Tea Party influence may be waning
The emergence of a broad center-right policy consensus in both chambers of the Texas Legislature, at least regarding the budget, has led to suggestions that the influence of the Tea Party movement in Texas politics is waning.
But public opinion regarding the Tea Party suggests a more complex situation. At the very least, reports of the Tea Partys demise are premature as the label still claims a good expanse of the cognitive real estate of Texas voters most importantly, among Republicans. But the Tea Party has also become a more predictable part of the political universe and as predictability has increased, fear and intimidation have waned.
The Tea Party can no longer claim the sexy outsider status of an insurgency. It has repeated the journey of many outside agitators in the American two-party system, which since the 19th Century has specialized in incorporating and de-fanging dissident movements. The insurgents of 2009-10 are now well on their way to becoming another constituency nestled within the GOP. The self-styled revolution has not taken power; rather, it has settled for seats at the table.
So the reality is far more than a binary choice of whether the Tea Party is on the ascent or in decline.
More at http://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2013-04-28/tea-party-influence-may-be-waning .