It's "crush time" for the tea party

Just as the Spanish Civil War was a proxy dress rehearsal for World War II blitzkreig, this spring's GOP primaries are a likely harbinger of the looming scorched-earth Establishment campaign against their wayward creation, the tea party.  And, as their toady bag lady for corporate welfare, Mitch McConnell, implied, they intend to bring all their Stuka's and Panzers into the fight to crush the populist calvary charge.

Yesterday's easy victory for Jeb-endorsed Establishment choice Thom Tillis in North Carolina over the Rand Paul-endorsed tea party alternative is just one of a likely long string of coming wins over tea party challengers.  Tillis, who got less than 50 percent of the vote, won the plurality so easily for the same reason Jeb would win the nomination so easily:  the clueless opposition was divided.  Tillis also may have a somewhat embarrassing social Darwinist video floating around the blogosphere where he foments warfare between the disabled and the "lazy" over a few crumbs of federal entitlement "compassion," but he hasn't said a word about vaginas or rape yet, and should be an appropriately disciplined plutocrat reactionary choice against Hagan in November.

In the end, after being put in their place, the vast majority of unruly "tea party" sheep will dutifully fall in behind JEB! 2016, and his circus train of immigrant-friendly, pro-"family values" "compassion," but if just ten percent decide to sit out the election (very plausible), as millions did when Romney bought the nomination in 2012, that should be enough to put Hillary in the White House.

AJC: Is it 'tea party' vs. 'establishment' in GOP Senate primary?

Howard Fineman: Karl Rove Rides Again As North Carolina GOP Senate Candidate Rebuffs Tea Party Challenger

Washington Times: Mitch McConnell on beating tea party: ‘We are going to crush them’