Tea Party Activism Won't End on Nov. 2

If Republican leaders think the Tea Party will go away after a significant electoral victory on Nov. 2, they better think again:

A leading national Tea Party group, anticipating big electoral gains for conservative Republicans, is laying plans to maintain pressure on new members of Congress after the Nov. 2 vote.

According to an internal memorandum reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, Tea Party Patriots, an umbrella group that says it works with nearly 3,000 local groups around the U.S., is planning a multipronged campaign that includes advertising, polling, hundreds of rallies, and a summit of newly elected members of Congress early in 2011.

The freshman GOP class of 1994 quickly lost their way. They became enamored with the trappings of power and prestige inside the Beltway and forgot why they were elected. The Tea Party activists are determined to make sure the new guys don't forget.

Or else there will some other new guys in 2012.