Tea Party and CNN to Host 2011 Republican Presidential Debate in Florida

The Tea Party Express, one of several grassroots conservative groups with similar names that sprung up in the last two years, is teaming with CNN to stage a Republican presidential debate next September in Tampa, site of the 2012 Republican National Convention.

It's an unusual marriage between political activists and a news organization. A joint announcement said the pairing of the Republican-leaning outfit with the straight news cable network would produce "a first-of-its-kind presidential primary debate." It is set for Labor Day week in 2011, but an exact date or venue was not disclosed Friday.

CNN Political Director Sam Feist called the "tea party movement a fascinating, diverse, grassroots force that already has drastically changed the country's political landscape." The movement's impact on the political balance is indisputable. Tea party-backed candidates, assailing President Obama's policies and calling for smaller government and less spending, had considerable success in the Nov. 2 election. The tea party and allies like Sarah Palin can rightly claim credit for playing a significant role in the GOP takeover of the House of Representatives.

But In Florida, the Orlando Sentinel called the tea party and CNN "strange bedfellows." CNN, the first all-news network, strives for objective news coverage, falling between Fox News, which has trumpeted tea party successes, and MSNBC, which has a liberal bent.

A number of groups use "tea party" in their title, but the Tea Party Express is believed to be the largest, and probably the most prominent. Its members helped energize the Republican base with tours and rallies, but also got tagged by critics as anti-government extremists, fixated on bringing down Obama. High-profile tea party-backed candidates such as Sharron Angle in Nevada and Christine O'Donnell in Delaware were defeated in races for Senate seats that the GOP had hoped to claim.

"We've proven ourselves in this last campaign, election cycle of 2010," said Tea Party Express Chairman Amy Kremer. Tea party activists want to hear the candidates' ideas, Kremer said, "their thoughts on turning this economy back around . . . paying down some of our deficit, getting a balanced budget and reining in spending."

Although not a single Republican has yet declared as a candidate for president, the Florida debate is one of several already on the charts, with the focus on early primary and caucus states like New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina. Palin, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich appear to be veering toward national campaigns, but have not made formal announcements.

Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, told ABC's Good Morning America that she is giving a possible candidacy "prayerful consideration," but won't decide for "some months."

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