The good old days

Primary season is over. The candidates have been selected and the mud-slinging is about to begin. One thing that can be easily observed about this election cycle is the monumental shift in one side's politics. I know that it has been said over and over by candidates and their party but let's look at election history.

Republicans won back control of congress by convincing people that the Democrats were extreme and out of touch. They painted the American public with the brush of moderation in politics and swept things up because of it. The Democrats used the same tactic in their conquering of congress in 2002, '06, and '08.

So it would make perfect sense for Republicans in this election season to simply use the same old tactics that every out of power party has used. After all, once they get in they will use the same old policies that have failed America time and time again. However, they are going farther and farther to the Right, alienating the American public and appeasing only their Republican electorate.

See, they have shifted extremely to the right. The "Tea Party" has seized the party and has put candidates on the ballot that normally would have been laughed off the stage. Some make racially questionable remarks, others can't even get the spelling on their website right and there are still others that want to eliminate entire departments overnight.

Now, I am in support of fiscal responsibility. We should reform the welfare system to have people go to college while receiving government support, not eliminate it entirely hoping that the "push kids into the water to help them swim" works. There are plenty of rational decisions that would put America back onto the right track without leaving it's citizens out in the cold. However, Tea Party candidates aren't interested in such proposals. They simply want to say whatever will get them elected by a Republican electorate that is still upset about the presidential election.

The problem is not the Tea Party, because they are not bad in and of themselves. They stand for the principles of fiscal responsibility, smaller government and appropriate delegation of powers to the states. However, they are not supporting or nominating the candidates that want common sense brought back to Washington, but rather having a foot race to see who can come up with the most extreme ideas. It is time that the Tea Party take responsibility for the people that they nominate and support. They need to realize that intelligent, workable solutions are available to the American public without much effort. The only thing we need to do is step up and remember that we have tried both sides of the coin and now is the time for an entirely different coin.