If one follows that line of thinking - can anyone see a future for the Tea Party other than as a fringe element of <5% of voters?
At this point, no.
the tea party is not a fringe.
The Tea Party view is AT LEAST 10%+ of the us population if not more.
Tea Party is representative of the dominant conservative view of teh USA at large. The MSM, NYC and even DC staffers are the mental fringe disconnected from reality.