Interesting analysis of yesterday's primaries by AP, where it is pointed out that even if Mark Bevin and other Tea Party candidates failed to break through, Tea Party challenges have forced establishment candidates to move to the right, adopting many of the positions taken by conservatives. The differences between tea party and non-tea party Republicans are shrinking. Often it's merely tone and experience that separate them. Tone and experience matter, however, and Tuesday's GOP voters chose the less bombastic and unpredictable conservatives in most cases. In Kentucky, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell easily dispatched tea party challenger Matt Bevin. As a 30-year senator and party leader, McConnell is about as establishment as they come. He has predicted that he and other mainstream Republicans will "crush" tea party candidates this year. Bevin initially excited anti-establishment Republicans. But his campaign eventually collapsed under rookie...(Read Full Post)