The Republican establishment may in fact be so desirous of getting rid of the Tea Party as its base, they may be willing to lose some elections in order to get rid of their base and put up a new base.
The movement that appears to be put together and led by Trump actually existed before Trump came along. The people fed up with the Republican Party, the Tea Party types, the people fed up with the Republican Washington establishment, Democrats included.
The Clinton Foundation has had to refile their taxes. And I remember when the first report came, the reaction everybody had. "Well, how come they get to do it again instead of being penalized for it? You file wrong, and you make a mistake, and they're gonna come at you and demand penalties and what. The Clintons made a mistake three times and they're allowed to refile?" And then we realize what the IRS did to Tea Party fundraising groups, denying them status.
Marco Rubio was the darling of the Tea Party. Marco Rubio was elected as a Tea Party conservative Republican. Marco Rubio was sent to Washington clearly with the belief that he was part of a new conservative majority that was not tied to the establishment.
The Republican Party was just as scared of the Tea Party as the Democrats were. We just didn't know it at the time.
When [Marco] Rubio won the election, he was a Tea Party darling, he was a Tea Party favorite. What happened? "Gang of Eight".
The Washington establishment does not like the Tea Party. Don't you love all these politicians that run around and campaign as outsiders, anti-establishment, 'I'm not part of that Washington culture.' Well, then join the Tea Party, 'cause that's who's really anti-establishment, that's who's really a bunch of outsiders is the Tea Party. But you don't see those politicians who want to be considered outsiders joining or embracing the Tea Party, do you?
The Democrats don't like the Tea Party because the Tea Party engineered their defeat. The Republicans, some members, don't like the Tea Party because the Tea Party illustrates what they have to do to win and they're not really comfortable with that.
