While the tea party movement has garnered national attention, one major Democratic strategist is not worried about its impact on upsetting Democratic candidates in national elections — in fact he thinks certain names on the ballot will aide liberal challengers.
David Plouffe, who managed Barack Obama's historic presidential campaign, spoke at The Kentucky Center as part of the Kentucky Author Forum on Tuesday night, taking questions from award-winning political journalist Richard Wolffe, who covered the Obama campaign for Newsweek and is now an analyst for MSNBC.
The success of Republican Senate nominees Rand Paul in Kentucky and Christine O'Donnell in Delaware over GOP establishment candidates has highlighted that the “strength and power of the Republican party” lies in the tea party movement, but the attraction stops at party lines, Plouffe said.
“The tea party is not getting independents or Democrats, this is all the Republican party … What it will do is ensure higher Republican turnout,” Plouffe said.
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100921/NEWS01/309210083/Ex-Obama+adviser+doubts+tea+party+s+appeal+at+author+forum+in+Louisville