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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Will 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.

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    KCRW placeholderBy Judy Muller • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    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. Jim DeMint, a Tea Party leader, is resigning his Senate seat to take a job as the head of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank. Several who remain in Congress have been kicked off coveted committees after not going along with Republican leaders on key votes. The movement is still a force within the GOP, but the 2012 election has weakened their position. According to polls, the Tea Party is experiencing record lows in public opinion. We look at what’s next for the Tea Party. Can it remain an influential force in American politics?

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Will the Tea Party Find a Second Act?
    1. 0:00Michigan Right-to-Work Bill Heads to Governor's Desk
    2. 7:36Will the Tea Party Find a Second Act?You’re reading this
    3. 44:09The Real Life CIA Heroine of 'Zero Dark Thirty'
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      Judy Muller

      University of Southern California

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Anna Scott

      Former KCRW Housing and Homelessness Reporter

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Frances Anderton

      architecture critic and author

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      Christian Bordal

      Managing Producer, Greater LA

    • KCRW placeholder

      Kate Zernike

      New York Times reporter covering politics

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      E.J. Dionne

      Senior fellow at Brookings Institution, Professor at Georgetown University, Columnist at Washington Post

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      Jeffrey Lord

      American Spectator

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Will the Tea Party Find a Second Act?
    1. 0:00Michigan Right-to-Work Bill Heads to Governor's Desk
    2. 7:36Will the Tea Party Find a Second Act?You’re reading this
    3. 44:09The Real Life CIA Heroine of 'Zero Dark Thirty'
    Back to To the Point