by: Siddhartha Mahanta
In 2008, independents frustrated with establishment politics found a hero in Texas Republican Ron Paul. Warning voters about the dangers of an overstretched and overcommitted government, Paul provided today’s Tea Partiers with a blueprint for grassroots success.
Republicans like Reps. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Mike Pence of Indiana, and Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul – Ron’s son – have embraced the Tea Party movement. NationalJournal.com talked to Ron Paul last week about the energy of today’s grassroots movements and the Republican Party’s evolving relationship with the Tea Partiers.