The headlines from Tuesday's primaries were tea-colored. In Delaware Christine O'Donnell beat the Establishment choice, former governor and Congressman Mike Castle, for the GOP Senate nomination--Joe Biden's old seat, you know. In New York newcomer Carl Paladino beat GOP veteran Rick Lazio for the gubernatorial nomination. What does this mean?
What it probably means is that the Democrats' chance of winning those two elections just went up. It's relatively easy for a dynamic new movement to win a primary. If you're old enough, you remember Democrat George McGovern's antiwar activists winning him the presidential nomination in 1972, overcoming the Establishment choice, Ed Muskie. But then you also remember McGovern and the Dems carrying just one state--Massachusetts--and the District of Columbia in the fall election.
Still true today. Every story I've seen from Delaware says the Dems' chances went up when Castle lost. New York's Lazio? I'm not sure, but the same may well be true there.
The Tea Party is swell fun if you like politics. But how mighty? We'll know in November.
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