What happens when a "useful idiot" is no longer useful? Such is the dilemma in the Republican party. In the spring of 2009 in an obvious reaction to the inauguration of President Obama, the Tea Party rose up out of nothing (ok - from a FOX "News" cabal) to speak out against taxes (ostensibly). Grover Norquist was their mouthpiece, and they looked to be a shiny new alternative to a stodgy old GOP.

The movers and shakers in the party were initially threatened by the upstarts, but then figured they would glom onto them and rise to power... which sort of worked in 2010. They took control of the House and narrowed the gap in the Senate. The GOP immediately began focusing on... um... social issues, something the Tea Party didn't really have much of an opinion on (supposedly). The outlook for 2012 was rosy.

Except - 2012 didn't happen the way they predicted. President Obama was reelected. The Republicans lost seats in both the House and Senate. Apparently, being loud and the center of attention doesn't necessarily equate to popularity and/or votes. Americans looked at these Tea Party "darlings" and decided they were nuts. The Republicans embrace of the Tea Party initially helped, but now they appear to be a liability.
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82 comments (Latest Comment: 12/05/2012 23:14:57 by Will in Chicago)

During last night's Sunday Night Football Halftime show, Bob Costas spoke of the horrific events that happened in Kansas city.
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106 comments (Latest Comment: 12/04/2012 05:35:39 by BobR)

Good Morning.

This blog has oft been a litany of what it's like to live in our Southern, Redder, States. Seems to me like it goes from one horror to another, and of course there's the insane/crazed politicians that make it all happen.

Massachusetts is blue. It's been blue for ages, and in the last couple of election cycles, we've been the "bluest state in the country." Well, we're back to that. When Elizabeth Warren heads to Washington, our entire congressional delegation will be blue, and looking over at Beacon Hill, it's much of the same. The current house is running 128/32, and the Senate clocks in at 36/4. You're all familiar with our rising governor by now, too.
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2 comments (Latest Comment: 12/01/2012 17:42:40 by Raine)

The Election has come and gone -- and apparently so has the time for reflection from the Republican party. You will recall Dick Morris saying this in the days after the election: On November 11, CNN held a panel to discuss the future of the Republican party. So what happens next for the GOP?
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80 comments (Latest Comment: 11/30/2012 06:25:32 by livingonli)

It's that time of year... We are reminded during every commercial break with Santa and red ribbons. We are reminded when we flip through the radio dial and find stations that have gone to an all-Christmas Music format already (won't get sick of that in a couple weeks - no...). We are reminded every year on Black Friday, as once again we see video of people getting violent in an effort to save a few bucks.

We are a nation of consumers. Consumption is what drives our economy. Without spending, our economy dies (as it almost did in 2008/2009). We need the money to be moving because that is what creates jobs, and for the money to move, a product or service must be in turn exchanged.

Consuming, though, in the economic model is a lot like consuming in the digestive model: As we consume, we also excrete. Without consuming, we cannot survive.
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75 comments (Latest Comment: 11/29/2012 02:32:35 by TriSec)