During recent weeks the Tea Party has only received media attention as when it is being compared to Occupy Wall Street, but the Tea Party continues to have an influence in politics, particularly in the Republican primary for president. The big stories around sexual harassment charges around Herman Cain, as well as that candidate's bizarre statement of fealty to the Koch brothers, for example, are also part of the story of the Tea Party.
In some respects, the main theme of the Republican primary has been the ascendancy and failure of various candidates seeking to represent the right wing against the more moderate front-runner Mitt Romney. Various politicians, most of them not good candidates in any conventional sense and a surprising number of them, including Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Cain, not currently holding any real job, have sought this mantle. During the last year or two, leading candidates for this role, including Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry have emerged and collapsed. Cain has now emerged and appears to be about to collapse as a serious candidate.
This raises the question of why no serious, experienced right wing conservative has entered the race. There are a numerous right wing Republican senators who, had they entered the race in earnest two years ago, would have had an easy time against the current weak field of conservative candidates, and would along with Romney, be the frontrunner for the nomination.
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