Posted on 05/21/2014 6:12:30 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Extremes are called that for a reason. They are ideas that are on the far edges of reasonableness, and they are – rightly – destined to be tempered and reined in by more moderate ideas. That's what has just happened to the political party that holds sway in my home state.
Elections across the nation Tuesday showed that voters have rejected Tea Party extremism, with all of its concentration on hating President Obama and its suggestion that anyone who disagrees is less than patriotic.
These voters -- Republicans in states like Kentucky, Georgia and Idaho -- are definitely not tree-hugging, pot-smoking liberals. They're conservatives who want their party returned to them.
For them, it's not a matter of ideology; it's a matter of political survival. And as Alabama's own George Wallace noted so many times, political viability is the first and most necessary goal of every elected or would-be elected official.
Just as Wallace did more than 50 years ago, in recent years some Republicans in my state have run campaigns based on rhetoric that they had to know was downright silly. (Consider the current Public Service Commission candidate who's promising to "fight Obama," as though that's the job of a PSC member.)
In a race to the bottom, candidates have vied to hate Obama more, love guns best and pander most effectively to people who could be swayed by negative platitudes. That's a disservice and a distraction to the voters, not to mention an unworkable strategy for government and politics.
Last year's election of Baldwin County's own Bradley Byrne to Congress was a bellwether of how far some extremists are willing to go. When Byrne -- no wild-eyed liberal -- beat a conservative political consultant turned patriot/candidate, signs sprang up all over south Alabama.
Emblazoned with the "Don't Tread on Me" serpent and the words "Boycott Byrne," the signs were the height of the curious, self-destructive urges of some Tea Party Republicans. Byrne isn't a brand of soft drink to be boycotted; he's a U.S. representative from their own party.
Instead of indulging in unrealistic fantasies about what government ought to be, Tea Partiers would be better off not overplaying their hands and instead working in the political system that has gotten them all of this attention in the first place.
It's fitting that some branches of the Tea Party have adopted the serpent as their logo. Like the original rebellious founders of our nation, they mean to convey a message that says, "If you tread on what I see as my rights, you'll regret it." But the effective message in today's political climate is very different.
Everybody who's ever taken a walk in the woods knows snakes can bite. They also know that if you leave snakes alone, they'll usually slither away without harm.
Only a snake-chunking preacher with misplaced courage and a working refrigerator will try to handle a poisonous snake. He knows that when the serpent warms up and wakes up, it'll bite.
The Tea Party serpent has surely bitten the Republican Party.
Now the voters – and the Republican Party – have apparently learned that lesson. Political analysts say that nationwide, only 15 percent of voters favor the Tea Party today. That was reflected in Tuesday's primary results.
The flirtation with extremism has proven a big mistake for the Republican Party, just as Democrats' flirtation with extremism (remember their sojourn in the wilderness in the 1980s and the impact of the left-wing MoveOn.org in the late 1990s?) was a big mistake for them.
The voters' message – for those with ears to hear it -- is clear: Lead with reason, and with enough courage to turn away the false invective. The extremist elements of the Tea Party are a serpent the Republicans -- and the nation -- can do without.
^^^^^
Frances Coleman is a freelance writer living in Baldwin County. Email her at fcoleman1953@gmail.com and "like" her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/prfrances.
B******t.
Are you saying Bitch McConnell has joined the Tea Party? How about Mitt Romney? He gave Obomba another term. Did the Tea Party nominate Romney? What about Linda Graham? John Boehner? John McCain?
Yes, let's all join in the herd of RINOs as they line up to kiss Obomba's backside. That will put an end to Obomba's regime for sure.
You mean the GOP "good manners" of always caving in to the Left, and not holding the Dems to their word (see 1986 Immigration reform), or to legal limits? Yeah, you're right. We don't need good manners like those. We need people in office who will fight for what we believe in, and we will NOT be afraid to demand it anymore. The Left hasn't had "good manners" in decades. Why should I demand it from those who represent my wishes, while letting those who promote ideas that I will spend my lifetime opposing fight dirty at every turn, in an uneven fight (thanks to the MSM)?
That simply shows that the Tea Party is NOT extreme, and DOES have power and influence.
However, the last few election cycles, we have let GOPe folks tell us what we want to hear, and we bought it... and have been let down, every time. No more. Now they have to back it up, or else we can their asses. Period.
"Fool me once..." etc.
‘Cuz, ya know, before the TEA Party came along Republicans in Congress were stalwart opponents of the expansion of government!
Anyone that believes the Tea Party is destructive is obviously a RHINO or a demodummie.
If memory serves me, the Tea Party is made up of all kinds of people who are sick and tired on what has happened to this country and where it has been led. I may not be an official member of that group but I sure as hell agree with their intent which is to take AMERICA back from those who would destroy it.
Never, EVER listen to what a politician says.
Keep an eye on their voting record. That’ll tell you everything you need to know about them and is indelible...
With a bit of editing this piece could just as well have been critical about the “extreme” factions in the Democrat-Socialist Party. But as Dennis Prager has noted, one can never be “too far Left”.
I noticed that this author was using Obama for his all-along intended “purpose” - as a shield with sufficient melanin content to keep the leftist agenda from being criticized or thwarted.
Obama doesn’t have much use beyond that. That’s his primary function.
Voters like this moron are the cancer that is killing this country.
It’s a sad day when some Americans take the position that it is destructive for other Americans to lobby for constitutional government. I wonder what is in the Constitution that they think is destructive.
It must come down to what they consider destructive.
Hitler would have found the Tea Party movement extremely troublesome also.
A Palestinian, eh? That explains it!
Well we don’t have to worry about it anymore in Georgia as our RINO governor Nathan “Raw” Deal looks to be cruising to another 4 years and our senate primary has ended with a runoff between an iffy business man and a moderate conservative. It will be a miracle if we can get the moderate through the runoff.
Okay.
Name three things that the Tea Party has gotten its way on.
Are taxes lower?
Is the government spending less?
Has the debt ceiling been lowered?
Is Obamacare dead?
The Tea Party ran on all the above.
As Fresh Wind pointed out: the Tea Party didn’t even force a conservative candidate in 2012.
Go ahead - name three major victories the Tea Party has had.
REAL victories - not just establishment mad we’re not spending as fast as they want.
Just three.
There is no TEA Party. It’s a state of mind.
In some minds it’s Ron Paul. In some minds it’s Mike Huckabee.
Does it include Christian-based social issues, or is it just “Taxed Enough Already”?
Inquiring minds DO want to know.
Oh,I won’t stay home! I will vote for the dem instead of the RINO!
I have never voted for a dem in my life - but I’m done with the patronizing, compromising dirtbags that call themselves Republican...
Like Boehner (I hated that choice from the start)
And McConnell (I used to like him, until I figured out he’s NEVER gonna have a spine)
Like Reagan said of the dems - I didn’t leave the GOP, the GOP left me. And this article convinces me even more!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.