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Wednesday, November 10, 2010

A tent big enough for the fools

For years, the metaphor of a big tent has been used to describe one party or another in the US. The idea is that the party is a big enought tent to accommodate people of all philosophies. Supposedly, there are conservative Democrats, liberal Republicans and .. well you get the picture. It is an interesting concept, although it is clearly a flawed one. Conservatives in the Democrat party are clearly on the road to extinction just as is the case with liberals in the GOP. The sad truth is that the tent metaphor works best when one considers that there is no requirement that one exhibit common sense before becoming part of a party. Just look at the examples:

First, we have the growing support for Nancy Pelosi to remain as the leader of the Democrats in the House. This is the woman who was the symbol of all that was wrong in Washington. She probably singlehandedly elected ten Republicans this year. She helped to elect many more. There could not be a clearer way for the Democrats to demonstrate that once again they do not hear what the American people want than to select her as minority leader. Nevertheless, there seems to be not even one House member from the Democrats who will step forward and challenge her election. How better to demonstrate foolishness?

Second, we have the Republicans who are bickering in public about whether the Tea party cost the Republicans the Senate majority. Amazingly, we have a few elected Republicans who cannot recognize that it was the Tea Party that provided the energy necessary to create the wave that swamped the Democrats in the House, State legislatures and governors' race. They also helped elect six new senators for the GOP. Instead of celebrating the enormity of that victory and moving forward, these fools are attacking the Tea Party and criticizing it as an obstacle for the GOP. If they are not careful, they will alienate some of the Tea Party members. Again, how better to demonstrate foolishness?

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