Let's imagine we maintain both houses of Congress and win big in state houses and governorships.

[Stinky The Clown]

What will that do to the teabaggers and the match-lighters who keep them afire?

In a world were there is a smiling benevolence, they would all go away, realizing they failed and that the country didn't want them.

Sadly, there is no smiling benevolence. Their soft supporters will probably go back to be the willfully ignorant whiners they've always been. It is the hard core true believers that worry me. Will the threats of "second amendment remedies" continue? Will there be rural hideaways with crude, amateurish "training courses" in the woods?

Some of these crazy people will not just go away.

[SalviaBlue]

1. Imagine

Thats what I'm doing... Visualize Tea Bagger heads exploding.

[Tatiana]

2. The way to fight the teanuts is to win big on the local level first.

We need the state legislatures and governorships. With redistricting coming up, we have the opportunity to fix some of the Republican gerrymandering that went on and make districts more equitable.

With a strong Democratic/progressive presence on the local level, the teanuts will be increasingly marginalized.

[kctim]

3. Imagine?

I think we will maintain both houses and the state houses and governorships will be a wash. The Tea Party will lose some of its punch, but it will not go and just fade away overnight.

I think you are mistaken with you're conclusion though. Some of the 'hardcore' members may be a part of the militia movement, but their numbers are so small that it really doesn't matter. Hell, the militia movement was alot worse when Clinton was president and nothing ever came of that.

[zipplewrath]

4. Movements last by winning

If the tea party folks are seen as being the reason that the GOP either didn't win enough, or that they didn't take a chamber of congress, they'll be done. If they are seen as "a problem", they will lose their clout. This is especially true of Ms. Palin. If she is seen as a king maker, we're in for 4 more years of that crap. If she is seen as ultimately a liability, they'll run from her like roaches from light.

[wiggs]

5. After the 2008 beat-down, they had a choice to either go moderate and reasonable,

in which they would work with dems, stop demonizing the non-believers, and get on board with mainstream america....OR....go right again and double down on the hate, lies, hardline-libertarianism, and red-neckiness.

And just like McCain and Gingrich have done more recently, the entire gop swung right, hard. It's a conscious political decision by gop leaders. On day 1, they were ready to be 180 degrees from whatever Obama was. And in fact, over the last couple of decades, they've managed to move the center of congress to the right.

So although you would think they would get the message (only 19% identify with Tea Party, Obama at 50% approval during severe recession) they have the money and the media and the strategy (fear/hate/smear works) so keep doing it...only harder. Guess that means Palin/Angle in 2012.

[Pryderi]

6. Imagine we live on rainbow mountain and ride winged unicorns. n/t

[wiggs]

7. Even if the gop loses overall, they still win. All this Tea Party crap, smearing, lies,

catapulting the propaganda, hate, demonizing of everyone else but party faithful....has moved the political center of congress way to the right. The center today would have been RW fringe 25 years ago. The left in congress is the RW in most other parts of the world.

And, for the economic royalists, turning everyone into quivering campaign beggars scared of being called socialists is almost as good as getting your own cronies in there to begin with.

[leftstreet]

11. +1

Well said

[littlewolf]

8. actually

I read an article that pointed out that the tea party has already won ...
they forced the Dems to the right and the GOP even further right ...
so win, lose or draw ... they accomplished part of what they
say they want ..... I will see if it can get a link ...
I may have been in the local paper ....

[Stinky The Clown]

9. I don't need a link. I know that's true.

[neverforget]

10. Mrs Moose was talking about a 3rd party.....i hope it comes to pass.