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The Republican Party brand has recovered somewhatin recent months,thanks in large part to fellow Republicans themselves warming to their own side.

A new Pew Research Center poll provides evidence. It shows 86 percent of Republicans now view their own party favorably -- up from 69 percent shortly after the 2012 election.

So then how does something like the unprecedented revolt against House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) happen?

Well, despite the tea party movement waning -- including its failure to upend any Senate incumbents in primaries last year -- its beliefs are still very much alive in today's GOP. And even as an increasing number of Republicans approve of their own party, the vast majority remain at least somewhatskepticalthat GOP leaders are standing up for the party's traditional positions.

The same Pew poll shows27 percent of Republicans believe their leaders are doing an "excellent" or "good" job on that front, while 72 percent rate them either "fair" or "poor."That's the biggest split at any point since shortly after the 2008 election.

They are also still significantly more suspect of their leaders than are Democrats.

And as long as that's the case, leaders like Boehner are going to have to minda wing of the party that just won't quitetrust them to do the right thing.

Aaron Blake covers national politics and writes regularly for The Fix.

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The Fix: The tea party is alive and well in spirit, at least