the tea party is a wing of the republican party, but it's because the tea party represent what the republican party represented years ago. the real problem is that establishment republicans are not what the republican party used to be in the days of robert taft... the republican party has lost its way, but not because of anything the tea party has done. the tea party has brought real fiscal responsibility to the forefront of politics where it needs to be in this age of spiralling sky high debt.
why do you think so many people look at establishment republicans and democrats as being basically the same? it's because they are the same... big government spenders... with some minor token differences on social issues that government shouldn't even be involved in.
The tea party (i.e. Republicans) were responsible for shutting down the government
at least you made it abundantly clear where you get your news from... Fox and CNN
the tea party didn't shut down the government at all.... that's just stupid. the tea party doesn't control government. the democrats in the whitehouse control the government. the government shutdown was political theatre by the democrats (and even establishment republicans working together against the tea party) because they are scared shitless of the tea party taking their congressional seats in the next election. house republicans passed bill after bill to fund almost all of the government... the democrats in the sentate not passing these piecemeal funding bills because they were afraid that they wouldn't get their beloved obamacare funded was the real political theatre.
you can pretend that the tea party shut down the government, but you can't stop more and more people from waking up to the realization of that being total bullshit.
The tea party is way far removed from being libertarian at this point. There is almost nothing libertarian about it anymore.
that's just nonsense... try turning off your tv and get out more to find out what the tea party is doing. most of the tea party follows ron paul, who is as libertarian as they come. of course Fox and CNN want you to think differently, but that's because they are controlled by the very people that are threatened by the tea party.
Do they understand that freedom means *not* defining marriage to be between one man and one woman?
the majority of the tea party movement doesn't concern itself with marriage because there are much bigger fish to fry... the government shouldn't be involved in deciding who can marry and who can't. the media focus on people who claim to be tea party followers talking about marriage are likely plants, and reporting by CNN and Fox is basically all propaganda.
the tea party continually highlight fiscal responsibility, sound money, putting a stop of empire building, renewing friendly trade ties with other nations, increasing government transparency and personal privacy, etc.
Fox and CNN will do anything they can to keep voters eyes off the ball, and for many (including yourself apparently) it is working.