Research Questions

1. Why are Republicans hopeful their party will gain Congressional seats during the 2010 midterm elections? What factors might disrupt these hopes for the Republicans?

• Republicans are hopeful that their party will gain Congressional seats during the 2010 midterm elections because of America's views towards the Democratic party currently. "They were bracing for grim confirmation of history's traditional midterm election curse: The party in power usually loses congressional seats, and prospects this year were made even worse by the sour economy." Unfortunately, this does make sense. In an article I was reading, a registered Democratic woman is planning on voting Republican, because although she does not agree with their views she strongly believes that Democrats will "continue spendig" and sour the economy further.
• Source(s): http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39938201/ns/politics-decision_2010/
• http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/10/22/voters.in.middle/

2. Explain the reasons the Tea Party formed and what message this sends to both Republican and Democratic parties. What impact do you think the Tea Party will have on the 2010 midterm elections?

• The Tea Party movement began with organized protests in response to Federal laws. The movement does not have a central leadership, but a loose affiliation of smaller local groups. The movement's main concerns include are cutting back the size of government, lowering taxes, reducing wasteful spending, reducing the national debt, and adherence to their interpretation of the United States Constitution. The Tea Party sends such a negative message to the Republican and Democratic party. From my understanding, a member of the Tea Party is a more radical Republican, almost like a cousin. I feel as though the Tea Party is trying to wiggle and inch their way into the public and steal the votes and attention from Republicans and Democrats. If the Tea Party becomes the best option for a majority of the people then maybe not for the 2010 elections, but soon, the Tea Party will be the most popular and voted for.
• Source(s): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement