The Tea Party Movement battle to influence and take over the Republican Party nationally may lead to civil war in the GOP after the midterm elections, if Tea Party supported candidates lose Senate and House races to Democrats!
Republican leaders are tending to be very cocky about the chances of taking over both the House of Representatives and Senate in the next Congress, but the Senate is particularly the place that could become a real battleground for control of the future of the party, and it could affect the national party and the Presidential battle for 2012!
Candidates such as Ken Buck of Colorado, Sharron Angle of Nevada, and Christine O’Donnell in Delaware have come across as loony and out of the mainstream, and if they lose their Senate races, the Republicans could end up having gained seats, but not the majority because of these candidates backed by the Tea Party Movement!
That could lead to recriminations, and could affect the Presidential contest, as Sarah Palin, Mike Pence, Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, and others who have flirted with the Tea Party could cause a split in 2012, fighting against establishment Republicans and Mitt Romney, who, despite his shortcomings, still comes across as the most legitimate, rational and sane candidate that the Republicans possess for 2012!
And, as stated earlier, a revolt within the Senate GOP could cause Mitch McConnell the control of the Majority or Minority leadership in the upper chamber, in favor of “flame thrower” Jim DeMint of South Carolina!
So whether the GOP gains control of Congress or just comes close, it could have long term negative implications for the party in 2012, including control of Congress after 2012!
In all fairness, the Democrats have also been cocky too. It was only until the past month that they decide to campaign, while the Republicans have been pushing to boost their base in the last ten or so months. Just because there are strange candidates such as Christine O’Donnell and Paladino running, doesn’t mean that it will be an easy win for Democrats.
People are upset, because there are few job creation and those who suffered the most from the recession, are still in horrible shape as they have no job and may be facing foreclosure, etc. What the Democrats should do is paint the Republicans as clueless to fixing the economy. Remind them the nation how the Republicans ran the White house for 8 years and help to sink the economy and what things were like when the economy was great during the Clinton years.
Bill Clinton said it best on John Stewart, he said that the American public should give the Democrats two more years, and then return the shovel to the Republicans. The Democrats should remind people that we have stopped digging and now we are getting of the “Bush” whole. When it is Mid-terms 2012, and the state of the economy is not up to par, then you can return the shovel back to the pary of “Africa is a country” (Sarah Palin).