Is the tea getting cold?

The First National Tea Party Convention kicked off the weekend with protesters from within its own ranks calling for a news conference outside the Opryland Hotel (the site of the convention).

The conference was in opposition to the $550 tickets to the event, which seems to pass over many for the few with cash to spend.

This splinter faction of just four is representative of the Tea Party movement on a larger scale, not only its amorphous figure but also the opportunity for staying power that such an amorphous group holds.

A quick look at the Tea Party Nation’s Web site reveals a set of principles, which is so malleable that it is difficult to understand just what unites this group of individuals. The “Who are we” chunk of text on the front page harks, “We believe in Limited Government, Free Speech, the 2nd Amendment, our Military, Secure Borders and our Country!”

All of that is fine and dandy, and it sounds similar to the Republican mantras of low taxes, limited government and national military strength.

The difference lies within the Tea Party movement’s “common sense conservatism,” which has been repeatedly presented as both simple and profound. It is what Sarah Palin explained at the convention as the Palin Plan.

While the Palin Plan might have received resounding applause in the grand ballroom of the Opryland Hotel, it is difficult to see its lasting effects on an organization such as the GOP when these two groups are standing apart. Although the GOP might gain voters from among the Tea Partiers, it is difficult to imagine that the Democrats ever will.

This leaves the small but potentially powerful Tea Party movement with little choice if it wants its voice to be heard and its message accessible; join up with the GOP and push for an ultra-conservative platform there.

All of this could indeed flesh out well, leaving Republicans more and more willing to listen to this ultra-conservative movement with an unidentifiable total number of constituents.

On the other hand, if people like former Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., continue to spout racially charged and historically loaded remarks, the Tea Party movement will become an isolated group of radicals.

The irony of The Tea Party convention is the realization that even renegades must compromise, even neo-revolutionaries must reach outside their lavish hotels and into the press conferences of their peer protestors.

Even the Tea Party will have to water down its bitter brew of birthers  and God-fearers in order to mingle with the GOP. This connection is only the first step towards the revolution the party keeps shrieking about and the first of many times it is likely to have to make concessions in order to widen its influence.