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That article shows that he doesn't fit into whatever existing mold Politico thinks a Tea Party guy should fit. They can't exactly say the Koch brothers won this election for him. I like the part where they act surprised that he thinks black students should be treated like white students, as if that's some flaming liberal ideal. Gee, he can't be very Tea Party because he isn't a total racist. Nice bit of patronizing on the part of the authors there.
I consider myself more aligned with whatever the Tea Party is (I consider it a reactionary movement fed up with too much spending and most politicians in DC) than I do the Republicans. Some individuals labeled Tea Partiers still spout the same religious crap as their primary go-to in talking points. That to me isn't very Tea Party, but it shows a different focus from a different element that, like me, is fed up with Republicans. The problem with the GOP is they give lip service to all kinds of things from religion to immigration to taxes to spending to whatever...and that's all it is. People who are more focused on religion or immigration or taxes or spending recognize that and they've broken off and are focusing on whatever they're pissed off about. The Tea Party label seems to be slapped on all pissed off Republicans, and that's a pretty diverse group of people with different priorities. The only commonality appears to be a desire to get spending under control.
You see many who have been in the GOP fold a long time trying to cater the Tea Party movement and thereby trim its rough edges, but that's not going to happen any time soon. And that's a good thing. Maybe bad for the GOP, but good for the country. If it sustains, it will breed a similar movement within the Dems, who are more fractured now than is commonly acknowledged.