[JeffAtlanta]

Those two “tea” candidates were hardly classics of the tea party. And those two probably did enough damage at critical moments with unskilled mouths to lose the election and the senate for us. For all the noise, TEA was organized around resistance to the TARP and Obamacare. Even the name, “Taxed Enough Already”. The TEA party ceased being about economics long ago. Fiscal conservatives and libertartians abandonned it after it was taken over by Beck, Palin & Hannity.

[Eric Pode of Croydon]

TEA was organized around resistance to the TARP and Obamacare. Even the name, “Taxed Enough Already”. The TEA party ceased being about economics long ago. Fiscal conservatives and libertartians abandoned it.

This.

Absolutely correct.

The point of the tea party was to bring together people from all over the spectrum - even some who otherwise were moderates/liberals - in favor of lower spending and an end to crony capitalism.

It started to die when the so-cons hijacked the name.

It gave up the ghost when forced to support Wall Streeter Mitt for president.

[IrishBrigade]

The TEA party ceased being about economics long ago. Fiscal conservatives and libertartians abandonned it after it was taken over by Beck, Palin & Hannity...

...excellent point about the message getting lost in the telling...by Beck, especially, who I think should be locked away somewhere for a while...be careful what you say about Palin on this forum, though, the Sarahbots don’t like differing opinions...