Will the Tea Parties Actually Save the Democratic Majorities?

Pundits across America are seeing a red tide of conservative ne'er-do-wells sweeping across the country with November elections. Some even see Democrats losing one or both Houses. Could they be right?

Could a disaffected and apathetic independent electorate, coupled with a motivated and dogmatic base, actually thrust the political system back into the hands of those most responsible for screwing things up?

Some conventional wisdom says yes. After all, it's fairly standard practice for a party in power to lose seats in midterms. The economy still hasn't recovered from the combined attacks of irresponsible tax cuts, bad lending practices, and banks exploiting the system through complex derivatives.

The "middle of the road" voters who can be swayed by emotion and limited news intake are usually reactionary. They see things as they are that day, not looking too deeply into why or what is being done. In a normal midterm, they often vote against the party in power because they don't imagine enough has been done.

And they are the most likely to just stay home. Conservatives when far more elections through apathy than policy. For as bad as conservative policies are for the vast majority of Americans, they do have an uncanny ability to motivate their base and get people to the polls.

Actually, it's not that uncanny - they just use the old standbys of fear, race-baiting, and misinformation.

But could this time be different, precisely because of the motivations and policies of the far right? Will early victories for teabag candidates in primaries turn to defeat in the general election?

Will Americans not really paying attention recoil in horror at the thought of a Bohner as House Speaker? With the likes of Michele Bachmann and her Tea Party Caucus hoping to come in and really gridlock D.C,, will people angry with Washington actually realize what that would mean?

Think the Senate can't get things done now? Imagine if Sharon Angle and Rand Paul and others of like mind join Jim Demint, Tom Coburn, John Kyl, and the other corporate mouthpieces currently there.

Yes, the virtually unsurpassed and over-the-top ignorance that is represented by a good portion of the tea bag crowd may indeed provide salvation for an America that can ill afford to be taken farther down the road of corporate elitism.

Current Teabag Caucus members like Joe Barton - the apologist for BP - and Joe "you lie!" Wilson can work from the inside, while Palin, Angle, and right wing pundits work from out. Together, they can wake up Americans to it's most pressing threat - throwing in the towel on reforms and letting our country descend into an ideological abyss.