I'm writing again on the 'Kos, I guess because I'm angry like most people at this election result.
So, I try to find comfort in facts and truth. And I like uncovering truths. The real truth from this election: The tea party is the dominant force of the republican party.
The election was supposed to be a referendum on the tea party; that the republican establishment is the real winners here.
Except, looking at tonight's results:
- Paul LePage (R-ME) has won reelection.
- Rick Scott (R-FL) has won reelection.
- Sam Brownback (R-KS) has won reelection.
- Scott Walker (R-WI) has won reelection.
In addition:
- Thom Tillis (R-NC) beats Kay Hagan.
- Joni Ernst (R-IA) beats Bill Braley.
All tea party crazies who have just been vindicated for their speech and their actions. The list goes on.
Moreover:
- Massachusetts, Maryland, and Illinois are republican gains, with one democratic offset (Pennsylvania, a genuine tea party loss)
- Abysmal election night performance by democratic contenders thought highly viable (Grimes, Nunn, Davis, Burke).
So maybe it's just me, but this doesn't look very much like a referendum on the tea party. It looks like the tea party is now the republican party.
The narrative emerging now is that we have told the first black president this is a referendum on his presidency. And we have done so by showing that the tea party is not only alive and well, but that they are now the republican party.
Frightening.