It's not that I haven't gotten angry or disgusted at Republicans, but truth be told there are plenty of times I've painfully cringed at some Democrats. So I've gotten away from thinking of my self as a Democrat, at least in the partisan sense. There is a time for battles between left and right, but there is also a time where "the people" need to come together.
In a 2 party system, will party imbalance ever be more than a 60/40 split? I say that either party would reevaluate itself long before they ended up in a 70/30 minority. With that in mind, I'd like to suggest that ensuring that "the people" have honest representation is more important than party allegance. And that is where we can find common ground with our republican counterparts.
Check this out from over at thenextright
There's blood in the water. Republicans are licking their chops. But these very lucky partisans had better think very clearly and carefully in the coming months. Things have changed. The dynamic is tentative, fragile and fortunes can turn on a dime. The calculation for politicians has changed, too. People are empowered like never before. And they're watching.
Unlike 2000-2006, principles have to come first. Otherwise, the independents and RINO hunters will find you and take shots. If you come into office with an incumbent-mentality - cozying up to special interests and building bridges to nowhere - they will call you out. They will cool your ambitions in the icy waters of truth. Why? People are tired of the 'lesser of evils mentality', for what has it gotten us?
Also, the old calculation was a system that rewarded crony capitalism: i.e. if you ensured that regulations, subsidies and pork projects benefited supplicants in your district, more than likely, you'd keep power. Then, occasionally, you'd get to do something idealistic that would obscure the dirty deals that really kept you in office. Not any more. The Democrats are learning a very difficult lesson about a very different age.
or this one
While there is a lot of talk (and in my opinion, truth in some cases) behind allegations that the Tea Party movement has been usurped by business-as-normal Republicans, I'm pleased to state that this certainly isn't the case in the state of Alabama.
...the movement isn't sucking up to candidates, but making candidates come to them. Which candidates continue to show and which ones have a pattern of missing Tea Party events is becoming apparent, too. In addition to debates and events, Birmingham's Rainy Day Patriots now have the candidates signing pledges. And they are proposing and PASSING legislation.
The Alabama crowd is more politically viable because they are more distant from candidates and the state GOP.