Inside the Beltway

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By Jennifer Harper INSIDE THE BELTWAY

TIME TO STEAM

It's "tea party" time on the West Side of the Capitol, site of the near-spontaneous "Super Bowl of Freedom" scheduled for noon Thursday, starring Rep. Michele Bachmann and a potential cast of thousands intent on voicing displeasure over health care reform. The Minnesota Republican's grass-roots event has garnered some luminaries, including silver-screen conservative Jon Voight.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," WMAL morning talk-radio host Chris Plante tells Inside the Beltway. "It's a continuation of the one-two punch that's being delivered to Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic leadership. This is the sleeping giant, awakening and pushing back, the silent majority that is silent no more."

The two-hour event has implications for citizen journalism. Mrs. Bachmann has suggested participants bring video cameras and seek on-the-record opinions about heath care legislation from their own representatives.

"There's really something remarkable happening here. Tuesday's elections were a wake-up call for the Democrats. But events like this are an even bigger wake-up call. They have got to pay attention. This situation has shaken middle America right off their couches and forced us to take action against the Democratic agenda," Mr. Plante says.

THE ENVELOPE PLEASE

Wait, was there an election? Something to do with Republicans winning stuff? Maybe not, according to prim press coverage that neutralized party victories in Virginia and New Jersey with language like this:

"Republicans revel in wins but ideological fissures loom."

Oh, but of course. That came from the Washington Post. There's more, though.

"These races turned on local and state issues and circumstances and on the candidates in each race - and despite what some will certainly claim - the results are not predictive of the future or reflective of the national mood or political environment," says Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine. "The all-out war between Republicans and the far-right wing is a disaster for the Republican Party."