Rep. Michele Bachmann, center, speaks at a press conference for the Tea Party Caucus July 21 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo)
The formation of an official Tea Party Caucus comes at a critical time in the movement’s quest for identity and influence, with midterm elections on the horizon. The existence of a caucus in Washington potentially puts pressure on Tea Partiers to better define themselves before somebody else does it for them.
The caucus debuted Wednesday and already counts nearly 30 House Republicans as members. They did not claim to speak for the Tea Party movement, and Tea Partiers say that’s the way it ought to stay.
“They’re not the leaders of the movement. … They don’t give orders of any kind,” said Shelby Blakely, a leadership council member for Tea Party Patriots and the director of the network’s online publication. She said Tea Party Patriots is fine with the caucus, provided its only job is to listen. She described it as just another Tea Party, nothing more.
“We went from 2,350 groups to 2,351 groups nationwide,” Blakely told FoxNews.com.
But the Tea Party has traditionally picked which candidates and lawmakers it supports, not vice-versa. Blakely said the motives and loyalties of incoming caucus members is “something worth watching for.”
