The United States has seen an unprecedented increase in minority rule over the past decade. The Tea Party Movement has taken control not only of the Grand Old Party (GOP), dragging it further from the center, but also of the national government as a whole. With 48 House Representatives and 5 Senators, the Tea Party Caucus maneuvered to attack the legislative and governing power of the ruling Democratic Party. Since its rise to national power in the 2010 election, the Tea Party has led the charge for 47-count attempts to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, blocked countless presidential candidates, and ultimately taken responsibility for the shutdown of the government in October 2013. . Our government has fallen to its least productive level ever, with the 113th Congress passing fewer than 30 bills in the past year (Desilver). However, even with this horribly low efficiency of Congress and a dismal 28% approval rating for the Republican Party, legislators and the Tea Party movement face little to no repercussions for their roles. The rise of the political juggernaut known as the Tea Party is the result of decades of broken promises and fear-mongering on the political right, a lack of restrictions on campaign finance, and the growing power of the angry vote. Politicians are famous and infamous for compromising. This dichotomy exists as a result of their dual roles: a representative who fights for their constituents and a legislator who perpetuates the functionality of government. While lawmakers must compromise to do their jobs, they never advertise their peacemaking skills in a campaign. Instead, rather than focus on the positive aspects of their mandate, such as helping the government and throwing… middle of paper… the complacency of its voters if it ever hopes to return to a truly democratic state. Works Cited Desilver, Drew. “The current Congress is not the least productive in recent history, but it was close.” Pew Research Center RSS. Pew Research Center, September 3, 2013. Web. November 22, 2013. Gore, Al. “The False Spontaneity of the Tea Party.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, February 14, 2013. Web. November 22, 2013. Lux, Mike. “The Hidden Effects of Citizens United and Super PACs.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, September 6, 2012. Web. November 22, 2013. Siddiqui, Sabrina. “Colorado recall results: Democratic state senators defeated in big win for NRA.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, September 10, 2013. Web. November 22, 2013. Ala, Nick. “George W. Bush on legacy: 'There's no need to defend me'” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, April 22, 2013. Web. November 22. 2013.