SOME TEA PARTIERS MAKE A DUBIOUS POLITICAL MOVE – AT 8:29 P.M. ET:   New York State tea partiers are doing what we'd feared:

Organizers of the "tea party" movement are poised to mount a statewide petition drive in hopes of creating a new line on the November election ballot.

The goal is to give "disaffected, aggravated, frustrated voters" an alternative to choosing from among the "lesser of two evils," Rus Thompson, leader of the local tea party, said today in referring primarily to the major party nominees for governor, Democrat Andrew M. Cuomo and Republican Rick Lazio.

Thompson was outside Binghamton in Broome County today to promote Buffalo developer Carl P. Paladino's bid for governor and discuss efforts to create a new ballot line. Thompson, a Grand Island resident, said decisions by the Independence and Conservative parties to "rebuff" Paladino's candidacy are spurring the drive to create a new line in November.

COMMENT:  Freely translated:  Amateurs at work.  Look, occasionally third-party or independendent candidates do win, but it's rare.  Tea partiers would be wisest to work within the Republican Party, rather than running their own candidates and guaranteeing a Democratic win.  We've had rumblings about independent candidates from a number of states. 

I'd point out that it was Ross Perot's third-party presidential candidacy in 1992 that allowed Bill Clinton to be elected president. 

Now some tea partiers are feeling their oats, and believing that they can indeed "control" things.  They can't.  By being a powerful faction within the GOP they will have far more real influence than if they start branching out on their own.  The business of parties is to win elections.  I'd rather have a candidate who's 70% right, and has a good chance of being elected, than one who's 95% right and has no chance. 

This is a year for unity.  Unity is always forced, as it requires knocking some heads.  But it's amazing how well it works.  No one is being asked to give up precious ideals, and there may indeed be a legitimate time to walk.  That time is not now.

June 13, 2010