Palin to Tea Party: You've Got to Choose 'R' or 'D'

She's absolutely right. The Tea Party cannot operate successfully as a third party but must be aligned with one of our two major parties:

Asked what her advice would be to conservatives as the November elections approach, Palin first lavished praise on the Tea Party movement, calling it “a grand movement” and adding, “I love it because it’s all about the people.”

But she quickly pivoted to the broader question of whether the Tea Party movement might successfully field its own candidates in national elections, and on that point she sounded far from convinced.

“Now the smart thing will be for independents who are such a part of this Tea Party movement to, I guess, kind of start picking a party,” Palin said. “Which party reflects how that smaller, smarter government steps to be taken? Which party will best fit you? And then because the Tea Party movement is not a party, and we have a two-party system, they’re going to have to pick a party and run one or the other: ‘R’ or ‘D’.”

It would be hard to imagine any conservative choosing to align with the Democrats, but there may be some renegades out there. The real message to the Tea Party - you've got to find a way to work with Republicans (or take their party over). Operating as a third party will only serve to elect those who oppose your core beliefs.