I think what happened with the tea party is people realized it wasn't just a bunch of people screaming and hollering - the movement has some real teeth. Not surprisingly, liberals dislike it.
If you make this into an issue about the debt limit and the credit rating, consider that with 40% disapproval, fully 60% of the country thinks that holding the credit rating and federal budget hostage might actually be a good thing. The media is trying to portray the opposite, but with 60% favorable or undecided, I think the tea party is doing just fine.