If you supported the Bush tax cuts for the rich, you are probably an establishment Republican.
If you support the power of states to deny gays the right to marry, you are probably an establishment Republican.
If you turned your back on George W. Bush in the final years of his presidency because "he was too liberal," you are probably an establishment Republican.
If you believe that the "invisible hand of the free market" should guide decisions that will affect the planet for millions of years to come, you are probably an establishment Republican.
If you voted for George W. Bush twice, you are probably an establishment Republican.
If you believe that states should legislate women's right to control their own bodies, you are probably an establishment Republican.
If you believe that creationism deserves an equal or greater seat than evolution in the halls of science, you are probably an establishment Republican.
If you believe that labor unions are evil but corporate greed is okay, you are probably an establishment Republican.
If you go batshit crazy at the mere prospect of teenagers having consensual sex but ignore the grossly understated problem of rape, you are probably an establishment Republican.
And I could go on and on and on. What's my point here? One of the biggest lies that the Tea-Baggers have been allowed to get away with is that "they're not 'establishment Republicans.'" What the hell does that even mean? Are they claiming not to be associated with Lincoln? Eisenhower? Teddy Roosevelt? Of course not. Deep down inside, they know that George W. Bush was one of the worst presidents in US history, and they know that they helped make that history possible. So they have almost completely thrown their dirty little secret under the rug: All those "establishment Republicans" that the Tea-Baggers claim to hate were voted in by virtually the same people.
But wait a minute, some of you might be saying. What about that civil war going on in the Republican party right now? Well, what about it? It sure seems clear to me which side has the momentum, and it isn't the marginally sane one. Furthermore, by creating a fictitious division of conservatives before and after Obama took office, we fail to see the bigger picture: The talking heads who patronized Bush and demonized Obama, and voters that followed them, are largely the same people. Despite the factions in the Republican party, when it comes to their desire to screw over this nation and the rest of the world, the differences between Tea-baggers and "establishment Republicans" become very difficult to discern. How many Tea-baggers voted for John Kerry back in 2004? I'll bet we could count them all on one hand.
Let's talk about what the term "establishment Republicans" means in practice. It means the set of people that still support the GOP but retain any degree of political sanity. To be a Republican while claiming to not being an "establishment Republican" is like piloting an airplane from the cockpit while claiming not to be a pilot. How have they been allowed to get away with this? So let's call them on it. The next time a Tea-bagger claims to distance himself from the rest of the Republican party, call that person's bluff. Ask some questions based on the points above and then some. See how long it takes before they realize that, like nearly everything endemic to Republicanism, their denial is based on a house of cards.