You still don’t get it. The Tea Party touts itself as being outside the GOP and capable of influencing WHO the GOP nominates. Neither of those happened this time, nor does the influence seem to be growing-—especially for th reasons you cite,
Are you naive enough to believe that the Tea Party had the same potential to influence and direct the nominating process as the GOP-e?
Did you somehow fail to see that every time a real conservative came close to dominating the primary race, they were taken down by scandalous stories in the press? Do you really believe that all happened by sheer coincidence?
Do you honestly believe that we wound up with the guy who lost to McCain, as our nominee, because the voters really really wanted him this time around?
Trying to make the case that the Tea Party had the ability to put a check on the machinations and manipulations of an entrenched major political party, is simply building a straw man.