Tea Party Caucus Takes Shape In Senate

A newly-launched Tea Party caucus in the U.S. Senate will hold its first meeting on January 27, Roll Call reports.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who announced the creation of the political affinity group last week, first spoke of the idea during the 2010 midterm campaign. Shortly after floating the concept, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) took it upon herself to introduce the idea into the U.S. House of Representatives.

Roll Call reports that Sens. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) will be members of the new caucus in the upper congressional chamber.

"Republicans in the Senate have already made a pledge to end earmarks and fight for a balanced-budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution," said Paul in a joint statement released by his office, according to the Washington Post. "By joining with my fellow Senators, Jim DeMint of South Carolina and Mike Lee of Utah, as well as grassroots groups who see the need for government reform, the caucus will work to enact real change to protect our country and its taxpayers from an ever-expanding government."

Lee responded favorably to the idea of forming a Tea Party caucus during the midterm election season. "From the very beginning of my candidacy I've talked about the need to develop a coalition of like minded advocates for limited government in the Senate," he said.

It remains unclear whether newly-elected Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) or Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), whose campaigns garnered support from the Tea Party movement, plan to join. During the election season, Johnson was noncommittal when asked whether he would help start the caucus, while Rubio gave a hesitant response when asked about the matter.

"Well I don't know what the need for that would be," said the Florida Republican during an appearance on CNN last year.

On the heels of winning Kentucky's 2010 U.S. Senate race, Paul said that if a Tea Party caucus were to materialize, he would extend an invitation to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to join. It remains to be seen, however, whether the Republican leader -- whom Paul maintains a complicated relationship with -- will ultimately embrace the group.

Comments

[CJ40inWI]

09:49 AM on 01/28/2011

The meeting of the mind...less.

[j0em0mma]

12:18 PM on 01/18/2011

"Tea Party Caucus Takes Shape In Senate"

Yeah, a long, brown coiled shape...

[Bluegrassriver]

10:55 AM on 01/18/2011

Since they want to put spending decisions in the hands of long time government bureaucrats with hefty pensions, does this mean they now have trust in government and want to see it gain more power?

[gladhart1]

10:22 AM on 01/18/2011

Now the Repubs will be herding cats just like the Dems. Maybe we will survive this all in 2012.

[PWM]

10:18 AM on 01/18/2011

Another means of silently lessening the inequality of property is to exempt all from taxation below a certain point, and to tax the higher portions of property in geometrical progression as they rise." --Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1785. ME 19:18, Papers 8:682

"I have no doubt but that the misery of the lower classes will be found to abate whenever the Government assumes a freer aspect and the laws favor a subdivision of Property." -- James Madison

[Richard Bartholomew]

02:57 PM on 01/20/2011

The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government, are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite."
-- James Madison (Federalist 45)

"When all government, domestic and foreign, in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the center of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another, and will become as venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated."
-- Thomas Jefferson (Letter to Charles Hammond, August 18, 1821)

[PWM]

10:16 AM on 01/18/2011

The Tea Party should change its name to the Amerikadeutscher Bund as they have far more in common with that organization than they do with the traditional Republican view which reached its greatest period in the 1950s.

[Richard Bartholomew]

02:15 PM on 01/20/2011

Ich find, dass die Tea Party eher die moderne FDP ähnelt. Das Vergleich mit dem Amerikadeutschen Bund ist einfach blöd und böswillig. Die zwei sind genauso ähnlich als Tag und Nacht. Ich könnte umso gut behaupten, dass die heutige Democratic Party vieles gemeinsam mit dier Kommunistischen Partei USA. Also hören wir auf mit diesen idiotischen Vergleichungen.

[DrMandible]

10:12 AM on 01/18/2011

I, for one, welcome the Tea Party Caucus. Anything to drive a wedge in the Republican stonewalling. Eventually... eventually... the Republican party will go so far to the Right, the American people will no longer follow them. The Tea Party will shove the Republicans to the Right, hopefully that will push more centrists/independents to the other side of the isle.

[VeritasVincit2]

09:57 AM on 01/18/2011

Tea Party Carcas is more like it.,

[Mark Cappuccio]

07:41 AM on 01/18/2011

It might be well to actually call this, "The Flat Earth Society".

[AJOHMSS]

07:03 AM on 01/18/2011

Which one is Shemp?

[gladhart1]

10:22 AM on 01/18/2011

Hairboy Rand is definitely Larry.

[jws2346]

04:53 AM on 01/18/2011

Alright, a Tea party carcass (caucus). I wonder if they'll wear tea bags to go with the mud on their faces?

[Spiffy1]

05:46 AM on 01/18/2011

Your comment confirms the adage that losing sux more than winning feels good.

[VeritasVincit2]

09:55 AM on 01/18/2011

REAL CLEAR POLITICS POLL
Job Approval Approve Disapprove Spread

Congress 21.0% 71.3% -50.3%

[55BelAir]

03:33 AM on 01/18/2011

Tea Party, Schmee Party. They think they have all the answers. They're Koch Bros pawns.

[2moons]

02:44 AM on 01/18/2011

Conservative states like Utah, South Carolina, and Kentucky disproportionately benefit from federal tax policies designed to shift or redistribute wealth from urban/blue states to rural/red states (Marxism and socialism?). They are scamming you.

Cut the federal deficit and national debt by slashing the federal spending gap between states like Palin's/Miller's Alaska ($1.84 in federal spending per $1 taxed) and Obama's Illinois ($0.75 in federal spending per $1 taxed).

They are focused on spending issues effecting the efficient operation of our nation's financial and cultural markets (housing, poverty, infrastructure, communications, education, health, injury, labor, etc...).

[mamapower]

01:54 AM on 01/18/2011

In other words, the republican party takes shape in the Senate!

[Wallbangers]

01:41 AM on 01/18/2011

Socialism is UNCONSTITUTIONAL!!

Our military, law enforcement, and ELECTED OFFICIALS need to HONOR THEIR OATH TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION!!!

oathkeepers.org

[Trepasky]

08:32 AM on 01/18/2011

I guess you would suggest we eliminate police, firemen, public parks, food stamps, medicare and medicaid, and public schools too

[PWM]

10:18 AM on 01/18/2011

As well as all mention of God and capitalism as neither are in the constitution.

[ogaraj]

11:18 AM on 01/18/2011

don't forget the military in that list

[PWM]

10:17 AM on 01/18/2011

The Constitution says nothing about capitalism or socialism.

[insatiablegenius]

10:52 AM on 01/18/2011

If a country is free thereby allowing each citizen in his own right to participate in any type of domestic or foreign trade of goods, you would essentially be working in a free market. The only way for a free market to exist is through capitalism. It comes with the territory of liberty. I don't belong to a political party other than knowing I deserve just as much freedom as the eagle our country embraces. Free, strong, and brave.