New Year Eve is a time for reflection… and Parties!

When reflecting back on 2011 there was one party that got every one’s attention:

The Tea Party.

Despite their sometimes silly costumes and signs, the ultraconservative Tea Party proved they were serious in 2010.

From Florida to Alaska, Tea Partiers bucked the GOP establishment by making sure their candidates were on the ballots of many of the year’s most watched electoral races.  Their new-found political clout garnered media attention all over the country.

The attention wasn’t always positive.  In Delaware, Tea-Party-favorite Christine O’Donnell was repeatedly mocked after being forced to announce she wasn’t a witch.

Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul received bad press of his own when he made provocative comments about civil rights. Eyebrows were raised when some of his supporters physically attacked a liberal activist.

In the end, the group had  highs and lows like any political movement.  While they might be credited with putting Republicans into the leadership of the US House of Representatives, they failed to help them take control of the Senate.

So, the question is: Who will be invited to the Party next year?