2010 Election: Tea, anyone?

Apologies for the late post.

The 2010 election is (mostly) over, and the spinning has begun. Liberals like Maureen Dowd continue to chastise Americans for being too stupid to vote against Democrats. Republicans crow that this is definitive proof that Americans now realize the error of their ways in 2008 and have come to their senses. Karl Rove, usually a shrewd political analyst, said on election night that “.. there is a lesson to be learned here”. He went on to argue that that Republicans might have won control of the Senate if the Tea Party hadn’t fielded candidates that split the vote. He’s right about one thing; there is a lesson to be learned. But it’s not a wrap across the knuckles of the Tea Party; it’s a shot across the bow of the Republicans.

Political insiders have become so out of touch with voters that they can’t see the forest for the trees. If all the Tea Party wanted to do was defeat Democrats there would be no need to organize their own candidates. The Tea Party was formed because of disenchantment with Republicans, who abandoned conservative values and lost badly in 2008. Republicans would be naïve to presume that the Tea Party will fizzle and disband in the wake of their candidates’ defeat. They went from a dispersed grass roots movement to an influencing factor in national politics in just two years. If Republicans don’t find their conservative values with both hands in the next two years they can expect to be challenged even more in 2012.

This is not to say that the Tea Party can’t stumble either. Sarah Palin is a case in point. Everybody knows someone like Sarah; she’s the mom in your neighborhood that is involved in everything – all the school projects, the youth soccer league, church activities, even local political issues like more parks, more open space and more police. She is admired for her energy, her folksy personality, and her likability. But those aren’t the characteristics of a presidential candidate. The excitement she generated in the Republican base in the 2008 election is sorely misinterpreted. Conservatives were desperate for something to feel good about after McCain was forced on them, and Palin provided a breath of fresh air in an otherwise chagrined campaign. Let’s admit it: how hard is it to look good standing next to John McCain? Any party needs to field an electable candidate, which means someone who can inspire and lead. Sarah Palin can be much more helpful as a public figure endorsing conservative values than a candidate fighting constant assaults on her credibility.

We’ll soon see how well the election leaders interpret their mandate, which may profoundly affect the political landscape for the next decade and beyond. I’m afraid despite some blustering rhetoric we will see a return to the same old politics that we are all fed up with.