"Fringe" protests are made up of the few and far between wackos, and typically have a couple of dozen people because by definition, there are not many people on the "fringe". When "thousands" continue to show up (especially on short notice) a rational person might consider the idea that maybe this is something more mainstream going on here?

3000 is fringe, a million is mainstream.

The problem is that the Republican Party/conservative movement has become a large umbrella over several different fringe groups. A sort of "United Fringe Groups of America". They all share some common ideas, but the reasons they're there are all different. You've got birthers, tea partiers, racists, medicare recipients, war supporters, anti-abortion activists, gun rights activists, etc. As I've felt all along, the GOP needs to distance itself from some of the fringe groups to get any legitimacy back. The GOP is relying on these people too heavily because they know that they'll drive from miles around to show up at the Capital. The party leadership needs to realize that having 10,000 crazies show up to a rally is not nearly as important as having a platform that millions could get on board with.

The party leadership needs to realize that having 10,000 crazies show up to a rally is not nearly as important as having a platform that millions could get on board with.

Very true, but these kind of rallies get Bachmann, Palin et al on Fox more often, so it's all good for them.

.."thousands" are still a fringe. Let's see you teabaggers put MILLIONS into the field at various locations around the country, and we'll be more impressed.

Of course, given the same signs, speeches, attire, etc. you'd still be wackos...:)

A few thousand people show up for Oktoberfest in Saint Louis. We had as many people show up for Pagan Fest in Tower Grove Park this year as showed up for Michele Bachman's little teabagging.

Yeah, I think that is fringe.

People like Palin and Bachman are finding out that working the fringe groups is far more profitable if done outside politics a la Beck and Limbaugh. If Bachmann gets enough attention doing the fringe circuit, expect her to quit her day job and start raking in the bucks.

This has a potential to make the Republican party a virtual party, where there are very few Republicans working inside the system and the majority of the leadership working outside the system as raconteurs for the fringe folk. After all,, if five percent of the American population were to give you one dollar, you would be instantly worth 15 million dollars.

How do you argue with that?

I didn't know you were in St. Louis. I am only a couple hours away. Let's get our Tinfoil Hat Radio Network started. I can already do about twenty of the 35 or so Missouri regional dialects, so we can surely learn to speak deulsional neo-Nazi in an hour or two.

NealC:

Very true, but these kind of rallies get Bachmann, Palin et al on Fox more often, so it's all good for them.

And really, that was the main point of yesterday's rally. Hence why Bachman, Foxx, Boehner, and several other prominent republicans all glad-handed the ground and pretended they couldn't see the photos from Dauchau and the white power T-shirts. This was about getting them face time on TV, not about anything that these protesters were riled out.

3000 is 0.1% of the total US population. Even if you assume ten times that many stayed home but wished they could have joined in the protest, that is fringe. More people attend the average Jonas Brothers concert than went to that rally. But that really doesn't matter, because the whole point was to make noise for Michele Bachman.

TOO FUCKING FUNNY. the liberals in Eugene can have 5K on your doorstep overnight, and this is a town of only 145K.

however i would argue it's not fringe, but LUNATIC fringe.

She seems to want to put her face out there and steal the crazy spotlight away from our good buddy the Quitta from Wasilla (who's looking for work, doncha know!). It's as if the two are in some sort of retard race to see which one will be crowned Teabagger Queen first.

I just hope Bachmann runs for president in 2012. That would be a laugh riot.

Your post is simply retarded. That's not a nice word, but it is the only one that fits.

First, the Dems have many, many interest groups in their coalition as well, many of whom, on their own could be described as "fringe". Let's see "you've got truthers, Lyndon LaRouche supporters, anti war protesters, immigration amnesty supporters, pro-abortion activists, gun control activitsts, welfare recipients, gay rights activists, animal rights activists, green peacers, etc" See how easy that is.

Second, lots of you libs like to insult the people that attend tea parties. The tea parties are just a movement of people that protest the rapid rise of government spending and the certitude of higher taxes that spending will force. That's pretty American. Now, are their some "fringe" people that attend that group. Just as lots of the 2003 and subsequent war protests were sponsored, organized and attended by ANSWR people - which is a communist front group. That doesn't/didn't make the message coming out of the protest less relevent.

I know it is rather disconcerting to see conservatives protest (as we are normally busy actually working at our jobs) but you hopefully will need to get used to it.

40% of all Americans self identify as conservative - more than moderates, more than liberals (39 and 20% respectively). The Republican party has a good base to come to, so, despite all of your wishful thinking, the Rep party will rise again, most likely continuing in the next election cycle

What school did you go to? How far are you from Interstate Farty Far?

Actually, I am an Illinois farm boy. I resisted moving to Saint Louis for as long as I could.

But you know how it goes.....once you have tasted the mostacolli at the wedding party, you are hooked!

headhunt33:

Your post is simply retarded.

Once you open a post with that, you've pretty much blown any right to complain later about being insulted.

Around 20% of the electorate identifies themselves as Republicans - the lowest ever for the Republican party, and less than half of those compromise the teabaggers.

The real problem the Republicans are having is simple demographics - America is getting younger and less white. The Republican party is getting older and has never been anything but white.

If they can't remake the party by becoming more moderate, they do not have a future. This happened to the Whig party, it can happen to the Republicans.