To the Point
Will the Tea Party Find a Second Act?
Guest host Judy Muller looks at whether the Tea Party can survive as a potent force in American politics.
By Judy Muller • • 1h 0m ListenThe Tea Party is at a crossroads. Two years after it burst onto the national stage, there is no clear second act. Guest host Judy Muller looks at whether the Tea Party can survive as a potent force in American politics. Will it live within the Republican coalition or choose to hold fast to its small-government philosophy? After taking a hit in the elections and a drop in its approval ratings in the polls, can the Tea Party learn to compromise? Also, Michigan's Right-to-Work bill heads to the governor's desk, and the real-life heroine of the CIA hunt for Bin Laden is the inspiration for a new film. But her career isn't following a Hollywood script.
Banner image: Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina speaking at the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, June 17, 2011. Photo by Gage Skidmore
In this episode
3 storiesMichigan Right-to-Work Bill Heads to Governor's Desk
In Michigan, long considered a stronghold of organized labor, the state legislature today approved a right-to-work bill limiting union strength in the public sector. Another bill focusing on the private sector was approved last week. Republican Governor Rick Snyder is expected to sign both as early as tomorrow.
Read the story8 minWill the Tea Party Find a Second Act?
In the 2010 midterm elections, members of the Tea Party swept into Congress with the fervor of true believers, vowing to cut spending and government regulation. But this year, voters sent some of them packing. Representatives Allen West and Joe Walsh -- two leading Tea Party figures -- lost re-election bids.
Read the story37 minThe Real Life CIA Heroine of 'Zero Dark Thirty'
The movie Zero Dark Thirty , which premieres next week, features a headstrong young woman as a CIA operative who doggedly tracks down Osama bin Laden. That character is based on a real person, known in the film as Maya. While that’s not her real name, much about the character is reportedly accurate.
Read the story7 min
