Tea Party victory could alter course in many ways

John H. Esperian, Las Vegas

Wednesday, May 19, 2010 | 2:03 a.m.

Anger and frustration with Congress and career politicians like Sen. Harry Reid seem to have energized Tea Party people and aspiring candidates hoping to take these politicians’ places — each incumbent Republican is trying desperately to demonstrate how much more conservative he or she is than the opponent.

What would be the consequences of an all-out, Tea Party-approved candidate victory in November? Here are a few we may want to think about: Renewed efforts to resurrect the Yucca Mountain project; the cutoff or reduction of taxes that currently fund two wars and programs for ill, unemployed and aged Americans; added years to the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan in order to “win” the wars; renewed offshore oil drilling rather than movement away from dependence on oil; renewed efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade; and re-energized efforts to overturn health care legislation.

There would be more, and as for the celebration that would undoubtedly follow? In the heartwarming words of Ted Nugent writing about Sarah Palin in Time this week: “I’d be proud to share a moose-barbecue campfire with the Palin family anytime, so long as I can shoot the moose.”