The Tea Party has been making some noise in the elections this year. It is turning heads even though many people dismiss them as a racist fringe of the Republican Party. Nobody knows exactly what their effect will be on the November mid-term elections.
Will the Tea Party pull more upsets? Will the Tea Party cost the Republicans because of the write-in Tea Party votes? Will the Tea Party actually help Democrats? Some people think the answer to these three questions is yes.
The Tea Party could pull more upsets because many people are tired of the excessive government spending. People are tired of their leaders not listening to them. The Tea Party and the Republican Party, in many respects, walk hand-in-hand. They are opposed to President Obama on nearly every item on his agenda.
The Tea Party may not realize it, but if it splits the right wing’s votes, then it could very well lead to the Democrats not losing as many seats in the House and the Senate as people think.
Tea Party candidates like Christine O’Donnell, Rand Paul and Sharron Angle have made it a little bit harder for them to be elected in the mid-term elections. O’Donnell has connections with people who believe in witches. Is this the kind of candidate you want in Congress?
Paul initially thought the Civil Rights Act should be repealed. He should’ve just asked the many blacks and others whom the act helped. Sharron Angle wanted to privatize the Veterans Affairs. She should’ve just asked the veterans of this country how they felt about that.
Sometimes people get more than what they bargained for when an elected leader gets into office. That’s why it’s of the utmost importance to look at the candidates’ backgrounds and not just at your side of the political spectrum.
The Democrats are expected to lose seats in the House and the Senate in the midterm elections. This has been expected by most people because, for the last 100 years or so, the party in power has lost seats in the mid-term elections almost every time. Obama was elected on change, but for many people, the promised change hasn’t been enough or too much. The Tea Party crowd has been screaming the latter.
The people who associate themselves with the Tea Party will likely come out in droves to influence the results on Election Day on Nov. 2 and could make or break the Democrats in terms of them holding onto the majority of both chambers of Congress.
I’m sure the right-wing would love nothing more than to see Speaker Nancy Pelosi lose the Speaker of the House role. If she does lose, then the conservative John Boehner will become speaker.
If Angle wins the Nevada general election, then Harry Reid will be replaced. That will force Democrats to rethink their 2012 strategy as the president tries to remain in power. The Tea Party will do whatever it can to make its voices heard. You will hear virtually all of them saying they want less government.
One problem with the Tea Party is people don’t know what its positions are on less important topics. It seems as if its members have a few things they are for or against.
I feel if the Tea Party is to become a viable option, it needs to discuss its positions and not just stick to the big things that will score points.
I feel there is a difference in protesting and governing. Protesting is easy because you have the signs, slogans and few talking points. Governing is different because it requires elected officials to make the tough decisions.
I think that people (whether they be right- or left-wing people)should ask questions that are not pre-screened but are relevant in terms of policy or actions that have been taken.
The elections are less than six weeks away. In politics, that’s an eternity.
Chris Webb is a senior majoring in industrial engineering. He can be contacted at [email protected].