CSM-Patriot Act upset vote: Can tea party lawmakers, liberals be friends?

[pampango]

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Elections/Tea-Party-Tally/2011/0209/Patriot-Act-upset-vote-Can-tea-party-lawmakers-liberals-be-friends

Many liberals tag the tea party movement as nativist, potentially racist, and out of step with progressive ideals. But some found themselves giving a nod of approval to tea-party-affiliated members of Congress who voted Tuesday to nix parts of the Patriot Act on grounds that they let the government intrude too much on individual privacy in the name of national security.

Rep. Ron Paul of Texas and newcomer Rep. Raúl Labrador of Idaho were among eight in the Tea Party Caucus to vote against extending certain surveillance measures contained in the Patriot Act, joining with 18 other Republicans and most House Democrats to prevent their reauthorization – at least for now. Liberal Democratic lawmakers, in particular, have long derided parts of the Patriot Act as sacrificing civil liberties.

But the vote also shows that some tea-party Republicans are willing to buck GOP orthodoxy to stand up for principles – even if those principles happen to be shared by the likes of liberal Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D) of Ohio, says political scientist Charles Franklin at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Mr. Kucinich called specifically on the Tea Party Caucus in the House to vote down the Patriot Act measures. As it was, 44 of 52 members of the Tea Party Caucus voted to extend the act's domestic spying provisions.

Democrats and tea party activists still stand far apart on issues ranging from raising the national debt ceiling, how much to cut government spending, and immigration policy. But their pairing up during Tuesday's vote to produce what some have called a "small uprising" points to the tea party movement's determination to install politicians who will put principle ahead of the party line, says Franklin. Though the Patriot Act provisions, which have President Obama's support, are likely to be renewed eventually, the initial "no" vote indicates that strange political bedfellows may indeed manage to shift policy in some unexpected ways.

[ixion]

1. Indeed, they can be friends. But even if they're not, there's no reason

they can't both at least respect the right of the other to live in peace.