The media’s treatment of the Tea Party is hilarious. First they denied there even was such an animal, then they said it would have next to no influence in the 2010 midterms.That it would have little to no effect on Washington business, and now they are saying that the Tea Party is all but dried up.

“The reign of the Tea Party may be coming to an end in Washington, according to academic political experts who say polls show a backlash against the conservative movement.

Two national polls released this month by CNN and The New York Times in conjunction with CBS News showed the Tea Party’s unfavorable rating at an all-time high.

Political scientists say the data shows a backlash of independent voters against conservative lawmakers who have taken a hard line against bipartisan compromise in Washington.
These experts say independent voters who make up the swing bloc of the electorate typically pay less attention to politics than staunch Republican and Democratic voters.

The contentious debate in Congress over the debt limit gave the Tea Party new prominence to many of these casual observers of Washington.”

Of course both of those polls were heavily skewed Dem/Ind and based on “adults”, not likely or even registered voters. Nevertheless the Tea Party’s influence has never been stronger. Tea Party candidate Michelle Bachmann just won the Iowa straw poll and donations are at an all time high. Doesn’t sound like a reign that is “coming to an end”.

C-BS and the Ny Times wish it were the case, but the fact is that the Tea Party is alive and well by even the most casual observations.