The news media – and to be honest many on the religious right – wish to confuse the Tea Party with social conservatism. But this is a complete misread of where the Tea Party started and its core tenants. The Tea Party is Libertarian at its core – small, minimalistic government. It is not super small government. But it is all for shrinking the bloated beast significantly.

The Tea Party is not for replacing our activists, all-in-your-life, leftist government with a conservative version. Social issues that are based on government intervention in people’s lives and behavior are not going to gain support from the grass roots Tea Party. Religious freedom, freedom of speech, etc will be supported (see Chick-fil-A brouhaha and TX primary). But the main goal is to dismantle government and let Main Street reign supreme once again – for it is there (not Wall Street or Capitol Hill) where America’s greatness and future lies.

So it was good to see the TX primary results yesterday where another Tea Party-backed candidate took out a political careerist:

Tea party darling Ted Cruz convincingly defeated the Republican establishment favorite, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, in Texas’ runoff election Tuesday, capturing the GOP nomination to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchisonas fiercely conservative voters shook one of America’s reddest states to its political core.

The race had been closely watched nationally as one of the most-vivid contrasts between the GOP mainstream and grass-roots, conservative activists. But as results began to pour in, it turned out to be no contest. Cruz completed the upset by grabbing advantages in key cities around the state where Dewhurst had once enjoyed stronger name recognition, fundraising and political organization.

“We are witnessing a great awakening,” Cruz told cheering supporters in Houston shortly after Dewhurst called him to concede. “Millions of Texans, millions of Americans are rising up to reclaim our country, to defend liberty and to restore the Constitution.”

Yes, there will be political charlatans (as we saw in 2010), quirky poseurs playing a role to hide their inner beliefs (see Mayor Bloomberg of New York City, Professor Muller of the BEST and Barack Obama for examples). But once exposed, they will be rejected by the Tea Party movement.

The anti-establishment voting block of 2010 is still out there and still very potent. It is not fully registering in the polls because polls are still using old voting pattern models, especially when it comes to independents. But when you look at just independents, Obama and the Dems are toast. When this centrist  anger is added to GOP GOTV and Democrat apathy, 2012 is lining up to be another historic election.

One of the reasons the Tea Party is libertarian and not social conservative is because it represents the coming together of people concerned with the fiscal insanity of Obama-Reid-Pelosi, not the moral character of their neighbors. It has been the total devastation and economic screw up by the Democrats that has awoken the anti-government forces that now stretch from center left to mid right. On the fringes are the ever isolated left and right activists that see government as a tool to enforce behavior. Sadly for the Dems – that is a majority of their voting block.  The GOP can win massively with the far right on the sidelines when the center aligns energetically with them (as can the Dems, who blew their opening  provided in 2008). Many in the GOP establishment are rightfully concerned their plodding, ineffective and inside-the-beltway world is coming to an end.

It is.

The only way to screw up with the 2012 voters is to get off the small government path, or the individual freedom of speech and religion path. Stay in the zone and elections will be won. Get off track – like not willing to cut back government on day 1 – and the people will search for the next person who wants a shot at governing in their preferred new direction.

Congrats to Ted Cruz. But remember, this is an opportunity – not a mandate.

Update: Jeff Greenfield provides a very bleak assessment for President Obama’s reelection chances. No surprises there.