I hope that it will do more than just survive, but also THRIVE. But it also needs to remain true to its principles. Don’t let it get hijacked by NeoCons like the GOP has been. Don’t allow those who intend to increase the size of government into its ranks.
We will find out this November whether the Tea Party movement is doing well or not.
Scarborough does not get it. The Tea Party is a movement, not a political party and not an organization. Just as another FReeper has said previously, the original American Revolution had no grand poobah or “Committe for the Public Safety”. It was a nebulous but powerful collection of pamphleteers, lawyers, rabble rousers, businessmen, ex-soldiers and diplomats; some of whom were prominent only for a brief moment (Thomas Paine, Sam Adams, Paul Revere), others who stayed important for many years and wore many hats (George Washington, John Adams, Ben Franklin). There was no formal structure early on other than a loose affiliation of societies and clubs. Only when the revolution required an actual government was a formal leadership gradually elected/appointed.
Libs long since lost the ability to conceive of an actual popular movement that is not being outwardly led or secretly manipulated, re: all the current criticism on the Left of Axelrod’s “Organizing for America” and how it’s rigidly run from the White House and fails to co-ordinate with local organizations and dem apparatus.
I think most of us are smart enough to know that the best option is to exert influence on local Republican races and party chapters. We certainly do not need some Elmer Gantry type to claim leadership.