How are we supposed to take Tea Party members seriously?

Here's one more example, in too long a line of examples, of an out of control Tea Party candidate, this time threatening a reporter in public. Seriously, how is this guy supposed to be taken seriously? He isn't even in office yet and he's threatening people. Sharon Angle, in Nevada, denies things she's already said not knowing the original is on video, Christine O'Donnell lies about her past and education AND says she dabbled in witchcraft, literally. I repeat--how are we supposed to take these people seriously? Link to original post: http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100930/el_yblog_upshot/ny-gov-candidate-threatens-to-take-out-reporter