The 1 Percent Played Tea Party For Suckers - Salon.com

How The Tea Party Got Played For Suckers
Americans for Prosperity Foundation Chairman David Koch, left, laughs as Amway Founder Rich DeVos addresses attendees of the Defending the American Dream Summit in Orlando, Fla., Friday, Aug. 30, 2013. DeVos was presented with the George Washington Award.(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Americans for Prosperity Foundation Chairman David Koch, left, laughs as Amway Founder Rich DeVos addresses attendees of the Defending the American Dream Summit in Orlando, Fla., Friday, Aug. 30, 2013. DeVos was presented with the George Washington Award.(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

On Election Day, November 2, 2010, more than eight million Americans voted for congressional candidates who claimed to represent the Tea Party and its grassroots insurgency against the federal government. Most of the Tea Party candidates won. Their victory marked a sea change in American government. Even before the winners were sworn in, reporters began to refer to the 112th Congress as "the Tea Party Congress." On the day of the swearing-in, the prominent Tea Party backer David Koch likened the electoral success of the Tea Party to the American Revolution. "It's probably the best grassroots uprising since 1776 in my opinion," he said.

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Mike Castle

Tea Party Casualties

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