The Tea Party primary election victories

[Hannah Bell]

The upset victory of far-right Tea Party candidates in Tuesday's Republican primary elections must be seen within the context of an immense social crisis and growing economic distress in the United States... a distorted reflection of the general growth of popular anger and disillusionment with the political system.

This is not to say that the results of these contests and previous Republican primaries in which Tea Party candidates ousted more established incumbents— such as last month’s victory of Joe Miller over incumbent Senator Lisa Murkowski in Alaska— represent the emergence of a mass popular right-wing movement. Voter turnout in these primary contests has remained dismally low, at about 20 percent, reflecting broad disgust with both big business parties. In the Delaware contest, for example, less than 58,000 votes were cast across the entire state.

The Tea Party movement itself is not a grass roots movement from below, but rather the creation of elements within the Republican Party leadership. It has been relentlessly promoted by the media and lavishly funded by billionaire reactionaries such as Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch and the oil baron Koch brothers of Kansas.

The Tea Party phenomenon reflects the concerted effort by the ruling elite to create a broad base for right-wing politics, precisely to counter the general shift of the population to the left...

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/sep2010/pers-s16.shtml

[opihimoimoi]

1. Its a GOP induced Anger out there....shallow as their candidates spewing Hate n Shit

[OHdem10]

2. Precisely why the NYT ran this appeasing article explaining how

the GOP has time to get the TeaParty Candidates images
whipped into shape. Elites are behind this, you betcha.

[LAGC]

3. The problem is, as more people tune out and fewer people show up to vote...

It makes the wing-nut minority that much more potent.

I mean, here you can have a Tea Party that has support of maybe 20% of the population at best, just getting such a high percentage of their base to turn out to vote, that it dwarfs what passes for the "moderate" Republican voter turn-out who is generally disinterested. It's scary, because if the same patterns hold true during the General Election, such a small vocal minority could potentially squeak through to victory.

If only the Left could motivate its base, get them fired up, and turn out to vote, we might really see some progressive candidates that could really change this country, but for the better.

[Monk06]

4. The GOP has seven weeks to turn around a palace coup by the baggers.

The baggers confuse a primary challenge/victory over their
own incumbents with an electoral victory over the Democrats.

I think we're going to see at least marginal Democratic losses
but more likely a bloodbath for the GOP.

John Boehner was looking at fabric samples for the new drapes
in Pelosi's office two weeks ago.

Now he's wondering if he's going to have a job.

Karl Rove took a temporary (so he thought), job with FOX in order
to keep himself in the public eye until he got rid of Obama. Then
O' Donnell happened. Then Limbaugh comes out the very next day and
tell's the 'the Architect', that he, Limbaugh decides who the GOP
will run for Congress and the Senate and who will be the next GOP
nominee for President.

Meanwhile, Palin who put wheels on the bagger wagon is pleading
for party unity, by which she means the RNC establishment
should roll over for her and her friends.

It ain't going to happen.

The GOP old guard will hold their nose and support
Obama before they will hand over the oldest political party in US history to
a bunch of lawn chair jockeys and radio announcers.

As my proctologist has been known to say, "You may feel a some momentary
discomfort....."