My response to Politico's Question: Tea Party movement: How much of a factor in 2010?

The Tea Party Movement is clearly a demonstration that the Silent Majority is no longer silent. In the past the small vocal minorities on the left and right held sway through their passion tipping the scales in political decision. The policies of the current administration have altered the largely conservative majority of the nation to realize how much is a stake if they were to remain silent.

The Tea Party movement will not cause a split between Republican and unaffiliated conservatives. It will first cause rhetoric of politicians to change. We are seeing that now. If behavior does not also change to match the rhetoric citizens of the Tea Party movement will remove politicians on both sides of the aisle who are more interested in their political careers than they are of solving problems.

Those politicians that think bigger government and big spending is the solution will not pass the serious test. There are too many people in this country that are doing the math and they know the "change we can believe in" is smaller government and fewer entitlements. This administration's policies have had the opposite and unintended consequence of altering the public to the dangers of reckless spending.