Tea Party

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is working to tamp down conservative backlash to the Senate's immigration bill, which he helped craft. Radio talk show hosts, Tea Party activists and conservative bloggers are concerned that Rubio and other Republicans are giving away too much on an issue they believe mostly helps Democrats.

In several recent cases, Speaker John Boehner's problem hasn't been the Democrats as much as members of his own party, backed by conservative outside groups. But those groups say they could be allies with the House leadership, if only it would push conservative policy.

They don't want to offend Hispanic voters, but they don't want to turn off the GOP base either, says Ron Bonjean, a former Republican leadership aide. And competing for Hispanic votes is not a top priority for the sizable number of Republican rank and file who still see the bill as amnesty.

In his short time in the Senate, Tea Party Republican Ted Cruz has already made a mark — and in doing so, he's simply ignored a tradition of new senators being seen, not heard. Cruz's sharp elbows have some colleagues wincing and others hoping he'll run for president.

The big donors behind Karl Rove's Crossroads superPAC have started a new project to vet and recruit Republican candidates they believe can win. But some anti-establishment groups have viewed the project as an inside-the-Beltway power grab.

The Republican strategist has made enemies out of the conservative groups after announcing he would take on vulnerable GOP candidates.

All large classes elected to Congress want to change Washington. The Tea Party has found that there are all kinds of tripwires built into the American system of checks and balances that prevent newcomers from quickly remaking the political culture into their own image.

John Boehner's inability to get fellow Republicans to line up behind him not only increases doubts about his future as House speaker; it also raises a more immediate question for President Obama: Who can he negotiate with in the effort to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff?

South Carolina Rep. Tim Scott will move across the Rotunda to the Senate next month after being appointed by Gov. Nikki Haley to replace retiring Sen. Jim DeMint. He will be the south's first black senator since the late 1800s, something he says speaks to the "evolution" of South Carolina.

Even in a state where top Republicans led the legal battle against Obamacare, there's recognition now that Florida has to act fast to comply with the new law. But many Tea Party members are still calling on state lawmakers to reject the health care law.