The GOP base includes tea party activists who comprise around 24% of its constituency. Many life-time republicans have a hard time understanding how the tea party has managed to divert their party from its job of governing the country to its new role as the anti-government party. This article explains why the republican leaders of the House and the Senate have joined forces with the tea party. They hope to avoid a challenge from a tea party activist in the GOP primary. Tea party activists have won primary campaigns against long term GOP incumbents across the country. They are dangerous because voter turnout in primaries is traditionally very low and an active minority group, with financial backing can knock out the incumbent. There are several well funded organizations that are capable of leading a successful primary campaign against moderate republicans who do not share their radical agenda. Much of the funding comes from former members of the John Birch Society like the Koch brothers. They have provided funding and organizational support for local tea party groups. The John Birch Society lost credibility many years ago when it accused President Eisenhower of being a communist. It has been reborn as the tea party.
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