A Collision of Kooks in Texas

I have always thought that many of the politicians and would-be politicians in the tea party movement were nothing more than outright opportunists. But if you want evidence, notice how the tea partiers have turned on one of their own:

Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, who is considered by some to be the "father of the Tea Party movement" faces three opponents in the March Republican primary, the Dallas Morning News reports.

"The Tea Parties have awakened a lot of everyday people here and across America," Tim Graney, one of Paul's opponents, told the Morning News. (link)

All of Paul's primary opponents are associated with the tea party movement and they constitute "more [primary challengers] than he has faced in the past six primaries combined" (link).

The Paulites must be experiencing political shock. He isn't loved by the tea party movement. He is an outsider. One has to laugh.

Isn't Paul kooky enough for the tea partiers? What is their problem with him?

The newspaper reports that Paul's challengers say he is too focused on national ambitions and that he has has not voted in support of federal aid for his district. They have also criticized his opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (link)

In other words, Paul isn't enough like a conventional Republican. That shows you what the tea party is really all about: it's a movement supporting conventional Republican positions. It's not really about Independents. That's just window dressing.

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