The Tea Party people are doing well in elections.
Even when they lose, they do not lose by much.
Democrats are celebrating too early.
The common wisdom is that the far right
has taken over the Republican Party,
and that in the general election,
those idiots will not have a chance.
(I am not disputing the "idiot" part; just the conclusion.)
What fuels the Tea Party is a fear, and a hatred,
of government, taxes, the sad state of the economy,
tied together with thinly disguised fear and animosity
toward Blacks, immigrants, intellectuals, and chablis.
So far, the most vocal of those right-wing
insurrectionists have come from the right-wing
of the Republican Party, so they vote there.
Are we supposed to believe that animosity toward
government, incumbents, taxes, Blacks, immigrants,
and people who hold their wine glasses by the base
are all Republicans? Are all of the people
who are scared shitless about their own futures
Republican? Are all of the unemployed Republican?
It may very well happen that in the general election,
a lot of people, thought to be liberal, middle-of-the-road,
sensible voters who might otherwise vote Democratic
are going to put everything else aside, and rebel.
The Democrats had better quit celebrating the mutiliation
of the Republican Party by the Tea Party. If Democrats
do not present a strong, sensible, appealing, unambiguous
alternative to what has happened to our society
these last few years, the electorate may vote all of them out.
We are dealing with fear, with anger, with a desire
to hurt the people in office who have not done enough.
Neither party has done enough, sometimes because
they are perverse, and sometimes because they are inept.
The Republicans have transferred the wealth of the nation
to the top 2%. The Democrats have dithered,
and wondered whether they ought to be Republicans.
If the Tea Party resentment is not countered with
a plain, obvious, complete commitment to help
the people who are hurting, the Tea Party will win
enough seats, and enough hangers-on, to turn
the November results into a savage, hurt-them-all-
and-ourselves-too shambles of an election.
This is no time to celebrate Republican problems:
this is a time to propose, and stand plainly, with
an alternative to the religious, racial, ethnic, governmental
anger of people who, right now, do not have
an alternative. Anger is a destructive issue,
not a winning issue. A positive program to help
the people who are hurting--and those people
are not holding political office: those people
do not even understand what the anger is about--
is the only acceptable and honest way to go.
Barack Obama has to lead the way; speaking
plainly, honestly, and persuasively about what to do.
If Democrats will not stop trying to be mainstream
Republicans, let them learn what mainstream
Republicans are learning in the primaries.
Even when they lose, they do not lose by much.
Democrats are celebrating too early.
The common wisdom is that the far right
has taken over the Republican Party,
and that in the general election,
those idiots will not have a chance.
(I am not disputing the "idiot" part; just the conclusion.)
What fuels the Tea Party is a fear, and a hatred,
of government, taxes, the sad state of the economy,
tied together with thinly disguised fear and animosity
toward Blacks, immigrants, intellectuals, and chablis.
So far, the most vocal of those right-wing
insurrectionists have come from the right-wing
of the Republican Party, so they vote there.
Are we supposed to believe that animosity toward
government, incumbents, taxes, Blacks, immigrants,
and people who hold their wine glasses by the base
are all Republicans? Are all of the people
who are scared shitless about their own futures
Republican? Are all of the unemployed Republican?
It may very well happen that in the general election,
a lot of people, thought to be liberal, middle-of-the-road,
sensible voters who might otherwise vote Democratic
are going to put everything else aside, and rebel.
The Democrats had better quit celebrating the mutiliation
of the Republican Party by the Tea Party. If Democrats
do not present a strong, sensible, appealing, unambiguous
alternative to what has happened to our society
these last few years, the electorate may vote all of them out.
We are dealing with fear, with anger, with a desire
to hurt the people in office who have not done enough.
Neither party has done enough, sometimes because
they are perverse, and sometimes because they are inept.
The Republicans have transferred the wealth of the nation
to the top 2%. The Democrats have dithered,
and wondered whether they ought to be Republicans.
If the Tea Party resentment is not countered with
a plain, obvious, complete commitment to help
the people who are hurting, the Tea Party will win
enough seats, and enough hangers-on, to turn
the November results into a savage, hurt-them-all-
and-ourselves-too shambles of an election.
This is no time to celebrate Republican problems:
this is a time to propose, and stand plainly, with
an alternative to the religious, racial, ethnic, governmental
anger of people who, right now, do not have
an alternative. Anger is a destructive issue,
not a winning issue. A positive program to help
the people who are hurting--and those people
are not holding political office: those people
do not even understand what the anger is about--
is the only acceptable and honest way to go.
Barack Obama has to lead the way; speaking
plainly, honestly, and persuasively about what to do.
If Democrats will not stop trying to be mainstream
Republicans, let them learn what mainstream
Republicans are learning in the primaries.
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