Tea Party: All-Powerful Or Not?

Once the media gets a hold of a theme, it's not eager to let it go. On the right-wing blogs, I'm constantly reading that the GOP presidential nomination race is between the "Tea Party candidate," Newt Gingrich, and the "establishment candidate," Mitt Romney.

When Newt soared in South Carolina, it was a reassertion of power by the Tea Party. Now that he is failing in Florida, it's a win for the establishment.

Here's the key point within all this analysis:

...Mitt Romney has opened a double-digit lead in Florida as the perception grows among Republican primary voters that he is the strongest general election candidate against President Obama.(emphasis added)

It needs to be understood that a majority of people voting in caucuses and primaries are not associated with any organized group; the majority of attendees are not hyper-involved activists.

They are voters who are registered Republicans and want to have a role in picking the nominee. The successful candidate appeals to this wide swath of GOP voters rather than going "all in" with a particular group.