I think it could happen. Let's face it, we aren't going to beat them all. I am confident that we will defeat most of them, but some will get through. What they will find when they reach Washington may cause them to reconsider the party they're aligning themselves with, or are being co-opted by.
But let's look at some numbers first. There are about 80 self-declared Tea Party candidates, 35 of whom were called out on Keith Olbermann last night as the most radical among them. Very few of them are going to get elected. The rest, the one's you don't hear much about, might. And there are a few in the major parties that will have no problem retaining their seats. I see one governor, one senator, and the rest Representatives. Hardly enough to swing the tide. And those that do make it are in for some major culture shock.
Be careful what you ask for.
When they get to DC, they will finally have to shut up, no longer on the campaign trail. And when they do that, they're going to find out that the party that is most interested in their goals is not the party that pretends to tolerate them. If the Tea Partiers as a whole stand for anything, it's that while government needs to be smaller it also needs to work. They will see that the Republicans have stolen their energy but have no intention of allowing them control. The best case scenario for the Republicans is that my numbers are correct. There's strength in numbers, and too many of them hurts the Republicans.
The second most important thing to Tea Partiers is that they are supposed to be a party for the people. Okay, so for now it's a party for the white people, but with more focus they could well become a viable alternative party. If there is such a thing as a moderate Tea Partier, let's hope he or she has a lot of charisma. If they can silence the radical ones, they have a chance. If not, they're doomed. But, back to the point.
There's one very clear and vocal speaker in Washington that was elected because he was for the people. His entire agenda is about people, not politics. This is the person to whom they should be seeking counsel. He is, as has been said before, the smartest man in the room. I disagree with a lot of what he has done, and how he has done some of his job. I think he's starting to take off the rose colored glasses a little more often. I hope so. In any case, if they are truly for the people, then perhaps they ought to cease being so concerned about the color of his skin and listen to what he is saying.
I think they'd actually agree with him. Maybe it's me with the rose colored glasses, but what little hope I have left rests with this possibility.
Okay, glasses off. They're doomed. When the dust of next Tuesday settles, they will then see, once and for all and crystal clear, that they were manipulated and coerced by their enemies. Big business bought and paid for their movement and their souls. They will see that it was just a hoax, an insidious power grab to keep the money where it does the least good. Out of their hands. Think about this: How many billions of dollars have been spent on this election? Scary thought. Wonder if that money could have been used in a more productive manner?
There is no central Tea Party to build from. There is no platform. There is no structure. There are essentially 80 candidates with 80 different ideas of what they are supposed to stand for. The problem is, they don't know. They're playing follow the leader. Out on the edges especially, where the Olbermann 35 reside, one of them stumbles across a line, and they're like flies to a pile of feces. But only a couple to a few will actually land on it. All they're doing is inventing the next most outrageous position and see who lands.
Those people will not be elected.
The ones that do have an opportunity that is every politician's wet dream. They really can effect major change if they decide to. If, and I realize it's a big if, there are a number of sane electees from the Tea Party and they can agree on what it is they really stand for, they can support the legislation that ends up promoting that platform by voting with whichever party presents it. The Republicans may have allowed them to use the (R) on the ballot, but they are not Republicans. The are the enders of partisanship, if they choose to be.
I wish them luck, I truly do. I hope that they see and seize the opportunity.
Hamster Prez
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