u.s. safety regulators. the first-ever national tea party convention is under way at nashville. we ve been shining the spotlight here at cnn on the grass roots political movement, people who want their voices heard in washington. one was born from the final part of our series, welcome to the tea party, we re talking to kentucky dr. rand paul, son of texas congressman ron paul. he threw his hat into the kentucky senate race last year, campaigning against big government. even got the seal of approval from sarah palin, a keynote speaker at the convention. dr. paul, thanks for being with us. good to be with you. i interviewed you last august. we talked to your dad as well. this is when you were first announcing your can candidacy for the senate. you were a long shot. fast-forward six months and you re a viable candidate. what do you think has changed? it s just been amazing and astounding campaign so far. we started out 11 points down and we re actually 19 points up in an independe
in fighting this battle, against obama who s trying to destroy america. i know all of you love america and are fellow patriots. reporter: when it comes to president obama, this is no love boat. liberal critics of these expeditions through the caribbean say they re another picture-perfect example of how the tea party movement can sometimes go overboard. democratic strategist jamal simmons worries the tone at some tea party events onshore and off is get out of hand. are we just talking about voting differently or something a little more edgy than that? reporter: want edgy? keyes refers to the president as the present occupant of the oval office. he still questions his citizenship even though the white house and republican governor of hawaii where the president was born have produced evidence refuting the charge. i don t see how you impeach somebody who may not be president in the first place. reporter: that s your position.
may not have heard of as christine and kiran mentioned. you can pack your bags for a tea party cruise. reporter: on board this cruise ship, easing into the usz you virgin islands, among the thousands of passengers ready for some fun in the sun people are just not ready for this mad charge to the left. reporter: members of a rising american political movement are having a meeting of the minds. led by former republican presidential candidate alan keys, more than 100 conserving tiff and tea party activists rented out space on this ship that was built for the cruise for liberty. we believe in free enterprise. reporter: the organizer markets the seven-day voyage as a chance to talk politics in paradise. right now people are wanting to be with other conservatives. maybe they feel like they re a
right now people are wanting to be with other conservatives. maybe they feel like they re a little bit out on an island someplace by themselves. reporter: so to speak. right. exactly. give everybody access to health care. and, if you don t want it, we ll shove it down your throat. reporter: at the pre-cruise kickoff at this miami hotel, keyes explained why he believes the tea party is gaining steam. i think it s quite obvious that this isn t about republicans and democrats. it may be about the failure of both parties and the whole party system. reporter: conservative activist allan gottlieb sees a golden opportunity. a lot of people never involved in politics before, they know nothing about politics. they re naive, angry and upset. they re venting their frustration by attending the rallies. reporter: so your job is to somehow get them involved. capitalize them, mobilize them. we could easily slip back into slavery. reporter: cruise for liberty speakers floyd and
see happening all over the country. and the many tea party web sites. but did you also know you could pack your bags and take a tea party cruise? reporter: on board this cruise ship, easing into the u.s. virgin islands, among the thousands of passengers ready for some fun in the sun people are just not ready for this mad charge to the left. reporter: members of a rising american political movement are having a meeting of the minds. led by former republican presidential candidate alan keyes, more than 100 conservative and tea party activists and their families rented out space on this ship for what was billed as the cruise for liberty. we believe in free enterprise. reporter: the organizer markets the seven-day voyage as a chance to talk politics in paradise.