In 2012 we'll temporarily have a three party system. The Tea Party and the Republicans will split the right wing vote at the presidential level giving Obama the win, but the Tea Party will pick up a bunch of congressional seats.
Once there, they'll have just enough votes to fuck with the agendas of both the Republicans and the Democrats, which will force both primary parties to work together more rationally than they have lately - particularly since the original Republican plan was to use these people for votes, not to really get untrained and crazy outsiders into Capitol Hill.
This all sets up an interesting presidential race between Hilliary and some seriously moderate Republican challenger in 2016, as the GOP tries to repair itself and the Tea Party people go back to being marginalized and ignored by the general political class.
I hope that happens, my fear is that the GOP will (as they are attempting to do) co-opt the tea-baggers and succeed well enough to drive the Republicans even further to the right.
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Once there, they'll have just enough votes to fuck with the agendas of both the Republicans and the Democrats, which will force both primary parties to work together more rationally than they have lately - particularly since the original Republican plan was to use these people for votes, not to really get untrained and crazy outsiders into Capitol Hill.
This all sets up an interesting presidential race between Hilliary and some seriously moderate Republican challenger in 2016, as the GOP tries to repair itself and the Tea Party people go back to being marginalized and ignored by the general political class.
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