When discussing "the Tea Party," it's important to note that while a lot of the folks involved were individuals expressing their personal beliefs, the spontaneous political movement was quickly corrupted by Dick Armey and FreedomWorks.

FreedomWorks was a secretive and highly funded organization that sought to capture the populist movement and turn it towards the establishment GOP's goals. It's quite a sordid tale, but check these articles out for some context:

http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/FreedomWorks

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/12/dick-armey-lea...