BRILLIANT: A Geography Lesson for the Tea Party (and how they are quickly becoming impotent)

Even as the movement’s grip tightens on the GOP, its influence is melting away across vast swaths of America, thanks to centuries-old regional traditions that few of us understand.

By Colin Woodard

Photo: Sean Wilkinson, Sean Wilkinson Design

When 2011 began, the Tea Party movement had reason to think it had seized control of Maine. Their candidate, Paul LePage, the manager of a chain of scrappy surplus-and-salvage stores, had won the governor’s mansion on a promise to slash taxes, regulations, spending, and social services. Republicans had captured both houses of the state legislature for the first time in decades, to the surprise of the party’s leaders themselves. Tea Party sympathizers had taken over the GOP state convention, rewriting the party’s platform to demand the closure of the borders, the elimination of the

via www.washingtonmonthly.com

You are just getting started. This brilliant reporting is what journalism is really all about. A huge Hat Tip: The Washington Monthly - The Magazine - and Colin Woodard. The complete report is at the link above. Any questions?