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Originally Posted by Beemnseven
dmek and saden, I wouldn't take the Tea Party movement as something that's solely Republican-driven. Yes, the Democrats are probably going to get it broken off in their ass this November, but that's only because they have complete power. If the Pubbies were in control, the same thing would happen to them. In fact it already did happen to them in '06 and '08. The issue then was outrage over the wars. Now it's health care and fiscal insanity.
I really believe that this is a backlash against both parties, against government in general. The system we have now, which has been in control by only two select groups for over a century, may be starting to crack. I'd like to see a break up of the two-party system into a mish-mash of many different ideaologies, all angling for something different than the same ol' business as usual, corrupt, back-room dealings with cronies who have had the ear -- and the pockets -- of both parties for far too long.
I know you two are democrats, but trust me -- the republicans are going to be a short leash this time around. If we see them going back to the ways of big spending, expanding government, and marching all over the face of the earth with a 'tough foreign policy' stance that they've always been so proud of, but does nothing but get young Americans killed, they'll be thrown right out just as fast as they got back there.
Nobody's going to get a long running free pass anymore, with the voters as apt as they've been for massive upheavals of power shifting in both directions. Only this time, I think there are some new players in the game, and that's a good thing.
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While it could be a backlash against both parties, their views, "principles", and rhetoric are mainly aligned with Republican ideology. There's no question about that. I would also ask myself, where was the Tea Party when the previous administration grew the size of government, passed legislation (namely Medicare Part D) without paying for it, and funded the Iraq war almost entirely through debt and budgetary supplements? All of which added significantly to the current deficit. So for them to suddenly come out and rail against big governement, the ballooning deficit, and universal healthcare is curious at best.
On a separate but somewhat related note, it appears as though Sarah Palin is making her bed with the Tea Party, which is just fine by me. The only problem -- a major problem -- with that strategy is that at some point she's going to have to tact to the middle on some issues be considered a serious candidate.