By that logic all parties are ineffective.
A Tea Party convention will have a certain influence on the GOPe. It will work to stymie the efforts of the GOPe to declare a nominee using a few early primary states. Its purpose is to ensure a conservative candidate is a serious contender without the rules and tricks that the RNC uses to pre-select their candidate.
I would hope you are correct, but the human ego is truly a rare thing subordinated to ideology, rather than self-fulfillment. Locally, the personalities have created an atmosphere that only reinforces their own world view and suppresses anything but Paul, which shows their own political ambition.