Measuring Tea Party Effectiveness

Politico has an excellent analysis on how the Tea Party has affected the positions of some moderate Republicans, who have been less judgmental on the big spending policies of the Democrats. It's a good read, but here is the gist of the entire piece:

Stung by a series of setbacks on must-pass legislation, Democrats think they’ve found a culprit: local tea party influence in the home states of usually reliable moderates.

In a span of just a few days, Maine Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe have forced Democrats to dramatically scale back an unemployment benefits and tax bill, and they were part of a small coalition that effectively killed a bank tax tucked into a major Wall Street overhaul bill.

Both senators are RINOS, both have supported huge deficits by allowing themselves to be sucked into a rush of "out of control" spending.

I think this is largely because they have misinterpreted the wishes and desires of the voters. They thought the people wanted to spend themselves into oblivion, all because they elected Barack Obama. As it turns out, Obama was only elected because he duped enough people to overcome the amount of conservatives, who stayed home--because they didn't like McCain. (They really showed us, didn't they?)

But if this article is to be believed, many are now finding out just how much the people are displeased with the way the country is being handled. More and more are becoming convinced that we are bordering on one of the worst depressions we may ever see in history. They are starting to see that you cannot spend money you don't have, to prevent it.

As a result of this displeasure, some of the politicians are beginning to see the power and force of a determined people.

My concern is that people like Olympia Snowe will perform a chameleon act once again if they are re-elected. It's not enough that she and her counterpart Susan Collins signed onto the leftist agenda in their votes on TARP, Stimulus, and Healthcare. I am wondering if they will now see the wind shifting and once again try to turn their sails in that direction long enough to ride it out. What I mean is, I fear they will go along with the Tea Party positions to get re-elected, the Tea Partiers will become complacent by thinking they have won the battle of ideas, and then the pols will begin their old habits once again.

The truth is, this is not just a commitment we must make for the 2010 and 2012 elections. We must make this a lifetime commitment.

We must restore common sense that we must all exercise in our own lives, in order to preserve the nation from complete collapse. We cannot keep spending money that we do not have, we must not allow politicians to persuade us that this is the route to solvency.

The Dems are going to mount a challenge in any way they can. Lies, innuendos, dirty tricks (like fake Tea party candidates) will all increase as November nears. But it is extremely important that we all stay focused and on message. Do not allow them to hijack the debates with distractions.

This is working for now, but there is much more work to do. Nothing ever comes easy, we must not allow ourselves to become complacent. The closer we get, the harder it will become.

Continue to march and do not forget:

Remember in November.