Missouri GOP Officially Co-Opts Tea Party

We've long had our suspicions. You could tell by the way they stared just a little too long during the national anthem. Or by how they'd mysteriously disappear together for long periods of time at the shooting range. Or by how they'd always tilt their lawn-chairs ever so slightly to face each other during rallies. Yes, we knew there was definitely something going on.

But yesterday the MO GOP and Tea Party made it official: they are forever united in holy astroturfimony. After I wrote that the Missouri GOP was advertising a "tea party rally" from their facebook page, the relationship was comfirmed by Aaron Baker, Aide to Republican State Senator Bill Stouffer. Baker alternately tweeted about the event as a Republican event and as a tea party event.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

In fact, Sean at FiredUp decided to ask them about it:

And Aaron Baker admitted that they are one and the same:

I, for one, am glad it's finally out in the open. No more late-night trysts. No more nervous giggling when God Bless America starts playing on the cell phone. The relationship is now official, so let's just stop pretending that the tea party leadership ever really wanted anything other than a return to the Same Old GOP.