Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Will conservatives sleep through yet another primary cycle?
The Blaze ^ | April 29, 2024 | Daniel Horowitz

Posted on 04/30/2024 11:22:19 AM PDT by Twotone

We are rapidly approaching the most important primaries of our lifetime. Sure, the presidential primary — the one we all slept through — might be behind us, but most states still have not held their primaries for down-the-ballot state and federal offices. Will the unprecedented betrayals of the past few months finally catalyze change among Republican voters and activists? Or will we continue to reflexively nominate every incumbent and the most well-known politician with an “R” next to his name, ensuring we perpetuate dystopian uni-party governance?

The reality is, despite the shocking betrayals, not a single House or Senate Republican has gone down in a primary this year. If we don’t step up our game, the bad guys will pitch a shutout.

Nine of the 50 states have held primaries so far, including Texas. Dozens of Republicans who have voted for Ukraine funding and omnibus bills have sailed to renomination before our eyes. Even the few who voted properly will likely revert to their natural disposition once they’ve secured the nomination. Several of the worst senators, such as Mississippi’s Roger Wicker, won Donald Trump’s endorsement even while he was opposing us on every major issue.

What we are doing is not working. Sorry, but Trump backs RINOs

We have slept through the primaries ever since the Tea Party era, intoxicated by the personality of one man as if that one man alone would fix everything wrong with the party. Sadly, Trump has come full circle. Over the course of the four election cycles that he’s dominated the party, he has endorsed nearly every lukewarm Republican incumbent. He only opposes RINOs when they slight him personally. The newer crop of Republicans has gotten smarter and learned to ingratiate themselves to the man at the top even as they repudiate the values of his base.

This has created a dynamic where the Chamber of Commerce Republicans we were beginning to defeat during the Tea Party era are more secure now than ever before. Very few conservative rising stars in state legislatures will challenge incumbent members of the House or Senate when they know Trump will likely pull the rug out from under them. This is why we have not drained the GOP swamp since Trump took the party by storm in 2016.

A whopping 24 of the 31 GOP senators who voted for the Ukraine grift have been endorsed by Trump — not just during the general election but in the primary — at some point over the past six years. Two of them — Wicker and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota — are up for reelection this year but had Trump’s endorsement early on, despite their globalist voting records on nearly every important issue.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

We learned from the Texas legislative primaries that when Trump and the party leadership unite behind principle, we reap immediate dividends. More than a dozen incumbents were either defeated or drawn into runoffs, including state House Speaker Dade Phelan. Imagine if Trump would endorse against incumbents in other states? Building a bench in the states

Thanks to state freedom caucuses, we now have an established brand challenging the uni-party across the country. These are the most important elections of our lifetime because they will decide whether we have authentic red state alternatives in which to seek shelter when the federal system becomes even more insufferable than today, especially if Biden wins re-election.

In Wyoming, for example, 13 RINOs face challenges in the House and several others in the Senate. In Idaho, another state with a liberal Republican governor, the freedom caucus has challengers against 19 sitting House members and seven senators who are allies of Gov. Brad Little.

If the freedom caucuses succeed in these states, they will gain a majority in some chambers and will be the last thing standing between us and complete dystopia. In that sense, red state primaries are our insurance policy against federal malevolence.

The importance of the freedom caucus legislative elections will also resonate for years as we build a bench of candidates to run for higher office.

It’s already happening. In Missouri, state Sen. Bill Eigel is running for governor and Denny Hoskins is running for secretary of state. They were both kicked off their committees by leadership for forcing votes on bills that the uni-party hates. State Rep. Bob Onder, a member of the Missouri House Freedom Caucus, is running against incumbent Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer in the Show Me State’s 3rd Congressional District.

The South Carolina Freedom Caucus has landed challengers to 33 incumbents in the June 11 primaries and is defending many of its existing stars. State Rep. Adam Morgan is challenging William Timmons in the Spartanburg-based 4th Congressional District. Trump has endorsed Timmons, but Morgan might be our only chance to knock off an incumbent this year. Stewart Jones, another freedom caucus warrior, is running in the other upstate district, an open seat.

