>>I agree.
>>The establishment repubs - and especially their backers - are terrified of these people.
>>Ditto for the dems.
>>
>>Andy used to be the vice president of our local Akorn Tea Party group. We finally quit participating when our local group was co-opted by the local republican party machine.
>>
>>I am certain that the establishment on both sides of the aisle are terrified of the tea party - smaller government and lower taxes means that the establishment will have to give up a lot of its perks and a lot of its power....
>
>Marcia..
>You and Andy should take heart. You're not alone.
>If you step back and look from a distance, the Tea Party, the Occupy Movement and the Green Party are all decrying a government that is not of the people, for the people and by the people , but a government that is of, by and for itself and corporate money.
>Corporations, Labor unions, PAC's etc are all the same. They're buying votes with millions of dollars.
>
>The dems and repubs- and the media who live off them- do a great job of pitting those groups trying to break their hold against each other with side issues like gun control, prayer in school, Obamacare, Obama's birth cerfiticate, blah, blah.
>
>On the dem side, Dennis Kucinich of Ohio was the only candidate who got that. He's a pure populist liberal of the Midwest- the kind we used to call a "rotten-talkin' liberal." You'd probably be repelled by some of his ideas but down deep you might be on the same page.
>On the repub side, Ron Paul is almost there. We liberals shudder at some of this ideas but his attacks on the Fed and the imperialistic foreign policy stances of both parties are right on the money.
>Dennis and Ron have the same goal.. bring the people back in control of government and get the corporations out.
>
>I supported Obama (don't cringe) but if Ron Paul had run against him, he'd have gotten my vote.
>
>It won't be easy. As you can see from the verdict, the moneyed interests own a lot of this government.
>But it can be done.

I don't think Ron Paul will ever be elected. He appeals to the narrow slice of voters who think for themselves. Plus he is 78 years old. It looks like his son Rand will run in 2016 as a surrogate of sorts..