What to make of the Tea Party? To some, it is a grassroots movement
aiming to reclaim an out-of-touch government for the people.
To others, it is a proto-fascist organization of the misinformed and
manipulated lower middle class. Either way, it is surely one of the
most significant forms of reaction in the age of Obama.

In this definitive socio-political analysis of the Tea Party, Anthony
DiMaggio examines the Tea Party phenomenon, using a vast array
of primary and secondary sources as well as first-hand observation.
He traces the history of the Tea Party and analyzes its organizational
structure, membership, ideological coherence, and relationship to
the mass media. And, perhaps most importantly, he asks: is it really
a movement or just a form of "manufactured dissent" engineered
by capital? DiMaggio's conclusions are thoroughly documented,
surprising, and bring much needed clarity to a highly controversial
subject.