Tea Party Express members take Aria suite: Will they order crying towels?

It’s no coincidence, Tea Party Express spokesman Dustin Stockton says. It’s unabashed political symbolism that the conservative group took a suite at the Aria about 19 floors above the convention hall filled with anxious Democrats turning out for their man, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

The suite includes a “war room” with boards representing races from across the nation, and on Tuesday night there were reasons for Tea Party loyalists to smile.

Stockton, a Nevada native, remained circumspect when it came to the race of the night: Reid vs. Sharron Angle. (And that was before the early vote flopped with Reid ahead by 8 percentage points.)

“The idea wasn’t to have like an actual conflict between us and them. It’s election night. Everything’s decided at this point. But it’s the symbolism involved. And being in the same hotel where Harry Reid has claimed credit for City Center and saving this whole thing. We weren’t going to back down from that, so just by being in the same hotel we thought was the best way. We’re not looking to create any actual conflict with them. We just want to be in the same place with them."

I get it. Symbolism. But, I wonder, how many places does the Tea Party Express have suites set up across the country?

Answer: Just one.

“For the Tea Party Express, this is where it’s at,” Stockton says.

For a national movement, as it’s called in the national press, that makes it seem awfully personal. And, like Stockton says, symbolic.