Are Tea Party supporters merely a group of conservative citizens concerned about government spending? Or are they racists who refuse to accept Barack Obama as their president because he's not white?Change They Cant Believe In offers an alternative argumentthat the Tea Party is driven by the reemergence of a reactionary movement in American politics that is fueled by a fear that America has changed for the worse. Providing a range of original evidence and rich portraits of party sympathizers as well as activists, Christopher Parker and Matt Barreto show that the perception that America is in danger directly informs how Tea Party supporters think and act.

In a new afterword, Parker and Barreto reflect on the Tea Partys recent initiatives, including the 2013 government shutdown, and evaluate their prospects for the 2016 election.

Christopher S. Parkeris associate professor of political science at the University of Washington, Seattle. He is the author ofFighting for Democracy (Princeton).Matt A. Barreto is associate professor of political science at the University of Washington, Seattle, and director of the Washington Institute for the Study of Ethnicity, Race and Sexuality. He is the author ofEthnic Cues.