Tea Party is losing the GOP presidential primary

(By Philip Klein, Campaign 2012) - During last year's midterm elections, Tea Party activists swamped Republican primaries and helped send dozens of lawmakers to Washington who were committed to fighting big government. But the once-feared constituency is looking more like a paper tiger in the Republican presidential race.

The Tea Party movement was fueled by opposition to the Wall Street bailouts, President Obama's health care reform legislation and out-of-control spending in Washington. Yet the current favorite to win the Republican nomination has rejected the Tea Party line on all of these issues.

During Tuesday's debate, Romney effectively endorsed the 2008 Wall Street bailout. Though he criticized the implementation, he defended the governing philosophy behind the move:

"My experience tells me that we were on the precipice, and we could have had a complete meltdown of our entire financial system, wiping out all the savings of the American people. So action had to be taken."

Romney has also stood by his Massachusetts health care legislation, which served as the model for Obamacare. Both laws expand Medicaid, mandate that citizens purchase insurance or pay a fine, and provide government subsidies to individuals to purchase government-designed insurance plans on government-run exchanges. Obama and Romney even consulted several of the same advisers when crafting their plans.

Defending his plan during last night's debate, Romney boasted, "I care about people." And those who reject the type of government-run health care he imposed on Massachusetts don't?