Strategy for Republican Moderates in the 2010 Midterms or Playing Dress Up at a Tea Party

First, run as far to the Right as possible. Bill yourself as an anti-Obama, anti-federal, anti-incumbent Tea Party libertarian who aligns him or herself with the likes of Kentucky’s Rand Paul, whose very name (think Atlas Shrugged) exudes extremism. Join Michele Bachman’s caucus in the House of Representatives and root for Sharron Angle to unseat Harry Reid in the Nevada senate race.

Second, once your Tea Party disguise is in place, distance yourself from the actual philosophy of the Tea Party movement. After all, what will voters think when they discover that Michele Bachman favors phasing out Social Security, or that Rand Paul opposes Medicare—saying that it’s the type of program that led to the fall of the Soviet Union? What will they think when they find out that Sharron Angle favors the elimination of the Department of Education and opposes a woman’s reproductive freedom even in the case of rape or incest?

Third, pretend that masquerading around your state or congressional district as something you’re really not is in no way hypocritical. Work on the assumption that voters understand that politicians must use polls (not personal conviction or integrity) to win races.