Brian: Having not voted Republican since 1996, I actually agree with some of what you have to say regarding the GOP, and watching them trying to absorb the Tea Party has been amusing, to say the least.
However, the Tea Party represents the first iteration of a potentially huge grass roots movement. Many pundits are pointing out the “looney” factor of the Tea Party without realizing that its generally the fringe elements that get engaged first, and thus drive the initial message. If you look closer, you’ll notice it contains a lot of folks closer to the mainstream, in terms of education, employment and polity (moderate/center-right).
This is the element that politicians should fear, in that this element is just now realizing its national reach and power (hence the backlash not just against Dems, but against incumbents in general). The smart money, including Karl Rove’s new “SuperPAC” American Crossroads, is getting involved, including devoting money and logistics to close Senate, House and gubernatorial races.
If you enjoy strategy, this is where it gets good. State politics is getting roiled by the terrible condition of state budgets nationwide, and this is where a well-financed, well-organized grass roots movement will be really effective. Republicans have struggled for years to counter the number of bodies that Democrats can throw at various elections and I think they’ve now found the way forward.
It may piss you off to no end, Brian, but guys like Rove are selling the idea of a return to 1950s America, and the message is being eagerly purchased by a huge bloc of pissed-off white people, who feel disenfranchised by the system and are further infuriated by what they perceive as a move to a European-style nanny state.
And this is all happening as Obama moves further left to re-energize his base and unemployment remains stubbornly high and the promised recovery hasn’t appeared. It doesn’t take Karnak to see that the Dems are headed for a disastrous mid-term, and the GOP, headed by guys like Rove and Armey, will take their new “model” to the faithful for future victories, including 2012.
