E Tu Tea Party?

Once flush in membership stemming from anger over President Obama's policies, the tea party is struggling to craft a sustainable political movement out of the ashes of fury. To most, this is no surprise. Anger as a political driver has a very short half-life. For more on this take a look at Obama's approval ratings as anger against W starts to fade into the reality that the chosen one doesn't have the solutions to all of America's problems as he promised.

Add to that being outside the mainstream on immigration issues and you have a movement that's struggling to define itself as something more than a racist group of white folks who don't want to pay taxes. Ironically, this places them on the same ideological path as progressives, with the notable divergence being that the LibDem idea of sustainability is for everyone BUT them have to pay for the things they want. Tea Partiers don't think anyone should have to pay, but please don't socialize their Medicare.

What's eventually going to happen with the Tea Party is what happened with progressives, except on the Republican side. Most of them are going to be absorbed into the Republican party proper, and the rest are going to establish themselves firmly on the fringe, banging out high-minded blogs and being responsible for the irrational nomination of an idiotic candidate or three.

Much sound, very little sustainable fury.