Posted on 05/09/2012 6:32:03 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Not only did Tea Party-backed Richard Mourdock just put an end to Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar's 35-year U.S. Senate career, but it wasn't even close. NBC projected Mourdock, the Indiana state treasurer, the winner of the Republican primary shortly after polls closed, as he was trouncing Lugar by over 20 points. In and of itself, the crushing defeat of such a long-time veteran of the Senate would be a big story, but the importance of this development will be felt way beyond Indiana.
As I wrote earlier this week, a lot of pundits have been prematurely writing the obituary to the Tea Party, but Mourdock's victory demonstrates that the movement still has a lot of power. Tea Party activists will be tested again in Texas, where they hope to nominate Ted Cruz and Utah, where they hope to dump veteran Sen. Orrin Hatch in favor of conservative Dan Liljenquist.
Mourdock's victory not only means that this particular Senate seat is likely to be more conservative (assuming he goes on to win the general election in this traditionally red state), but it also puts Republican Senators everywhere on notice that no seat is safe anywhere in the country. Any elected Republican that doesn't pursue a small government agenda once in office risks suffering the same fate as Lugar. Had Lugar hung on, then a lot of people would have dismissed the Tea Party as a passing fad from 2010. But now it's clear that the movement has been underestimated once again. Tea Partiers have a lot more staying power than skeptics expected.
With the Republican presidential nomination going to the ideologically malleable Mitt Romney, supporters of limited government have recognized that their best hope for advancing the conservative agenda rests on the ability to elect as many principled conservatives to Congress as possible. That is, lawmakers who will be willing to fight for smaller government even if it means standing up to a president of their own party. The more victories the Tea Party racks up, the greater the chance that Romney will be forced to govern as a limited government conservative if elected, even if his natural inclination is to migrate to the left.
Exactly.
Luger, R.I.P. you damned old, liberal pandering, Democrat loving career seial criminal office holder. I hope Orrin Hatch, ANOTHER lib lover like you and ALSO a serial office holding career politician criminal follows you along with all the OTHER serial office holding old fossils in Congress.
As Ethan Allen would have said “Get OUT you damned RAT”!!
or something like that.
That bothers me a lot ~ the implications of that are not at all favorable to the TEA Party, nor to Conservatism.
It does mean too many Democrats were allowed to vote in the Republican primary.
This should scare the living bejeezus out of the libs and lamestreamers (the L&L crowd for short).
“ideologically malleable Mitt Romney”
Understatement of the day.
Lugar said that with his defeat, he now has time to do the things he had always wanted to do.. Like travel to places he’s never been to.
I suggest he start with Indiana...
Or, conversely, did Lugar go all Lisa Murkowski and announce he will run as an independent?
OOHRAH!
Ba da boom. But, seriesly, folks....
IN FReepers have been posting that IN has a “sore loser” law in place, so apparently, no he can’t.
That was my first thought though.
RINO hunting season is upon us.
Lugar should have tried running as Virginia Senator instead. He would have had a better chance. After all, he lives there.
>> did Lugar go all Lisa Murkowski and announce he will run as an independent? <<
Would not be allowed under Indiana law.
Principles are timeless, whereas fads and fancies like electing the first prez to actually be made of dog feces fade away...just as they should.
This is exactly what I’ve been saying for months.
Focus on Congress. Focus on Congress. Focus on Congress.
Get good conservatives in Congress and Romney won’t be able to do as much damage as he otherwise would be able to do.
Did he call to congratulate Mourdock and offer his support in the general?
Will we win every battle? Probably not. We already lost the big one. But over time conservatism will trump all other philosophies.It just may not be pretty.
You’re welcome.
“Did he call to congratulate Mourdock and offer his support in the general?”
Not sure about that, but this is a good take on Lugar’s actions immediately afterwards:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2881479/posts?page=83#83
Elect Romney, then PUT THE SPURS TO HIM!
Finally! We have term limits!
I will give Romney a chance to let what happened in Indiana sink in and see how he responds...he is either for us or against us....and he now sees what happens when he is against us.
Amen, fellow freeper: ‘Focus on Congress. Focus on Congress. Focus on Congress.’
Get good conservatives in Congress and Romney won’t be able to do as much damage as he otherwise would be able to do.
“Mourdock’s victory not only means that this particular Senate seat is likely to be more conservative (assuming he goes on to win the general election in this traditionally red state), but it also puts Republican Senators everywhere on notice that no seat is safe anywhere in the country. Any elected Republican that doesn’t pursue a small government agenda once in office risks suffering the same fate as Lugar. Had Lugar hung on, then a lot of people would have dismissed the Tea Party as a passing fad from 2010. But now it’s clear that the movement has been underestimated once again. Tea Partiers have a lot more staying power than skeptics expected.
With the Republican presidential nomination going to the ideologically malleable Mitt Romney, supporters of limited government have recognized that their best hope for advancing the conservative agenda rests on the ability to elect as many principled conservatives to Congress as possible. That is, lawmakers who will be willing to fight for smaller government even if it means standing up to a president of their own party. The more victories the Tea Party racks up, the greater the chance that Romney will be forced to govern as a limited government conservative if elected, even if his natural inclination is to migrate to the left.”
