Is Newt Helping the Tea Party, Or Hurting It?

The Tea Party is a grass roots movement, an expression of distrust with "business as usual" in Washington, DC.  Party members have been critical of both major parties, sometimes referred to as "the machine." Their discontent over President Obama has sometimes characterized him as "communist" and sometimes as "fascist," but either way the Tea Party has had it with big, bad, out-of-control central government, high taxes, illegal immigration, and Washington's general disregard for due process under the Constitution.

Recently Newt Gingrich characterized the Tea Party as "...a natural expression of frustration with Republicans and anger at Democrats" but it is "...more likely to end up as the militant wing of the Republican party" rather than an independent party.

So is Newt helping the Tea Party, hurting it, or simply trying to restore loyalty to the Republican party? Will Tea Party members be led to believe that if they can just help Republicans vote Obama out all will be well or will they break away and join independents, libertarians and disgruntled Democrats in what usually reliable trends forecaster Gerald Celente is calling a "progressive libertarian" party?