You cite the depressed economy and the president's position on terrorism as the reasons for a conservative resurgence.

The growing public anger over the economy should not be directed at the president. He didn't create this truly unprecedented mess (it was a decades long bipartisan swindle), but overall, he's done a decent job dealing with it. The car industry and bank bailouts had to occur. What we now have to do is reduce the size of any company that can be deemed "too big to fail". The Republicans are doing everything they can to sink his initiatives. As an example, Mitch McConnell was on board for creating a bipartisan commission to study and make recommendations on how to get our fiscal house in order, until Obama too endorsed the idea, and then Mitch and his brethren had second thoughts. The bulk of the tea party movement is incapable of getting beyond bumper sticker slogans in order to do some real research. A recent survey of TP members indicated that they didn't even know that 95% of Americans received a tax cut during the last year. Granted, as you've acknowledged, they are a disparate bunch, but overall, these folks are angry, emotional, uninformed, and probably armed. Talk about a lethal combination. Our economic woes illustrate the limited ability of government to turn things around quickly, but this crowd wants a painless, quick fix. Who wouldn't, but it cannot happen. Ultimately, a combination of spending cuts and tax hikes will occur. There are no two ways around it.

The administration's "weakness" on terrorism is another canard. The Bush/Cheney torture program was an amazingly successful recruiting tool for jihadists. It often took innocent suspects and transformed them into bitter, future combatants. Mostly I hear complaints about how we should by trying the terrorists in military, rather than civilian courts. Well, the Bush administration's justice department was successful (for a change) in prosecuting, and convicting, the vast majority of terror suspects in our civil court system. Why should the succeeding administration do things differently?

Do some research, Pat. It takes work, and an open mind, but there is hope for you. I am less sanguine when it comes to the loony TP brigade. I hope they continue to gain traction in the public consciousness. I believe most Americans will recoil when they fully examine the TP movement. Give 'em enough rope!

Peter T.