Driven by the Far Right

The Republicans can no longer ignore the tea party since the drubbing of one of their stars in a primary election, but neither can they win the race for the White House carrying the tea party baggage.

Eric Cantor had it all: number two in the House of Representatives hierarchy with the ambition for more and the money to get it, but now he’s been wiped out in his party’s primary election by Dave Brat, a nobody with no money and no powerful lobby — a shock for the Republicans. The tea party had not been having a particularly good year, and establishment Republicans prevailed in early primaries. Then came this defeat.

The search for answers will be hectic. The 2014 midterm election, where Brat will carry the Republican banner is an overture to the presidential election in 2016. How will the Republicans campaign: conservative but willing to compromise, or driven by the right wing with no room for negotiations?

The tea party will celebrate Brat’s victory, and rightly so. The party will regain the confidence that its candidates can beat Washington insiders. The victory also shows the desire of many to return to conservative values and lead their lives in a responsible manner; this election was also about content.

The immigration debate divides America. Cantor presented himself as a constant critic of Obama’s policies, only to often give in and compromise in the end. For that, Virginia voters took him to the woodshed. The Republicans are faced with a dilemma: Ignoring the tea party is no longer an option. If establishment Republicans want to attract tea party voters, they will have to turn even further to the right, but that means rejection of immigration reform, with the loss of Latino votes as a consequence, without which they have no chance of winning the 2016 election. Eric Cantor isn’t the only one in need of a good plan B as quickly as possible: His party needs one as well.