The Tea Party Has A Lot To Learn About Politics

A little bit of power can be a dangerous thing.  Take the Tea Party.  They've had one minor success and they now seem to think everything should be their way or not at all.  Wrong.

What they're doing is the very thing the Democrats did when they held both houses of Congress.  Trying to ram through legislation by threat and intimidation.  Who needs that again?

They claim they were elected on the issue of trimming the budget. It is their mandate. The Republican leadership has worked out a compromise with the Democrats, but that isn't enough for the Tea Partiers.  They want more even if it means shutting down the government and all that goes with it.  It would be a huge mistake and a swell way to get the independents of the country to turn against them. What they don't seem to get is that politics is a game of compromise.  They saw what happened when the Democrats abandoned those rules in 2008.  They lost. Now they are falling prey to it.  Consider their own leadership was urging small steps during the health care debacle.  Now , rather than following that philosophy with the budget, they want to take up the Democrats way.  Force and intimidation.  They are not yet strong enough to be able to include bribery.

Being bull headed will get them no where in the long run.  They have to realize all Republicans  do not nor  ever will ascribe to their far right tendencies guised as Conservatism.  And they cannot win with just those who do.

I don't think they even realize they lost the Senate for the Republicans by turning out good party members because they weren't conservative enough.  They are threatening to go after more in 2012.  What they're likely to do is lose the house again too.

Scott Brown of Massachusetts is one they are highlighting, as well as Speaker Boehner.  Boehner understands well how the game is played.  Brown too understands politics.  Turn them out at your own peril.

It's easy to stand on the outside and criticise.  Like arm chair quarterbacking.  I've heard everyone from Newt to Sarah to Michelle Bachmann rant about what they are against and what they are for.  What I've yet to hear is how they are going to accomplish it. I'm listening.

 It isn't going to be by mimicking the Democrats of the last Congress and demanding all things be their way.  That will make their tea dark and bitter and many will throw it out rather than drink it.