The Tea Party was part of a common anti-intellectual movement that has popped up from time to time in the history of the USA. The populist, anti-Catholic, anti-immigration Know-Nothing movement appealed to common WASP working men in the 1850s. It's appeal was largely irrational and a hodge-podge of beliefs. These anti-intellectual movements burn out quickly because they usually end up hurting the very people they supposedly champion.