In politics, nobody should get cocky, ever.

Instapundit is fond of the line from Star Wars: A New Hope "Great kid! Don't get cocky!" and quotes or paraphrases it frequently. He features a long post quoting comments on the theme from his readers. The advice applies not just to the GOP. It also applies to conservatives, the Tea Party, and anybody who starts taking success for granted.

Politics, from the viewpoint of politicians, is about power, but for most non-political types, it's about government. I think that a lot of people consider government news little more than background noise, and politics a nuisance that nobody can get rid of. When they hear that the government wants to help people who can't afford health insurance, they think, "Well, that's nice!" Everybody feels sympathy for those who are needy. That's why such programs poll well until people know more about how much they cost and how.

That has changed now. People are frightened by the way the Democrats have followed on the financial collapse with even bigger deficits, a move toward taking over the nations health-care system and looming tax increases. They see the way these bills were passed, without input from opponents, developed in secret and voted on without time for people to know what was in them as arrogant. They saw more arrogance at townhall meetings and politicians ducking hard questions and criticism. Now, they're angry. The temptation is for the GOP to see whatever is bad for the Dems as good for them, and assume that this will blow over and that it will then be business as usual. They make a mistake to dismiss the Tea Party as a bunch of radical conservatives and libertarians who have always been a thorn in their side. Ask Bob Bennett.