()I think this fellow has it about right…)
We shall see in November.
If the economy basically stays as is, it will be a very tough election for Obama to win. There will just be too much temptation to try a different course in face of persistent unemployment.
That said, my feeling is that the Tea Party is in some ways the equivalent of the student protest movement of 1968. Everyone making noise was on the left of the political spectrum, yet Nixon won with what pundits called the "silent majority."
Today, I think that all the noise is on the right, but the majority of Americans are not in favor of Tea Party politics. Just look at the polls, the "Tea Party" ranks about as popular as herpes. Yet, they seem to be everywhere, ranting and raving.
I have a few friends who have gone off the rocker on the tea party nonsense. They post Ayn Rand quotes every other day on Facebook. However, never in a million years would they have ever voted for a Democrat, so their move has been from the right to the hard right--something which is evident across the Republican party.
So, a few thing could happen in November:
* Romney wins and the Republicans go hard right, convinced like in 2004 that the American people have given them a "mandate."
* Obama wins and the Republicans go farther right, convinced that they lost because they failed to nominate a "true" conservative. In 2016, they nominate a true loony and lose in a landslide.
All I can say is that I hope the wheels stay on the bus of the economy. The thought of Republicans controlling both houses, the Supremes, and the White House is a frightening prospect.
sf (from another board)
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