re: #18 Targetpractice, Worst of Both Worlds

Romney’s likely to win the nomination without Tea Party support, but the party leadership’s going to insist on a “balanced ticket,” i.e. a Tea Party-approved VP. That may be somebody who he’s already sharing the stage with, some potential candidate who’s not yet announced, or (like Palin) a total unknown who pops up out of the bushes.

That’s how things would have played out in the past, and it’s exactly what McCain did.

But the Tea Party base is the difference this time. They didn’t even exist in the last election, and they had a huge influence in the mid-terms. Things really have changed since 2008 — extremists are much more influential, and they’re feeling more emboldened than ever.