The Tea Party's "Nixon in 60/Dean Scream" moment?

[Alma]

Note: This isn't about the Tea Party's politics. Not in the least.

This about that...response. The one where she didn't seem to know where the camera was. I'm presuming she looked straight into the Web cam - which was a huge mistake. Most people will not flock to the Web cam. They'll watch it on CNN and later on Fox - as I did, to see if Bachmann seriously missed both cameras. Which she did.

Again, not the politics...but the moment. The Tea Party picked her - or she picked herself - to deliver a response that I'm guessing no one much paid attention to because well, she looked like she was on a local TV newscast in the 475th market, trying to find a moving camera. Odd.

 

[RickStain]

I think the TP itself is too loosely affiliated to be sunk by something like this. But "not looking at the camera" will be Bachmann's "I invented the Internet" or "You can see Alaska from my house."

 

[Alma]

I'm also pretty sure she said Iwo Jama.

 

[HejiraHenry]

Thanks goodness it was only on CNN. That limits the potential audience a lot.

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

 

[Inky_Wretch]

Thanks goodness it was only on CNN. That limits the potential audience a lot.

Do you think Fox knew it was going to be a train wreck and that's why they didn't air it?

 

[YankeeFan]

I'm presuming she looked straight into the Web cam - which was a huge mistake. Most people will not flock to the Web cam. They'll watch it on CNN and later on Fox - as I did, to see if Bachmann seriously missed both cameras. Which she did.

There were two cameras?

Dumb. Bad logistics. Though, whe probably would have looked lost either way.

But, I don't think this kills the Tea Party. She's not the leader. She's trying to anoint herself the leader, but, especially after tonight, I don't think it's working.

 

[Alma]

Thanks goodness it was only on CNN. That limits the potential audience a lot.

Do you think Fox knew it was going to be a train wreck and that's why they didn't air it?

Oh, they aired it later. It wasn't any better there.

FWIW - and, again, this isn't politics - I think Fox execs saw it and wanted to air it. I think if it hadn't been a trainwreck, it wouldn't have been shown. I think there's a faction of that network that's very interested in seeing the Tea Party fail after it co-opted the party's anger platform to secure ratings.

BTW, as a pure speaking presence, Ryan caught some momentum in the second half of his chat. Whether the content of what he was saying is worth anything is for people to decide themselves, but he got the cadence. He took a breath or two.

 

[Knighthawk]

She had to have been looking at the teleprompter. Why that wasn't in front of the camera, I don't know.

 

[DanOregon]

Has there been a single Tea Party event since the elections? I figure the money people behind it figure it did its job, they've got their lobbyists in key positions as Congressional staffers and their work is done. They have real power now - no sense getting a crowd together to make it look like they are unhappy with House.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Has there been a single Tea Party event since the elections? I figure the money people behind it figure it did its job, they've got their lobbyists in key positions as Congressional staffers and their work is done. They have real power now - no sense getting a crowd together to make it look like they are unhappy with House.

I'm ready for it to go away. It already cost the republicans a couple senate seats and even though I don't really think there is much of a chance of a republican unseating Obama next year, a divided republican party would guarantee that.

 

[Boom_70]

Has there been a single Tea Party event since the elections? I figure the money people behind it figure it did its job, they've got their lobbyists in key positions as Congressional staffers and their work is done. They have real power now - no sense getting a crowd together to make it look like they are unhappy with House.

I'm ready for it to go away. It already cost the republicans a couple senate seats and even though I don't really think there is much of a chance of a republican unseating Obama next year, a divided republican party would guarantee that.

The Tea Party contribution to the Republicans was Scott Brown. Everything else was gravy.

The response to response speech was a disaster. Whoever did her makeup made he look like a raccoon.

 

[wicked]

I only listened to the speech in the background, while working, but it sounded like it was full of pomposity ... as if it was from POTUS.

As Alma and YF said, she's trying to create a cult of personality a la Palin. It's not happening.

 

[terrier]

The Tea Party contribution to the Republicans was Scott Brown. Everything else was gravy.

Prediction: Scott Brown will NOT get the GOP nomination for Mass. Senate in 2012. The Tea Party is going to turn on him - the decisions that have sustained his strong positives in Mass. make him a RINO in the eyes of the teabaggers. There are so few Republicans in Mass. that (assuming a competitive Dem primary) it won't take that many votes to knock him off.
Any Democrat capable of beating him (Deval Patrick, Vicki Kennedy, Marty Meehan) has already taken a pass on the race. Brown has more to fear from his own party than from any other Democrat out there. A successful Tea Party move against him hands the seat back to the Dems.
I can see the same thing happening with Olympia Snowe in Maine.
The 'baggers officially took over the New Hampshire GOP at its annual meeting Saturday. Mass. and Maine are next.

