Today, as the Tea Party Patriots rally outside the Capitol Building, lawmakers might actually be close to a compromise on the federal budget. Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee met with their House counterparts last night to see if they could strike a deal to avoid a government shutdown. But the compromise in question would include $33 billion in cuts — $28 billion less than the budget Republicans passed in the House. How will the Tea Party react to a deal with Democrats? What are the implications for Speaker of the House John Boehner?

In Tuesday’s State of the Union address, President Obama discussed his plans for job creation and increased American competitiveness in the global market during his next two years in office. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) delivered the official response on behalf of the Republican Party and stressed the need for spending cuts and his party’s skepticism about further “investments.” And there was a new feature to the evening: Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) spoke on behalf of the Tea Party in their united response to the president.

This past election season was dominated by coverage of the Tea Party — and many outgoing politicians were ousted by Tea Party-backed candidates. Senator Bob Bennett (R-Utah) was among the first and most surprising of these casualties, losing to Tea Party-supported Mike Lee in Utah's Republican convention, back in May.

David Sloan, an early Tea Party member, wrote to The Takeaway on Thursday that he fears the Tea Party is being co-opted by the Republican Party. We wanted to speak more with him about what his particular fears were, and where he draws the lines of difference between the Republican agenda and his own. 

Republicans had major victories after Tuesday's elections, taking over control of the House and gaining several seats in the Senate. When the new Congress goes to work in Washington, D.C., the GOP will now be a mix of conservatives and Tea Party candidates.

Pennsylvania turned from blue to red, electing Republicans Pat Toomey to the Senate and Tom Corbett as governor. We talk with Renee Amoore, deputy chair of the Pennsylvania Republican State Committee, about Tuesday's election and what it means for the future of the Republican party. 

In the third election in a row where Americans threw out the party in power, Republicans won control of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, in part due to large discontent among voters who didn't want to see incumbents return to Washington. Though some races are still in play, the Republicans, with the help of Tea Party candidates, successfully captured 56 seats. The GOP also made great strides in the Senate, though Democrats will continue to hold the upper house of Congress.

Rep. John Boehner of Ohio will become the next speaker of the House. In an emotional speech last night, Boehner said that the election is a rebuke to President Obama, with Americans telling him to "change course."

Republicans made major gains in the House of Representatives in yesterday's mid-term elections. What's next? Investigations of the Obama administration, a de-funding of the president's agenda, or a total legislative stalemate? Rep. Steve King knows. The Republican from Iowa's fifth Congressional district handily won reelection last night over his Democratic challenger.

The Tea Party claimed some major victories during in yesterday's mid-term elections. Marco Rubio won the Senate seat in Florida, Nikki Haley will become governor of South Carolina, and Rand Paul took a decisive victory in the Kentucky Senate race. 

But the Tea Party had losses, as well, both in Nevada, with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pulling out a narrow win against oppponent Sharron Angle, and Delaware, where Republican Christine O'Donnell lost her Senate bid against Democrat Chris Coons.

For Tea Partiers, last night's race was a mixed bag. Tea Party candidates did well in states that were already red, like Kentucky, and South Carolina, but failed to make gains in bluer states like Delaware. In Nevada, Sharron Angle, one of the most notorious Tea Party Republicans, lost to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the state's wildly unpopular Democratic Senator.

The Tea Party has grown up fast. Back in April, the news was dominated by images of scrappy rallies and angry voters. By November, Tea Party groups have backed some candidates who seem poised to win their races, and the movement has acquired both serious financial backing and a "godfather" waiting to help them establish power when (or if) they arrive in the Senate this January.

From the Glenn Beck's "Rally to Restore Honor" to Jon Stewart's upcoming "Rally to Restore Sanity," it may feel like this election season has become something of a joke. We talk with Allison Silverman, former executive producer of "The Colbert Report," about the age of populist anger and negative ads.

Hours of broadcast time, reams of paper, and terabytes upon terabytes of digital stream have been spent discussing what will happen next Tuesday, when voters across the country take to the polls. All of it, in essence, trying to answer the question: what's going to happen to the country on the morning after?

Both Republicans and Democrats are keeping a close eye on Colorado's congressional races. As election day nears, the two Senate candidates, Republican Ken Buck and incumbent Democrat Michael Bennet, are polling dead even. The race is one of the closest in the country.

One of the key characteristics of Tea Party leaders and candidates is their almost divine claim to the symbolism of our nation’s founding fathers. Politicians have always reshaped the past to meet their own goals. But, with the Tea Party, the message seems more fervent. Fox News host Glenn Beck, for example, has told his viewers on Fox News that "progressives have built up this wall of separation between Church and State and it’s nonsense."

Ever since April 15th, when Tea Party groups emerged around the country, the public has been hearing a lot about what—and at whom—Tea Party anger is directed. But as America heads into the midterms with dozens of candidates endorsed by local Tea Party groups on the ballot, it's time to take a look at what the Tea Party wants.

In other words, without a national party structure or official spokespeople, what is the best way to identify common planks of a Tea Party platform?

Matt Kibbe joins the show to discuss that question. He’s the president of conservative political group FreedomWorks, and the author of a book called "Give Us Liberty: A Tea Party Manifesto."

The world may best know Glenn Beck and Rand Paul as Tea Party leaders. But Beck and Paul also happen to be avid readers, and both have mentioned their fondness for Ayn Rand and her dystopian novel "Atlas Shrugged."

Widely celebrated by Tea Party leaders, Ayn Rand's books have become centerpieces of the Tea Party’s literary canon; over the last year and a half, sales of her books have tripled as a result over the past year and a half.

How did this happen? What other books are on the Tea Party’s list of favorites? And what similarities does their canon bear to those of other political movements?

It has been a successful primary season thus far for The Tea Party, especially with a surprising victory for Christine O'Donnell over former two-term governor and nine-term Congressman, Mike Castle, to win the Republican nomination for the Senate race in Delaware, Tuesday night.

What do these Tea Party wins mean for the Republican Party, and is the GOP shifting on the political spectrum?

Kate Zernike is a reporter for The New York Times, and the author of Boiling Mad: Inside Tea Party America.

We also want to know from you: Are you moving along the political spectrum this election season? Are you finding yourself moving further left or further right this year? Let us know in the comments or text it to 69866 with the word TAKE.

Today we consider the conversation happening between the Tea Party and the GOP to see if the two groups can converge on the same page. Delaware resident and leader of the Diamond State Tea Party Kevin Street joins us from the Tea Party. Conservative political journalist and blogger Reihan Salam, of the National Review, considers the fall implications for the GOP.

Though the headlines this morning say the Tea Party won big last night, that narrative discounts the fact that those candidates aren't likely to win in the general election in November. So what do yesterday's primaries say about the nation's political climate?

Jeff Zeleny, national political correspondent for The New York Times, explains what the results from these state-wide races can tell us about the national political picture or whether they hinged on local issues.

Last night's primary elections set the stage for the nation's general elections with seven states and the District of Columbia heading to the polls. Once again, the viability of the Tea Party was the central question in several races on the Eastern seaboard.. While several Republican insurgent candidates won big last night, their victories over establishment candidates muddle the G.O.P.'s chances of retaking the Senate in November.