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Maybe It Wasn't The GOP, But The Tea Party That Won
by James Glaser
[email protected]

Special to The Libertarian Enterprise

The Republicans are all puffed up because they took control of the House and gained seats in the Senate, but all that puffiness might just deflate when the new legislators start voting. The following is a list of the winning Tea Party candidates that the GOP is claiming for their own. According to ABC News, these winners were either endorsed by the Tea Party or were closely associated with them.

Senate
5 WON — 50% of Tea Party candidates won
PA — Pat Toomey
KY — Rand Paul
FL — Marco Rubio
WI — Ron Johnson
UT — Mike Lee

House
40 WON — 31% of Tea Party candidates won
AR — 1 Rick Crawford
AR — 2 Tim Griffin
AZ — 1 Paul Gosar
AZ — 5 David Schweikert
FL — 2 Steve Southerland
FL — 22 Allen West
FL — 24 Sandra Adams
GA — 9 Tom Graves
ID — 1 Raul Labrador
IL — 10 Robert Dold
IL — 11 Adam Kinzinger
IL — 14 Randy Hultgren
IL — 17 Bobby Schilling
IN — 3 Marlin Stutzman
IN — 9 Todd Young
LA — 3 Jeff Landry
MI — 1 Dan Benishek
MI — 3 Justin Amash
MI — 7 Tim Walberg
MN — 6 Michelle Bachmann
MO — 4 Vicky Hartzler
NC — 2 Renee Ellmers
NH — 1 Frank Guinta
NV — 3 Joe Heck
NY — 13 Michael Grimm
NY — 20 Christopher Gibson
OH — 1 Steve Chabot
OH — 6 Bill Johnson
OH — 15 Steven Stivers
OH — 16 Jim Renacci
SC — 1 Tim Scott
SC — 3 Jeff Duncan
SC — 4 Trey Gowdy
SC — 5 Mick Mulvaney
TN — 4 Scott DesJarlais
TX — 17 Bill Flores
VA — 9 H. Morgan Griffith
WI — 7 Sean Duffy
WI — 8 Reid Ribble
WV — 1 David McKinley

So, what happens when the Republicans put up a bill that doesn't fit the beliefs of the new Tea Party Senators and Representatives? The Tea Party picked up about 70 % of the GOP's lead in the House, and almost all of the Senate increase for the Republicans.

If those Tea Party candidates are true to their rhetoric and vote the way they said they will, the Republicans are not going to have smooth sailing for the next couple of years. It wouldn't take very many Tea Party House members to stop any foolish Republican spending bill. I am sure, just like there is a Black Caucus in the House, there will soon be a Tea Party Caucus, too.

With a Caucus meeting, members will be able to shore up other members who are falling to the pressure put on them by rank and file Republicans.

I know the Republicans in senior positions think they will be able to co-opt these new members, but they might just be in for a surprise. If the Tea Party members stay true to their beliefs, I can see them only gaining support in the 2012 election coming up, and who knows, it might be the Tea Party that co-opts the Republican Party.

First published at http://james-glaser.com/ on November 8, 2010

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