Was Tuesday really a victory for the Tea Party? I think not...

Republicans take control of the House of Representatives and CNN attributes 10 of the 21 Republican gains to "Tea Party Candidates"- which it would seem are defined as candidates endorsed by the Tea Party from the start.

In the Senate Tea Party candidates are 2 for 5, with winners Rand Paul and Marco Rubio being the only organic Tea Party candidates to actually win office. These gains stand in stark contrast to defeats in Nevada and Delaware, which would have been shoe in victories for more moderate Republicans. In Alaska, Tea Party candidate Joe Miller lost to his Primary opponent in a write-in campaign.

The remainder of Republican gains came from candidates who are established in the party and may or may not have received Tea Party endorsements later in their campaigns.

It seems that the effect of the Tea Party in this mid term election was to help elect established Republicans (like Toomey in PA) win. Which in a sense, is exactly what it was intended to do when the Tea Party Express was established by Republican operatives Howard Kaloogian and Sal Russo.

As a unique political movement the Tea Party controls 10 house seats and 2 Senate Seats (and is responsible for as many Senate defeats). By my calculations this is exactly enough for the Tea Party to be irrelevant within their own party. The Tea Party movement will only continue to exist as long as it is convenient for the Republican establishment. I expect that if there is any dispute within the party, we will see the "relevance" of the Tea Party (defined by the quantity and tone of their coverage on Fox News) fade into obscurity.

Edit: Grammer