From the beginning of its existence, the tea bagger "movement" has been organized, funded and supported by such right-wing corporate lobbying groups as FreedomWorks (Dick "Major Dick" Armey) and Americans For Prosperity (not yours, theirs). It's been an effort to appear "grass roots" rather than the corporate "astro-turf" movement they happen to be. Rupert Murdoch's Fux Channel has been the megaphone and message communications vehicle, along with the usual suspects in hate radio.
One of the groups, Americans for Prosperity, was launched by billionaire right wing activist David Koch, of Koch Industries to push an agenda that would favor the super-rich (e.g., blocking the reinstatement of the estate tax, which affects less than 1% of the public). His spokespeople are claiming credit for propping up the tea bag movement. So -- surprise, surprise! -- the clueless tea baggers are nothing more than a means to an end: to keep people like David Koch rolling in his billions, even if it takes food out of their own mouths.
