
In an opinion piece published on USA Today website, she said: "I will not benefit financially from speaking at this event. My only goal is to support the grassroots activists who are fighting for responsible, limited government - and our constitution. There has been controversy over the use of paid lobbyists and PR companies at the conference and Mrs Palin's appearance fee: reported to be as much as $100,000.
"In that spirit, any compensation for my appearance will go right back to the cause." Some activists have also complained about the $500 (£317) registration fee for the Nashville conference.
She said she was speaking at the conference "to keep faith" with people who had put their faith in her. But in an opinion piece published on USA Today website ahead of the conference Mrs Palin said she would not benefit financially from speaking at the event.
"This movement is truly a grassroots, organic effort. It's not a top-down organisation; it's a ground-up call to action that already has both political parties rethinking the way they do business." Instead she said she was motivated only by her "goal [...] to support the grassroots activists who are fighting for responsible, limited government - and our constitution".