The Tea Party Takeover

A statement of the Republican Party's intent, followed by... some wishful thinking.

"The Republican Party would be really smart to try and absorb as much of the Tea Party movement as possible," [Sarah Palin] said. A spokesman for the Republican National Committee agreed. "Chairman [Michael] Steele believes that when engaging grassroots the more, the merrier," said Doug Heye.

Some supporters at the convention took the same view. "I suspect the Tea Party strategy is to commandeer the Republican machine," said Roger Webb, a 65-year-old freelance photojournalist.

The last movement that thought it could take over the Republican Party was the religious right. The Republican Party bent a lot of its policy, particularly on things it didn't actually care about, to satisfy that faction. It's hoping the Tea Party movement serves as a stand-in for upcoming elections. But if its members think that their support is going to do much more than help the Republican Party advance its own agenda, or the Cheney-era agenda voiced by Sarah Palin at the convention, they're kidding themselves.

I like this, from the organizers of an expensive, seemingly profit-oriented and Republican Party-aligned convention:

Attendees were urged not to spend their money traveling to Tea Party rallies in 2010, and to support political candidates instead.

That sounds a lot like, "Support the candidates we pick, and don't go giving money to rival Tea Party factions."