A Conservative Mea Culpa

From Roger Simon, who admits to badly misreading the Tea Party movement:

Boy, was I wrong. I can remember telling Glenn Reynolds during CPAC that these Tea Party demonstrations were rinky-dink and going nowhere. Barely more than a half-year later, they’re putting two million people on the Washington Mall. Wow! If I were Obama & Co., I’d be afraid, I’d be very afraid.

And no doubt they are. They bobbled the ball big time and I wouldn’t be surprised if heads are going to start to roll – and not just the obvious (and relatively inconsequential) ones like Van Jones. Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod are going to be looking at each other like nervous apparatchiks in the Politburo because someone is going to have take the bullet for the disaster they have wrought. Emanuel is looking like a particular dummy right now for opening his mouth about not missing a good crisis. It is from idiotic statements like that unread stimulus bills get passed or giant healthcare legislation proffered without anyone knowing the contents, not even (and maybe especially) the President.

No wonder the public is outraged. They have a perfect right to be.

One other note from an old protestor. When I made that statement to Glenn those many months back, I did it with the supposed authority of someone who had been at a lot of demonstrations when on the left. I can remember a couple that might have been nearly this big (not sure, really). But I can’t remember anything this size that was entirely non-violent. That’s rather miraculous for a two-million person demonstration and deserves the highest praise, though I doubt the mainstream media will say much. They’re still digesting how much they’re despised.

I think there are a fair number of other conservatives who made the same mistake Simon did, and today they're probably wondering how they misjudged this movement so badly. I imagine there will be some folks who considered themselves to be conservative leaders who will be trying to and get in front of this parade.