the movement had additionally provided resources necessary to maintain and advance the Tea Party, heavily influencing voters during the 2010 midterm elections ultimately leading to the Republicans winning the House from the Democrats who had had control of both the House and the Senate at the beginning of Barack Obama’s presidency.
When George W. Bush, extremely unpopular at the end of his term, left office and John McCain’s campaign was unable to garnered the votes necessary to keep a member of the GOP in the presidential office, Republicans were left without a clear leader, and much less a leader with their interests in mind. The Democratic win in 2008 created urgency within the GOP as it quickly became evident of changes the Obama administration had planned beginning with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as the Stimulus, and in conservative circles as the “Porkulus”. But for the most part, the Republicans hardly had a way to counteract the new administration other than snide comments, that is, until Rick Santelli broke the silence with a rant admonishing the Obama Administration regarding the new mortgage plan in mid-February.
Santelli’s rant acted as the call of action for the Republicans, and jumpstarted the newly minted “Tea Party” name taken from the CNBC reporter’s words.
Quickly groups began organizing at the grassroots level gaining attention from formal, conservative organizations and Fox News behaving as a “cheerleader” for the movement. The support from external factors cemented the movement while validating and ensuring a future for the Tea Party. The culmination of the work from the grassroots level to conservative groups such as Tea Party Express and FreedomWorks came in 2010 with the midterm election. The resources provided by right-wing groups and business elites funded many Tea Party-approved and ultra-conservative candidates into office winning the majority of the House leaving the Tea Party hopeful of the new trajectory the Republican Party was now on.
The importance of external forces is evident in tracking the sudden rise of the Tea Party following Santelli’s tirade. Though it is worth noting the Santelli’s outburst was not the reason for the development of the movement. If anything, the Santelli rant was the culmination of the economic downfall of 2008, newly elected Obama and the policies about to be pushed through
Congress.