Why the Tea Party Isn't Going Anywhere...and what the Democrats can do about it...

I've always enjoyed what is in the Atlantic, and although I do think that the Tea Party's love affair with the public is dead, the movement itself isn't. Something that helps the Tea Party is their anarchist-like organization style. Unlike the American libertarian movement, led mostly by Ron Paul, or the American-style socialist movement, led by (the awesome) Bernie Sanders, there's no head Tea Partier, unless you count Mama Sarah. If the Democrats are going to beat back the allure of convservatism and the wave of anti-Obamacare sentiment, here's a few good calls.

-The veteran factor. I've mentioned this before, and I think it's a good call for the Dems to go recruiting ex-military to run for specific offices. Voters who might be uncomfortable with voting for a traditional liberal might go for more of a conservative-looking Democrat. And independent voters tend to be more pro-military.

-Grabbing more moderates. The Democrats have been going to much to the left in parts of the country they have no business of getting leftist candidates. If Wendy Davis is going to succeed in Texas, she needs to show that she's not a Washington-type liberal.

-Run candidates open to Obamacare overhauls. Michelle Nunn, the daughter of the popular former Georgia senator, is one of them. Jason Carter's run is more uphill, but then again, his grandfather was in the same boat in January of 1976. That December he was President-elect. A lot can change in ten or eleven months.

Skocpol makes a really great point here:

After the immediate effort flopped and caused most Americans to further sour on Republicans, Cruz remained unbowed. And why not? After all, Cruz gained near-total name recognition and sky-high popularity among Tea Party voters. He now appears regularly on television, and his antics have allowed elite Tea Party forces to lock in draconian reductions in federal spending for coming rounds of budget struggles. Americans may resent the Tea Party, but they are also losing ever more faith in the federal government—a big win for anti-government saboteurs. Popularity and “responsible governance” are not the goals of Tea Party forces, and such standards should not be used to judge the accomplishments of those who aim to undercut, block, and delay—even as Tea Party funders remain hopeful about holding their own or making further gains in another low-turnout midterm election in November 2014.

If the Democrats want to do damage control, they need a HUGE get out the vote campaign. It's a matter that the Democrats not only were unpopular in 2010, but that the Democrats didn't have people get out to the polls as they should of. For the Democrats to minimize damage and make progress next November, there needs to be an enthusiasm surge.

But then again, I tend to vote across party lines at times. I've voted for Janet Duprey at least once, and I'm not afraid to do so again. She's someone who truly crosses party lines. She sees things truly in color, and is the last person you could ever think of being hypocritical. For instance, she was one of only two Republicans to vote for the Women's Equality Act in the state Assembly, and I recall reading somewhere that her reasoning was grounded on common sense. And plus, she's big on autism-related issues. Liberal on many social issues. Big on autism awareness. Doesn't matter what party you're a member of, I'm probably going to pull the lever for you.

Same goes for Bill Owens and why he's escaped political death twice. I hope the third time won't do him in. He's more with the Republicans on many economic issues, and is military-friendly. On social issues, he's also been lukewarm on a few of them.

Although I can't find the statistics, I think those statistics would show that regular voters (those who don't just vote every four years, but annually) tend to be more conservative. Personally, I'm not a moderate, but I also don't like intimidating candidates. Why are moderates polling strongly? They're not as threating, and in some cases, like that of Charlie Crist, a good record, a now former Republican (who went against his party's norm back in 2008 when the polls stayed open real late to accommodate everyone), have records that even win over Democrats. Moderates will win in 2014. The same reason is why federal level politics isn't really appealing for me. I'm only moderate in a few areas.

The most dangerous thing that can happen is more state governments turn dark red and both houses of Congress have veto-proof majorities. If that scary thing occurs, Obama could veto all he could want but the Republicans would have the upper hand. If the economy continues to do well despite the Republican economic decisions in Congress, the Democrats might have better chances in 2014,  but so far, the signs are there for the GOP: the Tea Party might not be going extinct, but what is going extinct is their voter likability.

To sum things up: the Tea Party isn't going anywhere because they tend to speak to the stereotypical American conscious: faith, the Constitution, free markets and most importantly, liberty. At the end of the day, what erks me about the Tea Party is this: their level of arrogance. But do I understand where they are coming from and why they are frustrated? Yes. A buggy government from Obama (in regards to both NSA and the ACA) is only helping to legitimize the Tea Party movement.

I'm going to be scared for the Democrats until next Election Day. The American electorate is not quite forgiving.