There is no such thing as the Tea Party

The Tea Party doesn't exist. The next ballot you get, will the Tea Party be on it? It won't. In terms of national elections, for most purposes, there's only the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. Each has factions. The "Tea Party" is a faction of the Republican Party, nothing more or less.

So it wasn't some "Tea Party" that held a gun to our nation's head and is now creating wave after wave of uncertainly rippling over the business world here and abroad. It was the Republican Party that abandoned its 2010 commitment to focus on jobs, jobs, jobs. It was the Republican Party that damaged our business standing in the world. It's the Republican Party that has adopted economic policies that run counter to what every mainstream economist says. And it's the Republican Party whose populist rhetoric strangely produces actions that line up perfectly with what America's 400 richest individuals--who control more resources than 90% of Americans--want. Isn't that interesting?

Until or unless the Tea Party becomes an actual party, it's just a part of the Republican Party--the part that's running the show.