Wait, didn’t they tell us the Tea Party was dead?

Via AP:

In Davenport, Biden addressed activists inside a banquet hall at Modern Woodmen Park, a minor league baseball stadium along the Mississippi River. He appeared with Braley and Democratic U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, who is trying to fend off a tough Republican challenge to win a fifth term.

Biden said he had struggled to negotiate compromises with Republicans in the House and Senate over the last four years because the deals were not palatable to Tea Party members in those chambers. He said voters in America had consensus on many policies that were being blocked as a result.

“If we don’t stop the march of the Tea Party now, those majority Republicans in the House and Senate who know better are never going to have the courage to stand up and vote the right way,” he said.

Republicans need to gain six seats to control the Senate. Biden warned Democrats that, “if we lose, we’re going to be pushed back another six or eight years.” He said if tea party conservatives such as Ernst prevail, moderate Republicans “will be scared” to work with Democrats because they will fear primary challenges from the right.