Especially after reading the sections in the textbook about our nation's two-party system, and how difficult it is to create a truly influential third party, this whole deal with the Tea Party is actually really interesting to me, so I'm sorry that I keep posting on it and if I'm starting to seem repetitive or boring! :)
I decided to comment and write my opinion on another article in the Wall Street Journal; it was written by Peter Wallsten, published on Monday, Oct. 25, and is titled "Tea Party Already Shapes '12 Race." The article discusses and describes various Republican leaders' plans for how to deal with the Tea Party as well as their plans for the presidential race of 2012. What I really got out of it though, was insight into how real the Tea Party is; before, I had assumed it was a side track off the main road of today's politics, but now I realize that it is really in the heat of politics, and what it does can actually influence policy, and through that, me. I was also surprised to realized how carefully potencial candidates plan their campaigns and target audiences; I mean, the actual 2012 presidential election is still two years away!!
The four main leaders (or potencial candidates) for the GOP are: Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckbee, and Sarah Palin. Each of these people, especially Mr. Romney and Mr. Gingrich, have different methods of dealing with and using the Tea Party to the benefit of both. After reading them, I've also formed my own opinion of which method I think will work best. The article also describes a three-way division in the GOP, which could potencially affect the stability of the party in years to come. This division was a result of the influence of the Tea Party movement. The first group within the GOP consists of republicans who don't support the Tea Party, and, from a poll, a bit more than half of these site Mr. Romney as the GOP's "most important leader." The second group are republicans who are so supportive of the movement that they call themselves members of the Tea Party more than Republicans. Within this group, Mr. Gingrich is considered the GOP's "most important leader." The last group consists of republicans who do support the movement, and Ms. Palin and Mike Huckabee are sited as the leaders by this group. These groups correspond to the leaders' different ways of dealing with the Tea Party. Mr. Romney prefers a more traditional approach, although he has provided funds to help the Tea Party, and its candidates, he is spending the most effort forming ties with long-tme important republican leaders within the GOP. This has been the traditional way to gain the candidacy. Mr. Gingrich, on the other hand, is spending less time with the republicans and more time building up and supporting the Tea Party, which he believes is just the begining of an even greater change in politics.
Considering what I know of the history of third parties, I think Mr. Romney's way of dealing with the new party is the more effective method. He recognizes that it does have influence, and that it can be a great help to the GOP, and he does this without giving it too much power. This way, he is not completely alienating the voters who do support the Tea Party, as well as the party itself; and because they can see how he respects their interests, it might give him more votes in the election. Mr. Gingrich, though, is putting a little too much trust in the movement and is a bit over-optimistic about its potential success. By tying himself really close with the Tea Party, he is risking the fact that it might not be a successful or long-lasting party; after all, the main purpose of third parties is to get their idea into the public sphere, where it is usually later adopted into one of the two already dominant parties, either the GOP or the Democratic party. Yes, these past few years have been full of changes, from the first black president to the democratic control of Congress, and maybe the American people do want to make some major adjustments in their government, but I don't think giving more power to a third party is the best way to do it. There is something to be said for stability and tradition as well, and I think Mr. Romney will still be able to address the needed changes without resorting to any dramatic measures. This is just my opinion, but who knows? maybe I'll end up changing it later...
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