And to the tea party, a big thank you!
You made it possible! A probable Democratic win in the Senate!
A year ago, famed political handicapper Charlie Cook gave Republicans a 60 percent to 70 percent likelihood of capturing control of the Senate; now, he tells me the likelihood of it remaining Democratic is 60 percent. ...Dana Milbank, WaPo
Out there in voterland, voters are fed to the teeth with tea party purists. As Milbank puts it, the tea party — “in fighting for ideological purity in primaries regardless of the consequences” — is standing in the way of “their own cause of limited government and expanded freedom.”
And they look like idiots.
High among those putting Republican Senate control in jeopardy is Mourdock, who eviscerated Lugar, the longtime chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, by running to his right in the primary. Now realizing they are in danger of losing a seat that Lugar kept Republican for 36 years, Indiana Republicans used a super PAC to send out a direct-mail piece quoting favorable remarks Lugar made about Mourdock. But Lugar’s Senate office let it be known that it did not authorize the mailing and that Lugar would not campaign for Mourdock.
While Mourdock still has a shot at the Senate, Missouri’s Akin appears to be squandering an easy win for Republicans because of his remarks about rape. Akin beat the preferred candidate of the GOP establishment, businessman John Brunner, in the primary, but his candidacy floundered after he voiced his bizarre thoughts about a woman’s body being able to reject the sperm of a rapist.
In a situation even worse than Mourdock’s, the party establishment abandoned Akin. “I’m convinced now they don’t want Akin to win,” Akin adviser Rick Tyler complained this week to the Daily Caller, a conservative Web site.
Of course they want him to win. But they know that in Missouri, as in Indiana, Delaware, Colorado and Nevada, the tea party has done serious damage to Republicans’ hopes of being the majority. …Dana Milbank
It’s the “ideological purity” part that is a turn-off to anyone with knowledge of government and with an adult attitude about playing nicely with others. Back to school for the tea partyers, and to an effort to learn civility, cooperation, and American history. Dressing up in costumes is not an prerequisite for being an American citizen. A willingness to compromise is.
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So the Senate will likely remain Democratic. What about the House? Well, some rumblings:
GOP Reps. Allen West of Florida, Steve King of Iowa and Joe Walsh of Illinois are all embroiled in tough and expensive races that are drawing plenty of spending by friends and foes from around the country. …AP
King, that blowhard, is in real trouble.
In Iowa, King is in the toughest re-election battle of his decade-long congressional career. His vulnerability comes from a redrawn district that leans less Republican than before and a well-financed challenge from the well-known Democrat Christie Vilsack, who is married to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a former Iowa governor.
Tea party voters adore King for his opposition to the health care overhaul, advocacy of strict immigration enforcement and opposition to abortion and gay marriage. He’s also known for attention-grabbing statements.
While opposing legislation this summer to make it illegal to watch dog fighting, King said society’s priorities are wrong if it makes dog fighting illegal but condones people fighting. Those remarks were criticized as a defense of dog fighting, and helped prompt the Humane Society to spend nearly $500,000 for an ad criticizing King, saying, “Those aren’t Iowa values.”
King says his words are often twisted by opponents he calls “professional hyperventilators.” He has been aided by the National Federation of Independent Business and the House Republican campaign organization, which ran a spot linking Vilsack to Obama. One of King’s ads shows him in a farm tractor as a man says, “Give me that Iowa straight talker any day.” …AP
Finally the word is out that tea partyers are not free-standing patriots trying to help their country, but rather well-paid corporate stooges who are, way too often, embarrassing to America. One writer to the Brainerd Dispatch writes, “We can elect people who will represent us, not big outside money that’s funding Tea Party candidates. We can elect leaders that will make us proud, not embarrassed.”
Conservative history, Harry Jaffa, vented on the tea party a few days ago.
“[The tea party] as far as I’m concerned, they’re anarchists. And they’re no different than Communists in their opposition to capitalist government,” Jaffa said. ...Human Events
Cross posted from Prairie Weather
Tea Party graphic: shutterstock.com