So, if the two dominate parties fail, we could conceivably be left with, wait for it; a Green Party and a Tea Party.

Dear FSM, I think I am going to be sick.

As soon as 'Ol Glen and Rush pick up on this...it will take off. Perfect! Siphon off Republican voters ensuring Democratic wins . Works for me

You know, the "Know-Nothing Party" would be a weirdly appropriate name for this new party.

Florida, like most states, has all kinds of minor parties that run candidates for various offices, but who have no meaningful impact on the electoral process.

Ralph Nader. 2000.

Things will get interesting when the so-called leftwing outcasts and the so-called rightwing outcasts start talking directly to one another rather than using Washington as a conduit to broker things.

This has been a divide and conquer game which only Wall St. speculators, K St. lobbyists, insurance companies, and CEOs have won.

It's time to cut out the middle man.

What would the prerequisites be for Tea Party membership? A 6th Grade education and white skin?

If Rubio beats Crist in the GOP Senate primary, watch for this party's Web site to go 404 within 48 hours.

"The current system has become mired in the sludge of special interest money that seeks to control the leadership of both parties. It's time for real change."

..and then Mr. O'Neal's head exploded from the irony.

Can we please, pretty please, henceforth refer to the party leader as The Mad Hatter?

This dovetails nicely with my comment yesterday that Palin is no friend to Republicans. This is her niche.

Emily,
You beat me to it. I was going to put Pat Buchanan
where you put Ralph Nader.

Were'nt there a lot of Palm Beach Jews voting for Pat that year?

Honestly, I now feel like there are four parties: Progressive Dems, ConservaDems, Republicans (e.g., Olympia Snowe), and Tea Baggers.

When I have a choice between the lesser of the two evils, then I'll always show up and vote for the lesser of the two evils (e.g., ConservaDems). That said, Democratic primaries matter. For me, that's the lesson of 2009.

This seems to be an opportunity for the left to put up spoiler "Tea Party" candidates in close states to attract low information conservative votes away from the GOP. The official, not very well publicised, platform could be minimum standards for tea sold in the US or something.

I always knew the teabaggers were stupid, but I didn't think they'd be this stupid.

The only thing giving the teabaggers even a pretense of political credibility is the fact that they own the GOP brand, which at one time was a major U.S. political party. If they drop that they just become the Reform party with smaller ears. The rump GOP then becomes Olympia Snowe and Joementum, and the Dems take over politics for the next generation or so.

I agree with doubtful that Palin's setting herself up to lead the bagger-birther brigade. I don't know that she's planning a presidential run so much as hoping to take a Queen of the Savages gig as far as she can, though.

But there's at least the potential for political relevance here. And if this were to catch on -- a big "if," to be sure -- it would signal a fairly significant problem for Republicans: how to keep a far-right party from losing even-further-right activists.

I have no love of the Republican party, but losing the far-far-right members would be the best thing that could happen to them. It's the only way they can recover. While I love to see them in shambles, I do know that we need a true second party, a second party that is interested in actually governing (as opposed to being only obstructionists at all cost), however wrong I think they are. I would also like to see the Republicans currently masquerading as Democrats ("blue dogs" and "centrist" dems) come out of hiding. As it is, it looks like the Democratic party can't agree with itself when it actually includes what was, in days past, Republicans. They need to go back to being Republicans

Seriously, how hard was it for this Mad Hatter [thanks, Blue Girl!] to come up with this? It shows about as much originality as "Joanie Loves Chachi."

I can just hear the thought process:

We need a new "party" that's made up of the angry white people I met at the "tea parties." But, what to call it? Hey! Wait a minute!....Yes....No....Ow! My head hurts! ... wait .... wait .... I got it! No, wait.... no .... Yes! The "Tea Party!" ... Where's the Advil?

I don't know that she's planning a presidential run so much as hoping to take a Queen of the Savages gig as far as she can, though.
Less like Queen of the Savages and more like Lady of the Flies. These people are nearly certain to begin devouring each other as the definition of purity shifts farther and farther towards full-blown right wing paranoid schizophrenia.

but creating the infrastructure for a functional, effective political entity is extremely difficult

Its been many years since my last paid political organizing gig, but I'd be willing to come out of retirement to help the Tea Party get organized enough to field candidates and run actual campaigns. For a non-trivial fee, of course. They're all about commerce.

Heh, I was actually thinking of Lord of the Flies when I wrote that, Dennis. I wish someone would conch Palin on the head.

For a non-trivial fee, of course. They're all about commerce.

What ever you do, don't pay taxes on it. The IRS is a team of slavers, man.

To in any way believe that any political party would be free of special interest money's influence is to have one's head up one's behind.

Public campaign financing is the solution to this and we could then say that special interest money is bribery, not free speech.

I'm with Chris on the 4 Party makeup in American politics today. I'm beginning to think it's better for progressives to form their own party (or jump over to the Green Party) and form coalitions with the others.

On issues such as FISA, progressives could caucus with libertarians and conservative factions to make sure civil rights are protected.

There are just a number of instances where I don't see alignment between progressive and corporate-owned conservadem interests.

God I hope this works. Florida owes us.

This is a wonderful development. Now the TeaBAGGER Party can do for the Republicans Party what the Green Party did for the DemocratIC Party.

This was the utterly predicable next step for the GOP as movement conservatives distance themselves from a the regular GOP political party which is compromised in right wing eyes because it has an institutional role to play in a corrupt political system. The conservative movement is a protest movement at war with America itself. Rather than face the fact of its own disloyalty directly, it deludes itself that it, and only it, represents "Real America." Therefore, to preserve its own purity and reason for being, the conservative movement musdt go to war with the US government, with American politics generally, and anything connected to our public realm, and that includes the GOP. Hence, this third Tea Party movement.

Floridean Tea Party - SPLITTERS!!

--

"Excuse me, are you the Floridean Tea Party?"

"F*ck off! We're the Tea Party of Florida!"

"Oh. Sorry. Um, can I join your group? I hate the democrats already!"

"You'd have to REALLY hate the democrats in order to join the TPF."

"I do!"

"Oh yeah? How much?"

"A lot!"

"All right. You're in."

"!"

"But listen: the only thing we hate more than the democrats is the Floridean Tea Party! Splitters!"

"SPLITTERS!!"

(with apologies to Monty Python / Life of Brian)

hah i really dig the article thx for posting this

Missouri Mule- I was just thinking the same thing, that pushing the rabid zealots off the right-side cliff might not be bad strategy for the Reps. It would cost them mightily in one election cycle, but it would give whatever sane Republicans might be left a much better chance to try a sanity, courtesy, and maybe even humility as means of getting your way. I don't see much other chance for them as an institution. They've pushed the frame so far to the right they'll never be able to pull it back with the same people. They'll have to jettison them, and the easiest way is to let them leave happily.