In the last 5 or 6 years the Tea Party has come to the forefront of any political discussion…….from its humble beginnings with the protests, the tea bag hats and the signs…..and it all started with a bunch of youngsters that supported Ron Paul……from ‘no taxation to health care to the ever present 2nd amendment rights the Tea Party has become a force in American politics…….

And then some high rollers latched onto the movement and hijacked it for the GOP….with dwindling support among most sectors the GOP needed all the help it could get……they needed a hook and the Tea Party was the perfect political hook they had been looking for in the past……

Recently the marriage of the two political entities has become tenuous at best……it today’s political world the Tea Party is the tail is waging the fog (GOP)…….the governmental shutdown has made the association of the two a bit estranged……..

(Newser) – The Tea Party movement continues to make its presence felt on Capitol Hill, but its influence over the American people is on the wane. A new Gallup poll shows support for the movement nearing an all-time low at 22%, compared to 27% who oppose the movement. Those who oppose the movement also feel more strongly about it than those who support it, the numbers show. But perhaps the more surprising finding is that the Tea Party and Republican Party aren’t exactly synonymous.

Among Tea Party supporters, only 55% view the GOP favorably, compared to 43% who don’t—which is a far cry from the 79% favorable rating that Republicans as a whole give the GOP. The ambivalence is mutual; only 38% of Republicans describe themselves as Tea Party supporters, with the majority of Republicans (55%) in the “no opinion” category.

Now those dinks in the TP are working hard to make room for themselves in the upcoming 2016 elections………

The 2016 Republican primary season is already shaping up to be a crowded field. Among the names of potential candidates, many have achieved power with a certain degree of support from the Tea Party. Potential 2016ers Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Scott Walker have all gained prominence (or in the case of Scott Walker, who thwarted a recall, retained prominence) with the help of the Tea Party. If the primary season continues with the party infighting seen today, one can expect contentious fiscal and foreign policy issues to be brought up on the debate stage. The Tea Party is currently flexing its muscles in the fight against Obamacare, with Paul, Cruz, and Rubio all pushing to defund it. While defunding Obamacare is the general consensus of the Tea Party, their choice of method for doing so is not going to be an easy one for Cruz and Rubio to overcome should they run. Cruz and Rubio are actively promoting a government shutdown should a continuing resolution (CR) that includes funding for Obamacare be approved by the Senate next month.

While Cruz and Rubio spend their time in Washington galvanizing the Tea Party, Paul is working to appease the Tea Party, but also to expand his influence toward a general election electorate. Paul has said that the proposed shutdown is “not a good idea“. If he is able to wield his Tea Party credentials successfully, he may find success, especially against other candidates who are seen by the Republican base as too liberal or moderate. Tea Party versus establishment infighting was seen recently with public spats between Chris Christie and Rand Paul over national security and fiscal conservatism. Walking a fine line between Tea Party approval and general election electability as Paul is attempting will turn out to be key for the eventual 2016 Republican nominee, especially if the presumed Democratic nominee is former First Lady Hillary Clinton, who is hugely popular among the Democratic base and independent voters. Despite seeming premature, polling is well underway for 2016, and the results shine light on issues of electability for the Republican Party. Ted Cruz, who is seen by many as the “purest” Tea Party member of the Senate, is polling far behind Hillary Clinton in theoretical general election match-ups. To overcome this, the Republican Party is going to have to work overtime to moderate the positions and images of the eventual nominee.

The base is everything to the TPers……..basically, they do not care about governing just in a re-election……..all the usual suspects for the TP are getting plenty of face time on the talk shows….but the problem is it is all rhetoric….I have yet to hear any real solutions to real problems……,plenty of BS and misinformation……so the question is…..will the Tea Party taste victory in the upcoming election or will they finally slide a way into the mist of history?