It's not over, folks. To the sane world, the Tea Party and the Republicans have suffered a humiliating defeat. Their strategy has been exposed as lunacy. But this is not how they see it.
Boehner didn't manage the whole thing very well, but Ted Cruz's strategy was and is sound.
is a typical comment at Tea Party Nation.
They think Jason S Johnson, the consultant for Ted Cruz who came up with the defund strategy is a genius.
Like the
Black Knight in the Monty Python sketch, they are saying
Let's call it a draw.
So they will be back. Tilting at windmills. Defunding, delaying screaming nonsense. Unless the American public remembers this debacle and throw the House to Democrats in 2014, this will happen all over again. How to make sure that will happen?
Defeat moderate Republicans in 2014. People like Pete King are the problem. While mouthing opposition to the shutdown, they did absolutely nothing to shorten it. The so-called moderates did not sign the discharge petition. Except in TV shows watched by their nervous constituents, they did not speak up to shout down the 30 or so Congressmen in the Tea Party caucus.
These people must be thrown out of Congress. If there is a swing of a few percent in the generic Congressional poll (like now) they are very vulnerable. Target them. Eliminate them.
Of course many moderates in Conservative districts will be defeated in Primaries. The core of the whackobird caucus from safe districts will get re-elected. So the new Congress will be even more polarized. Moderates even more intimidated. Make sure they are in the Minority.