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Tea for Two . . . or 2010

I drink espresso, which was as good an excuse as any to miss the Tea Parties held in Philadelphia and countless other locations last week. (Herbal tea doesn’t count.) But perhaps some mixed feelings kept me away, also.

The Tea Parties, in case you were under a rock last week, were promoted as a way to protest President Obama’s spending and tax policies which—on the tax side, anyway—reminded people of the levies that provoked a similar protest in Boston a couple of centuries ago. (I think they actually threw the tea rather than drinking it, but what’s the difference.) The taxes, it was said, threaten what little recovery we are having, while the runaway spending foreshadows higher deficits and more taxes, that will bankrupt the next generation(s). And, of course, it was a chance for Republicans to have fun, which hasn’t always been easy lately.

So far, so good. The GOP certainly needs to flex its muscles. And Obama has been writing more IOUs than a sailor on overnight leave.

The problem is that it’s hard to scare people about a 3 or 5 percent tax hike when they’ve lost 30 or 40 percent of their net worth in the last six months. Not that that makes Obama look better: Despite a recent rally, the losses have actually accelerated since his election. But it isn’t taxes most people are worried about now.

If the GOP wants to win back swing voters, rather than rally its base, it needs to come up with serious alternatives for energy, housing, and all the rest of the Obama initiatives, rather than relying on anti-tax sentiment and asking to see the President’s birth certificate. This is especially true in Pennsylvania, where the contested voters (and contested districts) are primarily in moderate, economically vulnerable suburban areas. Such alternatives exist. Candidates like Craig Williams (PA-7) and Tom Manion (PA-8) were talking about them in the last election, and the more thoughtful people are talking about them in Washington now.

Tea parties are great for rallying the faithful, and adding a little caffeine. But when the party’s over, you have to get to work.

April 23, 2009 at 7:00 am

--Michael Livingston

Tags: Republicans, Taxes, Tea Party

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