Karl Rove: Tea partiers aren’t that sophisticated economically

But structurally, Rove said the tea party has little in common with the Reagan Revolution that has powered the conservative movement for decades.

“It was also a well-organized, coherent, ideologically motivated and conservative revolution,” Rove said of the Reagan Revolution. “If you look underneath the surface of the tea party movement, on the other hand, you will find that it is not sophisticated.

“It’s not like these people have read the economist Friedrich August von Hayek,” Rove added. “Rather, these are people who are deeply concerned about what they see happening to their country, particularly when it comes to spending, deficits, debt and health care.”