First Senate Tea Party Caucus, Such As It Was

(F)or now, at least … outnumbered by the Coast Guard Caucus.

from: ‘Tea party’ gathering a tepid draw among senators (LAT)

Well, the election is over, so thanks for the revolution?

Given the circumstances, Rand Paul should be thanking the media for such a strong visual, the first Senate Tea Party Caucus featuring members flanked by their citizen-soldiers on the floor of this hearing room.  Of course, it’s a much better shot than this meager image, given that the Caucus, when push came to shove (or, more accurately, didn’t come to shove) only turned out four members, Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) joining Paul and DeMint.  (Apparently, Toomey stuck his nose in the room, then vanished, Johnson of Wisconsin had a note from his mom, and Marco was seen running as fast as he could the other way.) A hat tip to DeMint, by the way — ever the patient warrior, I guess — for counter-programming all the red ties, shirts and sweaters with the touch of ochre.

Despite any sarcasm though, I’ll refrain from drawing any grand conclusions here, because they scored a good picture, they do have a foothold in the building, and they’ve got “Paul the fearless,” front and center, as their unabashed golden boy.

If you do happen to prefer your view from further left, however, check out the more snark-infused snapshot at our new “quick takes” Tumblr site.

Slideshow: U.S. Senate Members Hold Inaugural Tea Party Caucus Meeting (Zimbio)

(slightly revised 1/30)

(photo: Photo by Win McNamee. caption: U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) (L) and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) (R) join Tea Party supporters in saying the Pledge of Allegiance during the first meeting of the U.S. Senate Tea Party Caucus January 27, 2011 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The senators gathered with supporters to discuss spending proposals, options for balancing the budget, bringing an end to the U.S. budget deficit and limiting the size and scope of the federal government.)