Much of the commentary about last Tuesday’s election has been about warning signs for the Democrats.
But as Kristina Wilfore points out, there is some bad news for the tea partiers who apparently have taken over the Republican Party.
A central tenant of the right-wing agenda has been rejected with the defeat of TABOR (known deceptively as the “taxpayer bill of rights”) in these two states – states that are diverse from each other in almost all respects. Maine’s measure went down with a resounding defeat, 60% to 40%, while Washington’s campaign came from behind with a 55% to 45% rebuff.
A few weeks ago, conservative columnist and tea party champion John Fund wrote in the WSJ that: “If voters in Maine or Washington state pass a taxpayer bill of rights, it will be a clear sign that even in blue states the public is coming to believe that government spending is out of control and that elected officials can no longer be trusted to rein it in. That’s a message that will likely reverberate in Congress regardless of who wins in the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races.”
It is of some concern that Obama voters in New Jersey and Virginia didn’t show up to support Democratic candidates. But there is not much evidence that conservative ideas are ready to make a comeback.
Tags: Tea Party Republicans
