Has the Tea Party Run Out of Steam?
E.J. Dionne talks to Molly Ball about the group's ongoing influence and its true motivations.
E.J. Dionne talks to Molly Ball about the group's ongoing influence and its true motivations.
A couple of years ago, they were everywhere -- in headlines, on Fox News, on the sides of the road wearing colonial hats and waving "Don't Tread on Me" flags. These days, the Tea Party isn't quite as omnipresent. But as Molly Ball asks the Washington Post's E.J. Dionne, is that because the movement has run its course -- or because its members are now in the houses of government, influencing the Republican Party from the inside?
In this video from the Aspen Ideas Festival, Dionne explains what the Tea Party is up to now, and how it continues to shape the American Right. He also explains the movement's origins -- as a reaction to the election of Barack Obama, but also to the unpopular presidency of George W. Bush.