Republicans and the Tea Party 2

More about Republicans and the Tea Party movement from the Blog / independent news outfit "Mother Jones". Former Republican Congressman Bob Inglis was a conservative "firebrand" in the 1990s, was given a 93% rating by the American Conservative Union and became more moderate since re-election in 2004. What is interesting for G&P students is the impact of the Tea Party on his race for re-election and what it means for the Republicans in general.

In short, Inglis lost in the primary election to a Tea-Party approved candidate. His crime was not being prepared to call President Obama a "socialist" and to support some of the more interesting ideas from the Tea Party, and even to propose working with the president:

When he returned to the House in 2005, Inglis, though still a conservative, was more focused on policy solutions than ideological battle. After Obama entered the White House, Inglis worked up a piece of campaign literature—in the form of a cardboard coaster that flipped open—that noted that Republicans should collaborate (not compromise) with Democrats to produce workable policies. "America's looking for solutions, not wedges," it read. He met with almost every member of the House Republican caucus to make his pitch: "What we needed to be is the adults who say absolutely we will work with [the new president]."

Instead, he remarks, his party turned toward demagoguery. Inglis lists the examples: falsely claiming Obama's health care overhaul included "death panels," raising questions about Obama's birthplace, calling the president a socialist, and maintaining that the Community Reinvestment Act was a major factor of the financial meltdown. "CRA," Inglis says, "has been around for decades. How could it suddenly create this problem? You see how that has other things worked into it?" Racism? "Yes," Inglis says.

What happens in the future?

Inglis is a casualty of the tea party-ization of the Republican Party. Given the decisive vote against him in June, it's clear he was wiped out by a political wave that he could do little to thwart. "Emotionally, I should be all right with this," he says. And when he thinks about what lies ahead for his party and GOP House leaders, he can't help but chuckle. With Boehner and others chasing after the tea party, he says, "that's going to be the dog that catches the car." He quickly adds: "And the Democrats, if they go into the minority, are going to have an enjoyable couple of years watching that dog deal with the car it's caught."

Useful stuff for anyone contemplating what the Republican party stands for, and possibly the impact of pressure groups on parties. Also, you can use it to discuss primary elections.