Cuppa tea, anyone? Everyone?

Looks like the Tea Parties (I'm capitalizing them now) have been chalking up some rather surprising victories in the primaries -- mostly Republican primaries.

The latest and apparently the greatest was Christine O'Donnell, who won the Republican primary for the US Senate seat in Delaware yesterday -- V.P. Biden's one-time seat. She was running against Mike Castle, who's been in the US House for 18 years. No one thought O'Donnell would win. The "score" was something like 53% O'Donnell, or about 30,500 votes for her, vs. about 25,000 votes for Castle. The pundits who track and predict these things had predicted a total turnout in the primary of about 35,000 voters and that Castle would surely win.

They were wrong.

And even while O'Donnell was accepting the victory and thanking her crew of workers, the Republican National Committee was saying that it would not support her campaign against her democrat opponent.

See, O'Donnell has had financial troubles for what seems to be many years. She had trouble paying off a student loan. She defaulted on her mortgage. Oh, for shame! That puts her in the same category of probably 30% to 45% of the entire adult population in the US.

Saw a brief interview with her before the primary vote, and she was asked about her difficulties. She owned her money problems and said that because of that, she can relate to what most people are going through in this economic recession.

Yeah. Really. I'd rather vote for her than for some elitist who was either born with a silver spoon in his/her mouth or discovered the benefits of marrying rich -- and that pretty much covers about half the elected federal officials now in office. Maybe that's why they're in such a quandary about tax cuts -- a loss of 10% or 15% in their incomes wouldn't have much impact on them at all. But most other people will definitely feel the pain.

I was rather sadly disappointed in the Republican National Committee. Mainly because the decision made them look just as power-mad and short-sighted and elitist as the Left. If Republicans sever ties with the Tea Parties, they'll be dog meat by 2012. They don't get it, either? The population is sick of politics-as-usual.

Now it seems the Republicans have turned and have agreed to support O'Donnell, but perhaps reluctantly and meanly. Cronyn, I think, said that the Republicans don't believe she can win the senate seat, and that their money is better spent elsewhere. But let's not count O'Donnell out. She drew twice the turnout that was predicted and she beat a guy with much better name recognition and years of government experience -- maybe two counts against him in the current political atmosphere.

And what the hell good would Castle be? He voted for Stimulus, I believe, as well as crap-n-tax. He's about as effective a Republican as the Twit Sisters from Maine -- both nominal Republicans but usually voting reliably with the dorks on the other side of the aisle.

If the Republican Party is smart, they'll listen to the electorate and try to restore their commitment to American political values. That seems to be what voters want -- in Delaware, Alaska, South Carolina, Nevada, and on and on. Quite possibly it's just that the Republicans are scared of making such a commitment? They'd rather keep the status quo? Too bad, because they and the dems may be the only ones who do, and they're beginning to look like an isolated minority.

Save the Republic.