Steny Hoyer: These darned tea partiers are having an impact

“Do I think that negative atmosphere that’s been created by the Tea Party and by others certainly goes into the thinking of Members? I think it does. I think you honestly have to point out that it does,” Hoyer told reporters at his weekly pen and pad session in the Capitol.

But Hoyer maintained that Tea Party activists had nothing to do with Michigan Democrat Bart Stupak’s announcement last week not to run for re-election. “Bart Stupak is a very courageous Member; he wasn’t forced out by anybody.” Hoyer said he took Stupak at his word that representing a large rural district made it tough to spend time with his family.