Why Uncouth Works

It's a little bit ridiculous that the same people who claim that they're against "politics as usual" are the first to jump all over candidates and politicians who exemplify that quality because they don't play the game the way they are expected to by the establishment.  Isn't it strange the treatment Chris Christie gets from liberals for not following the unspoken political rules?  He's honest.  He's brash.  He's unashamed.  He's doing what he legitimately believes is the right thing even when it is political suicide.  He is the opposite of politics as usual.  He's a PR nightmare.  He awes without a teleprompter and speech writers.  That's why we love him.  And it's also why they hate him.  It's dangerous to the established order when "politics not as usual" goes from being a platitude to being a reality.

The tea party is the definition of politics not as usual.  It's a truly organic movement, existing without any organization or funding.  That's unusual.  It is a principled instead of selfish movement.  That's unusual.  It's about doing the hard thing and long term rather than short term goals.  That's unusual.  We're "dangerous" to the Clintons, Obamas, and other big government ideologues because the movement is not predictable to them; because it's not politics as usual, and they can't wrap their minds around a movement that is entirely unlike the movements they know and have been a part of.  The fact that it is so unusual is one reason it has taken like wildfire with those who agree that the usual is corrupt and broken, and why it is so scary to those who claim to be against politics as usual and yet refuse to get out of that box or let anyone else get out of it.

Being uncouth is good right now.  That's what the people really want: smart politicians who are not polished and perfect (because we can see it for the farce it is), but principled and, at the risk of sounding cliche, real.  Humble humanity in our politicians is refreshing.