My political analysis: YOU might end up as a tea-bagger (no pun intended)

[DetlefK]

Disclaimer 1)
I refer to tea-baggers as those few protesters who actually were able to separate paranoia from reality. The fascism-fighting fascists are beyond the topic of this article.

Disclaimer 2)
No sexual double-speak intended.

Let's start with a look to the past
What was George W. Bush's and Karl Rove's first major victory? The unifying of the GOP by bringing her three wings (social conservative, religious right, capitalists) together. That's what you need as a party: Secure your electoral groups. It worked great. The GOP was strong and streamlined.

Then the election 2008 happened. They lost. What's to do? Two possibilities: attack or defend. The party of aggressive tones and boldness turned into a party of wimps.
No new ideas, no new direction to attract new voters. Let's defend the few votes we have. Let's narrow our political message down. That secures some voters. But it also excludes others.

Present
So you lost the election. A black dude takes the country to a different direction, other than what you want. Times are hard. And what is your party doing?
"No!"

You are desperate and your voice is politically not heard. What options do you have left?
a) protest
b) found a new party that speaks for you

Options a) didn't work out that well. Hardly anyone cared about you.
Option b) is no option! If you found a new party, you will loose in most elections and take away republican votes in others.

Future
What about you? The same might happen to you. Imagine the democratic party tilts toward a social or economic position you don't like. What are you gonna do? Vote republican? Of course not. You will protest, express your inconfidence and vote democratic anyway.

I see the tea-bagging protests as a syndrome for an imbalance, a systemic flaw in the US two-party-system. When you are unhappy with either party, what are you gonna do?

But what if the election laws were a bit different? What if minority parties were a constructive part of the political landscape, instead of a destructive one? What if you actually had the choice between two parties you like?

[jacksonian]

1. and what if that party you liked

only had one path to doing anything, i.e., saying yes and signing on to the majority coalition?

Multi-party systems solve some problems and create others. Grass is not always greener.