Tea Party Ready For Fight With GOP Establishment

[Purveyor]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Tea partyers insist they're not to blame for Republican election losses in congressional and presidential elections, faulting the GOP establishment for showing little fight.

This election year, the establishment is fighting - against the tea party insurgents challenging incumbents who the Republican Party is convinced stand a far better chance in November.

The internal GOP showdown will be decided in primaries starting Tuesday in Texas and stretching through the year in Kentucky, Mississippi, Kansas, Michigan and elsewhere. Burned by losses in winnable Senate races in 2010 and 2012, establishment Republicans are aggressively challenging this year's class of tea party-backed candidates.

Tea partyers, dismissing reports of their demise, say they're ready to use their unbending political force against both President Barack Obama and the Republican establishment.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a superstar to the movement and a potential 2016 presidential candidate, says he's hopeful and optimistic that "we're going to turn this country around."

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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TEA_PARTY_UNBOWED?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-02-28-13-52-00

[denverbill]

1. Yes, the budget deficit is falling. Unemployment is falling. We've got to turn that around! n/t

[Leith]

2. Archie Bunker Strikes Back

That's going to be my new catchphrase: "Archie Bunker."

Hey, TPers, buh-ring it!