Tea Party’s “Hostile Takeover”

We won’t delve too deeply into former U.S. Majority Leader Dick Armey’s role in the aborted “Republican Revolution” of 1994, but it’s safe to say that the Texan wasn’t on the right side of the demarcation line between true fiscal conservatism and political expediency. In fact, only a handful of the “Revolutionaries” were on the right side of that line, which is why their movement died a quick death. Now, with establishment Republicans like U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham predicting a quick death for the Tea Party movement, Armey is back in the mix – promoting the longevity of the movement in a Wall Street Journal column that also promotes his new book on the subject. We’re frankly not convinced – and have never been convinced – that the Republican Party is the proper political vehicle for advancing the ideals of the Tea Party movement. We’re also increasingly concerned that the same big spending establishment politicians who previously infected the GOP ranks are now infecting the Tea Party as well. Armey is correct, however, when he concludes that the Tea Party “community” will indeed sustain itself after November, and that Republicans who betray the principles he articulates in his column will not last long in public office...more