On Big Tea & Republican Suicide

Judson Phillips of Tea Party Nation has written two interesting pieces on the evolution of the Tea Parties and the follies of counting one's chickens prior to hatching in regards to how the Republicans will fare in the Senate races this year.

The first piece, “Big Tea”, looks at how what started as a large number of rallies started by groups large and small delivering the messages of the Tea Parties has turned into largely a movement with a few major Tea Party organizations, including Mr. Phillips' own Tea Party Nation, Tea Party Express and FreedomWorks, and despite the author's concerns about some elements of the movement, sees Big Tea (as he calls it) as the formula to stop the progressive agenda in D.C. today.

While I'm not sure about these large organizations in the Tea Party community, I agree with Mr. Phillips about the evolution of the Tea Parties, to a point.  While there are now considerably large groups like Tea Party Nation and Tea Party Express, there are still a considerable number of smaller Tea Party groups, and on the whole, the Tea Party movement by itself remains without a leader.

As for his second piece, “Republican Suicide”, Mr. Phillips points out the potential of Democrats still being able to retain control of the U.S. Senate, even if Republicans gain ten Senate seats in November, citing as examples the unpredictable Republican members like Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe and John McCain, and also relating the result of a Democrat coup in the Tennessee House of Representatives despite a Republican takeover (and all having to do with getting a RINO to switch).

Mr. Phillips here has brought up a very important point.  Even if the Republicans can take control of the Senate, like they very much will the House of Representatives (in my opinion), to underestimate the Democrats at any time now or in the time between November, 2010 and January, 2011 is sure folly.  Senators like Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe could be swayed to switch to the Democrat Party, just like Arlen Specter did.

One can only hope all the RINO's will be voted out of office in the next six years, and while we're at it, get rid of the current Republican leadership; we need principled conservatives and libertarians running the party, not the good ole boys.