FreedomWorks President on Tea Party Successes from The Takeaway: Early Edition by feedback@thetakeaway.org (Public Radio International and WNYC Radio)

The Tea Party claimed some major victories during in yesterday's mid-term elections: Marco Rubio won the Senate seat in Florida, and Nikki Haley the governorship in South Carolina. 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. So what do the wins and losses add up to for Tea Party members across the country? Matt Kibbe is the President of FreedomWorks and author of the book, "Give Us Liberty: A Tea Party Manifesto."

Check out the full show here, as well as the podcast's webpage's other content. See this post as well. See also: Boiling Mad: Inside Tea Party America

Journalist and author Kate Zernike from Bob Edwards Weekend by Sirius XM Radio

Over the past year, the Tea Party has increased in both size and visibility, making it the wildcard in next month's mid term elections. Tea Party candidates have beaten establishment Republicans in a number of recent primaries, but how will those candidates do in November? KATE ZERNIKE is a New York Times reporter who has been covering the Tea Party and has written the first definitive account of what she says is a vastly misunderstood movement. Her book is titled "Boiling Mad: Inside Tea Party America."

Download the partial podcast of the Bob Edwards Weekend show here. We just finished reading a copy, and apparently, this whole movement's roots can be traced back to Keli Carender, "a half-Mexican math teacher with a nose piercing who enjoys doing improv theater on weekends." It's a matter of perfect timing, because then, "the rant happens." Read the NPR piece about it here, or download the All Things Considered podcast.