Tea Party Caucus is also falling short of membership expectations [View All]

[housewolf]

in both the House and the Senate

GOP freshmen joining RSC
By Alan K. Ota

Tea party groups were given considerable credit for the Republican success in last fall’s elections. But now that they are in Washington, the dozens of newly elected GOP lawmakers appear reluctant to formally identify themselves with the movement.
Tim Scott

The House Tea Party Caucus, which appeared likely to see a dramatic expansion in the 112th Congress, has yet to recruit a new member from among the 87 freshman Republicans.

The new GOP lawmakers are opting instead to work through the older, much larger and not-quite-so-conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC). That group has grown by about 50 percent to 174 members, including 80 freshmen.

... (more about Bachman and other info that I didn't copy in here)


House Republican leaders have omitted from their agenda for this Congress such tea party staples as a flat income tax rate and a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget.

The newly formed Senate Tea Party Caucus is also falling short of membership expectations. The founding members include Republicans Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Mike Lee of Utah, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Jerry Moran of Kansas. But three freshmen with tea party ties — Marco Rubio of Florida, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania — elected not to join.

The whole article
http://www.congress.org/news/2011/02/02/gop_freshmen_joining_rsc#src=db