Five myths about the 'tea party'

The grass-roots conservative activists who march under the "Don't tread on me" Gadsden flag and the "tea party" label have put a new twist on Gandhi's maxim: First they were ignored; then they were ridiculed; then they began to fight. They battled health-care reform and then the Republican establishment, which became angry about the less-than-seasoned candidates it was suddenly saddled with. In short order, a movement that few people took seriously has become the most obsessed-over and overanalyzed political backlash since the 1960s. And as long as both parties are grappling with it and publishers are putting out tea party books every month, it's worth busting a few myths about the movement...more