NATIONAL JOURNAL: 10 Races Where the Tea Party Movement Could Make A Difference.

Related: Bill Clinton planning a Tea Party counterattack?

Big Government has learned that Clintonistas are plotting a “push/pull” strategy. They plan to identify 7-8 national figures active in the tea party movement and engage in deep opposition research on them. If possible, they will identify one or two they can perhaps ‘turn’, either with money or threats, to create a mole in the movement. The others will be subjected to a full-on smear campaign. (Has MSNBC already been notified?)

Big Government has also learned that James Carville will head up the effort.

Hmm. If this is true, I think it’s a mistake. I don’t think the politics of personal destruction will work on a movement that doesn’t have major leaders. But perhaps the Tea Party folks will respond by sending busloads of protesters to Clinton and Carville’s houses in response. After all, that’s a White House-approved tactic . . . .

UPDATE: Reader C.J. Burch writes: “This could be the best thing that has happened to the tea parties since that out of control reporter from CNN went off on that poor man and his kid at a tea party rally.” Yeah, if they go through with this I’m pretty sure it’ll backfire big-time.

ANOTHER UPDATE: A reminder:

Still, it is not the first evidence that well-funded and -connected sources on the left are mounting a clandestine campaign against the tea-party movement. Last week, we noted a Fox News investigation of an elaborate anti-tea-party astroturfing effort, comprised of a number of what seemed to be grassroots organizations supported by cash infusions from big unions and Democratic lawyers.

They’re obviously worried.

MORE: Reader Stephen Clark writes:

Doesn’t the fact that they expect to find 7-8 “national figures” of the Tea Party movement tell you all that you need to know about their understanding of politics of this? Next, you’ll be reading in the Times that they’re dumpster diving in Coeur d’Alene.

Heh.