Scott Brown throws the Tea Party into Boston Harbor

After taking a ton of money from tea partiers, Scott Brown is now snubbing Sarah Palin and the Tea Party (via Think Progress):

Scott Brown snubs Sarah Palin, bags Tea Party rally

U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, whose stunning victory in January was fueled in part by Tea Party anger, has snubbed the fiery grassroots group and declined its invitation to join Sarah Palin Wednesday at a massive rally on Boston Common, the Herald has learned.

Brown’s decision to skip the first big rally in Boston by the group whose members are credited with helping him win election has some experts saying he’s tossed the Tea Party overboard, as he prepares for re-election in 2012.

It's hard to blame Brown given the political toxicity of the Tea Party outside of the South and some extremely conservative congressional districts. Despite the tea party movements outsized media coverage, Americans just don't support it. Last week, for example, a Fox poll found that the IRS is more popular than the Tea Party. When you're an anti-tax movement and you're less popular than the IRS less than two weeks before tax day, you know you've got problems -- and apparently Scott Brown is savvy enough to see that.