With Election Day inching closer, a wave of Tea Partiers has been trying to send their message out.
Having been around since 2009 and heavily backed by Sarah Palin, this group of hard-core conservatives has suddenly gained the upper hand in the Republican primaries. Representing a minority of the GOP, it hopes to help overtake the majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
One Tea Party proponent who’s been thrust into the spotlight recently is Christine O’Donnell, a Senate hopeful from Delaware. O’Donnell has quite a controversial past. Once a self-ascribed practitioner of witchcraft, she does not support abortions, except in the case of endangerment to the mother. Even in this case, she believes the family of the mother has the right to choose who should survive, the mother or the unborn child. Even more astoundingly, she has amassed more money from outside her state than within. Perhaps her own state does not like her?
The Democratic Party has been working hard against this recent movement. A rally involving liberal groups like unions, environmentalists and peace activists was held at the Lincoln Memorial on Oct. 2. The rally was held in support of progressive causes and to prove that progressives, not the Tea Party, are the majority. Even President Obama has joined the movement against the Tea Party by holding backyard discussions in various cities across the country.
This movement isn’t just harmful to the Democratic Party though: Even the GOP has started to worry about the Tea Party. GOP-backed candidates are losing support in primaries, and with these Tea Party candidates running in the general election, the GOP faces losing votes from independents.
The Tea Party movement is a hassle in an election in which the Democrats need to keep a majority to get anything done. If the Republicans succeed in overtaking the legislative branch, expect situations where everyone within the GOP is against one another.
Joanelle Navarro is a freshman majoring in journalism. She may be contacted a jnavarro@themiamihurricane.com.