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Tea Party Post Mortem

Tea Party darling Doug Hoffman lost his race in the 23rd Congressional District of New York, a seat held by Republicans for the past 120 years. John McHugh held the seat since 1992 and won with such large margins (he was even unopposed in 2002) that when I pitched him to provide polling for his campaign, it was a challenge to even argue why he needed polling in the first place.

Dede Scozzafava was chased out of the race by Tea Party activists and their enablers on the Internet. Her campaign may have been inept, and local GOP leaders may have erred in selecting her, but Tea Party activists had no business dictating terms from afar. Despite her flaws, Scozzafava was ahead in the polls before the Tea Party brouhaha. (So much for respecting local control.) Their result was to actually shrink the Republican caucus in the House of Representatives. Just as conservative Democrats voted for Speaker Pelosi, liberal Republicans like Scozzafava would have supported the Party's leadership. A RINO is better than no R at all.

The most laughable criticism of Scozzafava was that she showed no loyalty to conservatives by endorsing the Democrat in the race--this from Tea Partiers who showed no loyalty to the Republican Party by pushing a third party candidate in the first place.

On other fronts, the Twit-o-sphere was abuzz with Tea Party triumphalism. Republican and candidates won in Virginia and New Jersey. Conservative Missouri activists cheered their ideological brothers-in-arms from afar. One Missouri Twittivist offered, "Hey dumbass dems.... Can you hear us now!!!!" Another chimed in, "Obama's most significant accomplish? Re-awaking the conservative movement."

Even Missouri's Lt. Governor Peter Kinder emailed, "This was a referendum on the direction Democrats like Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Barack Obama are taking our nation. Voters are upset with the failed stimulus, the government’s proposed takeover of our health care system, and the national energy tax known as ‘cap and trade.'"

But despite Republican victories on the east coast, in Missouri smoldered the ruins of what could have been Tea Party victories here at home. A quarter-cent sales tax in Jackson County won renewal (with 71%) despite the funds once being the subject of a grand jury investigation; usually conservative Springfield passed a new sales tax during a recession (with 55%); and St. Louis passed a smoking ban (with 65%) generally regarded by us righties as an affront to liberty. If this is the "re-awakening of the conservative movement" in a red state that voted for McCain, I fear for the future.

Kansas City's Tea Party seems to have collapsed due to internal power struggles. Despite some great results in the spring and summer, including a rally at Liberty Memorial that attracted thousands, the group has accomplished little else. The St. Louis Tea Party movement launched with even greater promise, but struggles to develop a raison d'être and wanders from cause to cause. Event turn-out has shrunk from thousands to hundred to--as witnessed by their last press conference regarding the 23rd Congressional District of New York--about 20 people. To their credit, a similar group led by Janet Allquist has stayed focused on its original calling (and location) and continues to attract sizable crowds to protest President Obama's plan for healthcare reform.

There is a year left before the 2010 elections--and last night should offer a powerful lesson to activists everywhere. Namely, there is no substitute for hard work in smaller local races that actually have an impact on people and their pocketbooks. Activists need to identify potential candidates and campaign staffers in their own neighborhoods, focus on the issues and races where they are best equipped to make a difference and not let small differences overshadow what we have in common.