Feeling its oats with debt-ceiling fight, the tea party shakes up GOP and 2012 elections

WASHINGTON — The tea party is here to stay. The 2-year-old phenomenon's muscular role in the debt-ceiling crisis made that clear, despite earlier predictions it would fade away when the national furor over health care cooled down.

Now the GOP establishment wonders if the grass-roots movement will power Republicans to new victories in 2012, or dash them on the rocks of unbending ideology.

One thing is obvious: The tea party already is reshaping the Republican Party. Once-moderate lawmakers are shifting sharply right, fearing primary challenges more than Democratic opponents. And most GOP presidential contenders have positioned themselves to the right of party leaders, and even some House tea partyers, on the debt-ceiling issue.

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Paul Kane 06 Aug, 2011

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Source: http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=662da8ad279c36f38c39edeb0ea3ede0
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