Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Doubling Down

When Sarah Palin says the following regarding the Teabaggers (in their myriad forms)…

“[The] Tea Party movement is not a party, and we have a two-party system, they’re going to have to pick a party and run one or the other: ‘R’ or ‘D’."

…she is absolutely wrong.

The Teabaggers don’t have to back an organized party, and would be foolish to do so as they so loudly claim to be unconnected to Republicans or Democrats. And no matter if one believes this ideal to be sincere or not, were any mainstream branch of the Teabagger movement to officially back one party, it would probably lead to in-fighting over purity of message.

However, what Palin and RNC Chair Michael Steele are doing this week to romance the Teabaggers is politically savvy from the GOP’s position as the last thing they want is for them form a third party and siphon off votes from the Republican ticket. Yet the GOP getting in bed with the Teabaggers also runs a risk of marrying a movement which could easily implode—and likely will—as soon as it sprang up.

Thus, either way such a relationship would be highly risky for both participants.

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