I think that the Tea Party has been mis-represented as an organization, when it is really a state of mind. There are plenty of people who may never have attended a single gathering, yet can see that the spend, spend, spend trajectory is a sure path to destruction. I think that the rank and file have had enough.
He stated that there are almost 50 active Tea Party organizations currently active across the fruited plain. They keep in touch regularly with each other through a special communications set-up they have.
I'm on the smokin' mailing lists of two Tea Party groups who are far from "dead".
As Mark Twain so famously put it when he learned his obituary had been published in the New York Journal...."The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."
Leni
I don’t know if we can get Mitt to move as far to the right as Newt forced Clinton, but we can try.
This, something like what Jim said, is how to win, start with putting Tea Party and conservatives in Congress.
I despise Orrin Hatch for his heavy-handed rewrite of the copyright laws ,all supposedly because he once was some sort of singer.More likely the Mouse promised hatch a slice of the cheese to be extorted from the public by unreasonably extending copyrights.THose that use government as a means to enrich themselves and their buddies deserve tar and feathers!
That’s BEAUTIFUL!!
Only two? Hah. I get mail from at least five different groups every day.
the Tea Party is far from dead. It’s no longer a new and novel movement, it is part of the fabric of politics.
I’m glad Luger was shown the door. I’m sad that quite a few people feel the need to take a shot at Romney on every thread.
Enough, already.
We’ve got an evil dictator to defeat.
Exactly.
And also AT THE LOCAL LEVEL - PARTICULARLY WITH REPUBLICAN COUNTY AND STATE COMMITTEE positions. Those are controlling spots in the party and they generate future candidates for public office. Candidates who can lever out people like Luger and Hatch from within.
Why has it taken so long?
Yes the Senate is a chamber of Congress if you will and IMHO it is where the action will be. I posed over a week ago I think we get 60 in the Senate, now Dick Morris agrees with me. He must be a lurker reading my post :-)...
The bigger issue IMHO is getting new Leadership in the House and Senate. I don't think Romney has the Stones to ask for them to resign. We may have to force the issue...
From the American Thinker Yesterday, by Thomas Lifson....
"I find it quite fascinating that prominent liberals are grousing in public about Obama. There are many subterranean signs of deep discontent with leadership among Democrat grown-ups. ObamaCare cost Democrats their House majority, of course. Despite the happy talk, Obama's track record is not the sort that merits re-election. Those who are not fooled by the media veneer see that Obama could wreck the Democratic Party if his re-election bid ushers in a GOP president and Senate majority. Last night Dick Morris predicted a filibuster proof 60 vote majority is even possible for the GOP in the Senate. That would be a truly chilling prospect, and can't be dismissed because so many more Senate Democrats are up for election this year than Republicans."
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/05/obamas_likeability_fading_fast.html
I wholeheartedly agree with you. Rpmney got nominated because we ran too many people against him. Lesson learned for next time. Now let’s concentrate on making it a Romney landslide so we can win more downticket races. The Rats have 23 senate seats up for election, I don’t believe the mainstream propaganda machine when they say that only 3 or 4 will lose.
I don’t know why, but I am grateful that it is finally starting. Wish the dims would get with the program. You do notice that they are keeping ALL of their old trash on board.
I don’t know why, but I am grateful that it is finally starting. Wish the dims would get with the program. You do notice that they are keeping ALL of their old trash on board.
Actually, he’s a musician. And while I’m anti RINO, I’m in favor of copyright laws and think they should last as long as any other property rights...say a house and land.
I just don’t see UT people with the guts to throw out their hatch.
Awesome!!! I love it!
I call them the "Mad Hater's Tea Party" group.
GO ABO !
Leni
To me Lugar’s defeat is very bad news for Obama. I think it shows significant enthusiasm on the Right, which normally results in a higher turnout. Also, if Obama wins in November, Lugar’s loss should mean that Senate Republicans will be less “cooperative.”
I believe the political-media establishment continues to under-estimate and under-report the absolute disgust that about 35-40% of the voting populace feels toward O, the Dems, and the MSM. For example, AP stories picked up by Yahoo often have comment sections that run about 90/10 against O. And the more the MSM lies to promote the failed left-wing agenda,the greater the disgust. Hopefully, this will manifest itself into an “unexpectedly” large loss for O and the Dems in November. Wouldn’t that be sweet.
Lets hope and pray they do.
Hacth finagled his way out of a fair primary through that screwy caucus scam in the past but it didn’t work this time.
I hope his opponent uses this issue to his advantage.
Just donated a little extra to FR in honor of the defeat.....The price of a bottle of ?????. Better way to celebrate!
“I’m so tired of the anti-Romney, anti-Mormon hate posts that have poisoned the pages of FR for almost two years now.”
You confuse anti-Romney with anti-mormon.
Most here oppose Romney because he’s a lying snake, a liberal, and will be beat by Obama like a red-headed stepchild.
The Tea Party needs to close the primaries to registered Republicans only. There is a lot we need to do to can the one party state the GOPe designed while we slept.
Must increase momentum!
Support Scott Walker in WI.
Continue support for Mourdock in IN.
Back Cruz in TX.
Only the choir is happy for the moment.
Gotta get the congregation involved RIGHT NOW!
Not really comparable. Romney wasn’t challenging a long-time incumbent. For all intents and purposes, Romney was running unopposed, with votes for others merely to ‘make a statement.’
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