Tea party could add to Republicans' numbers in Congress but shake up their unity

[alp227]

by Chris Cillizza, The Washington Post

News flash (not): All over the country, tea-party-backed candidates are winning.

Ophthalmologist Rand Paul's sweeping victory in Kentucky's Senate primary was the flagship "W" for the nascent movement. But Idaho state Rep. Raul Labrador's win last Tuesday in a House primary and the rapid rise of former Nevada assemblywoman Sharron Angle in that state's Senate race signal that the movement is backing up its big talk with action. (Most neutral observers think Angle will win the primary on June 8.)

While that story line has received lots of ink and air time since Paul's victory on May 18, significantly less attention has been paid to the "What now?" element of the Paul and Labrador wins. As in: What happens if the next Senate includes such names as Paul, Angle and Ken Buck -- the Weld County prosecutor who is running in Colorado?

What we know: If any or all of the tea party candidates are elected this fall, they will join a broadened group of Republican senators. Currently holding 41 seats, the GOP is well positioned to win seats being vacated by Democrats in North Dakota, Delaware, Illinois and Indiana. Most neutral observers expect the GOP to gain at least four seats in November; eight seats is generally regarded as the ceiling.

More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/30/AR2010053003682.html
This reminds me about Bob Schieffer's commentary on the May 23 Face the Nation:

In modern history - to me, that means during my lifetime - political upheavals have generally been followed by the out party going too far . . . Republicans too far to the right, Democrats too far to the left.

(Schieffer then referenced "out parties", which try to regain the White House after losing elections: the 1964 Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, 1972 Democratic candidate George McGovern, and 1976 Democratic candidate Jimmy Carter, all results of their respective parties reforming their leadership only to have their candidates either lose, in the cases of Goldwater and McGovern, or last only one term as Carter did. Contrast these historic examples to how the Republican Party is now being taken over by the Tea Party wing now that a Democrat won the White House.)

[FrenchieCat]

1. The never ending pushing of Teabaggers being something other than Republicans

by the "liberal" media is getting on my fucking nerves.

These folks have rebranded themselves with a new name,
but they are nothing but Republican activists
who being ashamed of being members of a losing party,
came up with another name in order to disguise themselves.

To think otherwise is to be naive or in on the game.....
and I think that the media is in on the game,
and they think the public at large is stupid,
so folks like Cillizza are working hard trying to deceive us,
as they try to desperately grow the Republican voters,
before their Bush tax cuts expire.

[Faygo Kid]

4. Totally agree.

Same 20 percent who think Limbaugh makes sense.

[PSPS]

2. This is laughable

I suppose the WP has to fill their acreage not devoted to paid advertisements (like those from BP) with something. But this is ridiculous.

Right off the bat, we have "All over the country, tea-party-backed candidates are winning."

They then go on to gush over the 'baggers who have won a primary race -- two or three in total.

Well, there's the disconnect right there. Two or three primary wins in a party now controlled by crazy hate radio jocks and Fox 'News' doesn't exactly translate into "All over the country, tea-party-backed candidates are winning."

[Populist_Prole]

3. I agree it's just a rebranded GOP

Those I know who sympathize with the movement are just Repubs who are mad they lost. They constantly tell me ( or bury me in email forwards ) about how they're going to turn everything around the next election ( and exhorting others to do the same ) as though there is some as yet unused reserve of GOP support...when the reality is that the GOP lost then and they'll lose now because they were what they were and they are what they are.

They're just putting on their "game faces".

[givemebackmycountry]

5. Who gives a FAT flying smelly turd WHAT they call them selves.

They are still the same hate filled, racist mother-fuckers that can't win unless they scare the fuck out of people or have Daddy and the Supreme Court hand it to them like a Birthday present.