“We’re all Republicans.”
That’s his mistake. The Tea Party has emphasized from the word ‘Go!’ that it is *not* just a part of the Republican party, and that it refuses to be co-opted by the Republican party.
Many has been the time that the Tea Party has expressly refused to have Republican politicians address its functions, because it is adamant that it is *not* a Republican party organ.
In fact, the Tea Party has been at loggerheads with the Republican party leadership all through the election cycle, because the Republican leadership is far more concerned with electing “insiders” and “big tent moderates” than it is supporting conservatives and Tea Party sponsored candidates.
It would be well worth it, in fact, for the Tea Party to cultivate and sponsor “Tea Party Democrats”, who would have to be some of the most hard-assed and hard-charging people around, to challenge the Democrat leadership as well. Call them the “mule branch” of the Democrat party.
As long as such people embraced Tea Party values, and could take the vicious beating that the Democrat party would give them, then they could eventually become a new, non-socialist core for the Democrat party.
Almost eerie, isn’t it: “Tea Party Democrats”.