The Tea Party - your neighbors

After much media bashing, disapproval of the Tea Party has reached a new high - 52 percent.
Will it stay there, and thus help President Obama and Democrats?
I doubt it. Democrats often cite the example of 1995, when the militia movement got the focus after Oklahoma City. Bill Clinton's popularity bounced back, and Democrats hope President Obama can bounce back with something similar.
But the militias were shadowy groups on the outskirts. The Tea Party has been out there for two years, on TV and in your community. Almost everyone knows a person who participates in Tea Party activities, even if it's a loose connection through work or Facebook.
When you remember the Tea Party is your friends and neighbors - not some crazy person far from you- it's harder to maintain disapproval.
Jim Geraghty thinks the Tea Party will bounce back, also.
I have my doubts that these impressions will last long. The Tea Parties are a reaction to government over-reach, unpopular policies, and difficult economic conditions. Coverage of the Tucson shootings will pass, and eventually there will be new outrageous examples of government over-reach, and difficult economic conditions.