The Midterms & the Clash of Ideas

Down to the midterm wire, we go right to the heart of the right-left debate over the American future. Tea Party vs. Left.

When Barack Obama was elected, there was no such thing as the Tea Party. Now, just two years later, the Tea Party movement is a high-profile factor in American politics.

Its favored candidates walloped mainstream Republicans in the primaries. Next Tuesday, they’re on many ballots, against Democrats. For the country, for voters, it’s a fork in the road — a big decision.

So we’re asking once more: What, exactly, does the Tea Party stand for? Who’s driving it? And how do the Democrats respond? 
-Tom Ashbrook
Guests:

Jon Ralston, prominent Nevada political journalist who hosts a daily political talk show and authors columns for the Las Vegas Sun. Read his blog for the latest on the Reid-Angle race.

Ryan Hecker, an attorney and Houston political activist who founded the Tea Party’s “Contract From America.”

Matthew Yglesias, fellow at the Center for American Progress Action Fund. He's author of "Heads in the Sand." He authors a prominent blog at the Think Progress site.