Democrats: A Time For Choosing

Rob Port notices that have a hard time answering the question “what is the Tea Party?”

Back when the tea parties were first rising to national prominence as a political movement the unifying talking point from Democrats was that they were really nothing than GOP astroturf. They were being organized by “Republican operatives” and conservative “special interests” according to any liberal you cared to ask. Tea party activists actually had to work long and hard to make it clear that they weren’t just some quasi-official Republican splinter group.

But now that the tea parties have showed some staying power, and have proven that they’re going to have an impact on the 2010 midterm elections, Democrats have decided that a better talking point is to cast the tea parties as being anti-Republican. Thus driving a wedge between Republican candidates and the thriving political movement that’s going to push a lot of them to victory.

It’s a fact, and always has been; the Tea Party is independent of the GOP.  And may Teepers take pains to point out they’re not Republicans, they’re fiscal conservatives.  I’m fairly sure that’s behind a good chunk of the “defection” from Tom Emmer that the MPR/Hubert Humphrey Institute poll purported to show; they’re keeping their options open until they’re convinced which candidate is the best for taxes and spending.

Does anyone actually think Tom Horner or Mark Dayton is going to be that candidate?