A House Divided

As the congressional election draws nearer, more stories about the Tea Party emerge. I feel compelled up front to point out that there really is no Tea Party, just a bunch of little groups under a big banner. And therefore, you can't assume they all stand for the same things. So this account of a meeting between some members and defeated GOP candidate Bob Inglis doesn't indicate the whole Tea Party is behind this notion.

I sat down, and they said on the back of your Social Security card, there's a number. That number indicates the bank that bought you when you were born based on a projection of your life's earnings, and you are collateral. We are all collateral for the banks. I have this look like, "What the heck are you talking about?" I'm trying to hide that look and look clueless. I figured clueless was better than argumentative. So they said, "You don't know this?! You are a member of Congress, and you don't know this?!" And I said, "Please forgive me. I'm just ignorant of these things." And then of course, it turned into something about the Federal Reserve and the Bilderbergers and all that stuff. And now you have the feeling of anti-Semitism here coming in, mixing in. Wow.

The takeaway from this anecdote, as I say, is not that the Tea Party is nuts. It's that the Republican party is not nearly as well-positioned for the fall elections as they think they are. Inglis is a pretty conservative guy, and the Tea Party rep who won the primary - I can't imagine moderates voting for him, let alone Democrats. Or to be more blunt - people hate the Democrats nowadays but only the Tea Party votes for the Tea Party. The Republican voting bloc is split, and at least half of that split will dig their heels in the sand and refuse to vote rather than vote for a RINO.

I'm seeing low voter turnout and Democrats maintaining control of the houses. I know the pundits think I'm wrong on that, but pundits make money from drama.