Could Dave Thompson lead the MNGOP back to principled conservatism...

...or lead principled conservatives to a third party?

In the days after the national Tax Day Tea Parties, the GOP had better wake up and smell the tea. Within several weeks, thousands of everyday citizens organized themselves into hundreds of rallies in towns large and small all over the country, with the help of online social networking tools and talk radio, without the support of any political party. Indeed, many elected politicians and the chair of the Republican National Committee were denied the opportunity to speak at these events. The Tea Parties were nonpartisan, expressing dissatisfaction with the runaway spending and high taxation of Democrats and Republicans alike.

If the GOP fails to commit to shrinking government, increasing liberty, and reducing taxation, they could discover that the start of the Tea Parties marked the end of the Grand Old Party.