 

[Boomer7]

You can overcome a disastrous TV moment if you're substantive. Clinton did it after the '88 DNC. I suspect Jindal can do it in the aftermath of his Kenneth the Page turn a couple of years ago.

Bachmann's not substantive.

 

[Football_Bat]

I think it's possible in 2012 that both houses flip again -- the House goes to the Democrats and the Senate to the Republicans.

The Senate has few GOP seats to defend because of all the Democrats who swept in in 2006; Brown's seat is the only one not safe. Plus, several red-state Democrats whose term is up have announced their retirement.

The House only needs to shift 23 seats to go back to the Dems, and the tea party momentum is largely spent. If Obama runs strong again, he could have some coattails, and the tea partiers who fail to repeal Obamacare and balance the budget will have some 'splainin' to do, Lucy.

 

[Oggiedoggie]

The way I understand it, the Tea Party is a party that isn't a party.

Their leaders say that there are no leaders.

The mostly white, middle- to older-age members say that it is open to everyone.

And it's a grassroots movement sponsored by right-wing billionaires.

 

[Boom_70]

I think it's possible in 2012 that both houses flip again -- the House goes to the Democrats and the Senate to the Republicans.

The Senate has few GOP seats to defend because of all the Democrats who swept in in 2006; Brown's seat is the only one not safe. Plus, several red-state Democrats whose term is up have announced their retirement.

The House only needs to shift 23 seats to go back to the Dems, and the tea party momentum is largely spent. If Obama runs strong again, he could have some coattails, and the tea partiers who fail to repeal Obamacare and balance the budget will have some 'splainin' to do, Lucy.

If all the changes made turn out to be positive the Republican house is going to get reelected. So will Obama. Majority of country will not want to move back to what we just had.

 

[YankeeFan]

Prediction: Scott Brown will NOT get the GOP nomination for Mass. Senate in 2012. The Tea Party is going to turn on him - the decisions that have sustained his strong positives in Mass. make him a RINO in the eyes of the teabaggers. There are so few Republicans in Mass. that (assuming a competitive Dem primary) it won't take that many votes to knock him off.

Not a chance.

I think it's possible in 2012 that both houses flip again -- the House goes to the Democrats and the Senate to the Republicans.

The Senate has few GOP seats to defend because of all the Democrats who swept in in 2006; Brown's seat is the only one not safe. Plus, several red-state Democrats whose term is up have announced their retirement.

The House only needs to shift 23 seats to go back to the Dems, and the tea party momentum is largely spent. If Obama runs strong again, he could have some coattails, and the tea partiers who fail to repeal Obamacare and balance the budget will have some 'splainin' to do, Lucy.

Brown's seat is safe. No big Dem is going to challenge him and even the Dems are conceding that they can't beat him.

The Reps. could take the Senate. Based on folks resigning and the Dems. having to defend more seats, the numbers favor them.

The House will stay Rep. They just missed picking off even more seats. You'll see more Dems, unhappy in the minority, choose to not run for reelection. The census is going to move more seats from bluse states to red states, and redistricting is going to favor Republicans.

Obama may win, but, he only received 53% of the vote in 2008. I don't think he'll receive a larger percentage in 2012, so I don't think he'll be able to carry a lot of vulnerable Dems over the finish line or elect a lot of new ones.

In fact, his fund raising may suck the air out of the fundraising of Senate & House candidates.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I think it's possible in 2012 that both houses flip again -- the House goes to the Democrats and the Senate to the Republicans.

The Senate has few GOP seats to defend because of all the Democrats who swept in in 2006; Brown's seat is the only one not safe. Plus, several red-state Democrats whose term is up have announced their retirement.

The House only needs to shift 23 seats to go back to the Dems, and the tea party momentum is largely spent. If Obama runs strong again, he could have some coattails, and the tea partiers who fail to repeal Obamacare and balance the budget will have some 'splainin' to do, Lucy.

If all the changes made turn out to be positive the Republican house is going to get reelected. So will Obama. Majority of country will not want to move back to what we just had.

I tend to agree with that. Obama will win in 2012 the same way Bush did in 2004... Lack of decent competition, and to be fair, part of the reason there will be lack of decent competition is because any republicans who think they have a realistic shot at becoming president some day, likely will wait until 2016 because they don't think they can beat him.

Who knows though? We would have said the same thing about George Bush in 1991. A year before Clinton got elected, nobody thought Bush could be beaten either. But none of the people being mentioned as possible candidadates for 2012 have a snowball's chance in hell.