“Do you really believe that all these “Indies and Democrats” that you’re so happy about attracting are in the end going to hang in there with the conservatives?”
Actually, it splits several ways. The D’s attracted to the tea parties tend, I believe, to be socially conservative (abortion, guns)—Reagan Democrats—who have choked on Obama’s 1 Trillion a year additions to the deficit and healthcare takeover.
There are a lot of I’s that would like to see a balanced budget and smaller government but could give a hoot about killing unborn babies but support the second amendment.
When you combine that with moderate R’s (who believe in lots of spending, bigger government, and don’t give a hoot about killing babies, or the right to bear firearms), and actual conservatives (reduce spending, small government and protecting the unborn), you have an almost impossible coalition to keep together.
As you so correctly point out, the only thing that unites the tea parties and the Republicans is opposition to our current governing class (the “anti-democrat party”). That may work for one election. But eventually the Republicans will need a better platform than “Vote for us, we don’t suck as much as the Democrats.” However true that may be, it eventually leads to a 2008 election debacle.
We are searching for perfection and we’re not going to find it here on earth. We must go for the best we can get. It is unconscionable to allow the greater of the evils to govern us. Vote for the best we can get; live to be able to vote in another election and try to improve upon what we have.