Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, one of the two liberal sisters from Orange County, is painting the Tea Party as an obstructionist eyesore whose sole mission has been to force gridlock in Congress.
Ms. Sanchez needs to refer back to basic reading in American Government. In "Federalist #10", James Madison clearly explains that the Constitution designed the federal government to divide power amongst co-equal branches, which would check and balance each other. Thus, "Separation of Powers" creates deliberation, debate, and frequently gridlock, which frustrates factions and populist passions, preserving states rights and individual liberties from usurpation by the federal government or one class or Americans.
The federal government was never intended to be a piggy bank which politicians and populists could pilfer with ease. The Tea Party has reasserted these constitutional principles, demanding an end to the profligate waste of tax-payer dollars and forcing real debate on cutting spending.