Uh oh. Something’s going on in the conservative base, and it’s not pretty. Even though the article title may be misleading to the point where you might think that this so-called collapse is a good thing, it’s actually more likely that in order to prevent collapse the GOP will resort to even more underhanded and dirty political tactics and lies, and they’ll probably spin even more far-right wing than they already do on all of their core issues, everything from health care to equal rights to defense.

And make no mistake, an out of control far-right GOP that more resembles this so-called “Tea Party” would be incredibly dangerous to all Americans, not just to the more centrist Republicans they’re looking to oust. These people see the political center as too far left, and politicians like Bobby Jinda and Olympia Snowe are people who have betrayed their interests by even daring to work with Democrats on anything. It’s terrifying how much power is brewing in the far political right, and we need to shine the light on it before it’s too scary and dark over there.

Need more proof that I’m right?

According to a poll by Rasmussen Reports, likely voters in the 2010 congressional elections would rather cast a ballot for a candidate bearing the Tea Party brand than one on the Republican line.

In a national survey of likely voters, Rasmussen asked respondents to choose their favored political party for the congressional contests in what pollsters call a generic ballot. In a three-way contest, Democrats fared best, with 36 percent, while a hypothetical Tea Party came in second at 23 percent, and Republicans pulled up the rear with 18 percent. But there is one wrinkle in the Tea Party triumph scenario: There is no political party called the Tea Party, which might lead one to question whether Rasmussen is stirring the simmering pot of Republican Party politics.

Although the poll results look awful for Republicans, the absence of an actual established political party called the Tea Party makes the GOP the likely host party for Tea Party-endorsed candidates. While this could lead to some losses in 2010, the net effect will likely be to move the establishment GOP further to the right-wing Tea Party agenda of small government, lower taxes, union busting and virtually no social safety net.

Because there’s no political party yet formed under the Tea Party banner, Tea Party movement groups are supporting primary challenges to establishment Republican candidates, such as Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who faces challenger Marco Rubio in the GOP primary for a U.S. Senate seat. Tea Party activists could also, as they did with the Conservative Party in New York State during a special election last month in the state’s 23rd congressional district, work with an established third party in areas where the Republican Party machinery is locked up.

It’s really really terrifying. They don’t need to form their own party, they just need to hijack the one they already have, and considering how loud they are right now and with the support of the blind independents that will throw their votes behind anyone willing to don the mask of libertarianism or address their own privileged positions on social justice, (eg, the “I worked hard to get where I am even though I’m a white male gunowner who refuses to acknowledge his own privilege”) they have a chance of doing it.

[ Has the GOP Collapse Begun? Hypothetical "Tea Party" Outpolls Republicans ]
Source: AlterNet

Quickly overshadowed by continuing discussions around the war in Afghanistan, the biggest news point I think that’s of interest from last week is the slight dip in the unemployment numbers, which may be a tentative indicator that the economy is recovering faster than we initially thought – thanks to the economic policies of President Obama.

Contrast this with the Republicans in and out of Congress who were whining and complaining about the Stimulus package and government jobs and technology programs (essentially saying “let the town burn, not like we have any other options”) saying they cost too much and did too little, and you have more than enough validation that not only is the stimulus plan working, but it’s working the way it should – slowly. If the effects were a flash in the pan, the Republicans would be complaining about that – now that it’s not they’re complaining it’s not enough of a flash in the pan.

Now the debate is mostly around whether or not we should have another stimulus, or a jobs-related stimulus, to entice companies to hire or to get local governments and municipalities to start hiring. The money would be well spent, I admit, but the issue is pretty complex. Here’s one video analysis:

Leo Gerard discusses how strengthening and enforcing trade law can go along way to preserving American jobs, and how he believes bringing manufacturing back to its proper place in the American economy is the way to go. I’m hesitant to that extent, unless we’re talking about manufacturing items that support next generation technologies that we can both use here at home and we can export to the rest of the world. I’m not a huge fan of trying to rebuild the same, stagnant, previous-generation technologies, but as Gerard says, if we’re investing in things like high-speed rail, next generation power transmission infrastructure, information networks, and more, then I’m completely on board.

[ Some Jobs Taxpayers Don't Need to Buy ]
Source: The Campaign for America’s Future