Tea Party defiance: In a defeat last night for House Republican leaders, legislation to extend certain Patriot Act programs was unable to get the two-thirds vote needed for passage as 26 Republicans voted no, including seven freshmen who are associated with the Tea Party. Per NBC’s Luke Russert, the vote -- 277 to 148 -- represented the first insurrection against the House GOP leadership by its freshman members since it was expected to pass easily. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) blamed Democrats for the defeat. “I am surprised that so many Democrats who supported an extension of these very same provisions last Congress suddenly changed their votes,” he said in a statement. “It’s unfortunate that partisan politics seems to have prevented so many Democrats from doing what’s best for America’s national security.” But when your party controls the House, and when 26 of your members voted against, it’s hard to pass the blame (and it was the House GOP leaders, after all, who made the decision to bring the bill to the floor under these rules). As Russert notes, had those seven Tea Party freshmen voted yes, the legislation would have passed.
*** Was the failure really surprising? Still, House Republicans can vote again on the legislation under regular procedures that would require only a simple majority. While the legislation last night was expected to pass, we probably shouldn’t be surprised that an issue like the Patriot Act was able to unite libertarian-leaning Tea Party folks and liberals. The question for House GOP leaders -- as well as the Obama White House -- is what the vote means on future matters, such as the upcoming push to raise the debt ceiling. This was the first test of the vote-counting abilities of the House GOP leadership. And either they knew this was going to go down and wanted to make a point, or they were surprised, which means their job in keeping their caucus in line is going to be as tough as the so-called "Conventional Wisdom" crowd has been predicting. Today, at 12:30 pm ET, President Obama and Vice President Biden will have lunch with the three House GOP leaders who are responsible for rounding up their party’s votes, Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy.

The House GOP’s shaky start: Although overshadowed by other events -- the Arizona shootings, Obama’s State of the Union, the unrest in Egypt -- the House GOP’s first month in power has gotten off to a shaky start. In addition to last night’s failed Patriot Act vote, a member of the House leadership (NRCC Chair Pete Sessions) didn’t show up for his original swearing in but still cast votes; House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan outlined a $32 billion cut in government spending, which is lower than earlier promises; and the House GOP has been criticized for focusing more on ideological battles (the health-care law, abortion) than on the nation’s economy. The good news for the House GOP? The lack of attention to these events.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/02/09/6017144-first-thoughts-tea-party-defiance

Who was the first to call it?

I told you the Republican Party was not the big winners in the mid-terms that they claimed they were.

What did they expect...

Tea parties want to rein in the over reaching of the federal government...

TAX
ENOUGH
ALREADY

and

Cut the budget..

Shrink the government.

Purty simply stuff.

This is why I think that the Republicans thought they could lip service what the real tea parties stand for... which is why I think that the tea party vote will spread out and we might see some Democrats get elected by those groups (not the ones with names but the ones that are VOTING by what a politician actually does with the chance given them).

2012 will be interesting indeed.

It could.

Conservatives that want the Patriot Act gone aren't losers.

If you think that conservatives were happy with the rubber stamping republican congress of the Bush years you are sadly mistaken.

This was a win for all the Americans that have wanted someone to stand up and say enough is enough.

I have to agree it was a win for all americans Most demcrats voted against the patriot act, most republicans for it. Tea party swung it. Good job on this issue.