Carolina Kool-Aid

At a teabagger rally on Friday in Greenville, SC, Republican Congressman Gresham Barrett was heckled and booed by the crowd. These folks apparently aren't too happy with Barrett voting for the bailout a few months ago, and they're letting it be known that the Great Purge of the Unfaithful is on in the GOP.

Barrett, who voted in favor of the $700 billion bailout to stabilize the financial sector, despised by many of the demonstrators, knew what he was getting into. South Carolina grassroots conservatives have been blasting the congressman for months because of his vote on the Bush administration's bill last October. Previewing his Tea Party speech earlier this week, The Greenville News wrote that Barrett was headed “into the Lion’s Den.”

But that may have been an understatement, according to video of his remarks captured by the South Carolina political Web site “The Palmetto Scoop.” From the moment he was introduced to the Greenville crowd, his speech was drowned out by boos, turned backs and angry shouts “Go Home!”

“I know you’re mad,” Barrett said, prepared for the chilly reception. “I know you're frustrated, and I hear you, and the American people hear you, and that’s what this thing is about, it’s about people being heard.”

Barrett got one of the loudest jeers of the speech when he told the crowd: “You may boo, you may turn your back, but I have devoted my life to the conservative cause.”

The booing and shouting continued for the entire five minutes Barrett was on stage. When he pointed out that he recently introduced a bill called the TEA Act to stop wasteful government spending, one protested yelled repeatedly: “Too late!”

How interesting. I'd say that it was amusing to see the Wingers eat their own, but then again Democrats have their own problem with purging conservatives and moderates from their party. I can actually relate, I have my own list of Democrats I'd like to see lose in a primary challenge, starting with Evan Bayh.

The difference is of course that the center of America is siding firmly with Obama at this time. The GOP is countering by moving the party to as far to the right as possible, alienating more centrists and independents all the time.

Still, it's clear that both parties are becoming more polarized.