In 2026, the South Carolina Freedom Caucus will likely have the clout to field a candidate for governor next cycle. But that would necessitate the right to pressure Trump away from endorsing Tim Scott, who might seek the governorship. He also needs to be dissuaded from endorsing Lindsey Graham for re-election.

This is just a small sampling of what is at stake in the upcoming congressional primaries. There are several open red seats as well as perfidious incumbents standing for renomination. Our future success every day between the election hinges upon these primaries that we all too often snooze through the process.

We should make it clear early on that we will not support any candidate who does not commit to joining a freedom caucus so that we finally break this cycle of apathetically choosing the first big-name Republican that pops out on the ballot. Of course, 90% of the biggest names are the biggest troublemakers bought out by the industries.

Much of what happens in the presidential election is out of our hands. But it is emphatically within our power to influence the remaining red state primaries. If we continue to renominate these clowns, it won’t be the result of some phantom voter fraud in red states (unlike the blue states). If we are stuck with the same crop of uni-party Republicans this time next year, it will all be the result of our intractable laziness.


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: freedomcaucus; primaries; rinos
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-36 last
To: Twotone

The warning sign is lit obey or crash it’s that simple democrat voters better give EVERYTHING a second thought too.


21 posted on 04/30/2024 12:06:30 PM PDT by Vaduz
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Responsibility2nd
And they won't vote for Trump if he picks a RINO.

If Trump picks a RINO, that person will be deemed by the True Believers as a “true conservative,” “the best choice for vice president in the history of the universe,” “it's 4D chess, you know.”

22 posted on 04/30/2024 12:16:21 PM PDT by thegagline (Sic semper tyrannis! Goldwater & Thomas Sowell in 2024)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Twotone

Will conservatives be running in the primaries? And if they somehow win with the GOP let them have important committee spots or shunt them off to the side?

And once you accurately answer those you see why there’s not much reason for actual conservatives to care about the GOP primaries.


23 posted on 04/30/2024 12:17:58 PM PDT by discostu (like a dog being shown a card trick)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: desertsolitaire
For reasons unknown, a solid majority of Republican voters support massive LEGAL immigration.

Since 70% of new naturalized USA citizens, and their American born children, vote Democrat, the GOP has become a permanent minority Party.

The GOP can no longer win a majority Popular Vote in a Presidential election.

That means we must have a no-margin-for-error Electoral Vote strategy that includes six or seven coin toss states.

In the U.S. Congress, we can only win tiny majorities in the House or Senate if we elect 5%-10% RINOs.

In 2020, 87% of Black Americans, 65% of Hispanic Americans, and 61% of Asian Americans voted against Donald Trump.

24 posted on 04/30/2024 12:22:00 PM PDT by zeestephen (Trump "Lost" By 43,000 Votes - Spread Across Three States - GA, WI, AZ)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Theodore R.

That’s because half of our voters talk a lot but do little. In order to light a fire under our voters to turn out & affect change, you have to have a positive attitude & believe in yourself & see winning as inevitable. You also have to be willing to join a coalition with people that won’t always agree with you, that you don’t always like so much & that aren’t ideal. As much as anything, you need to be able to hone your message for election time. I’m happily voting for Trump a 3rd time, but any critique of that’s made in regards to the campaign is met with an army of insults & suspicion 🤔


25 posted on 04/30/2024 12:22:53 PM PDT by redheadedshannon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Twotone

Short answer…yep!


26 posted on 04/30/2024 12:23:58 PM PDT by RoseofTexas
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Twotone

Al lot of Republican politicos and Conservative pundits seem to be exhibiting the same air of confidence in the results of the probable outcome of 2024 elections, just like they did in 2020 without considering the ability of the Democrats to cheat. Appears to me the Democrats are concentrating on the swing state with lots of Electoral College votes ... just like they did in 2020.


27 posted on 04/30/2024 12:37:51 PM PDT by antidemoncrat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: thegagline
If Trump picks DeSantis - this will be the response of AT Freepers

 

Screaming Liberal GIFs - Find & Share on GIPHY

28 posted on 04/30/2024 12:39:27 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd (A truth that’s told with bad intent, Beats all the lies you can invent ~ Wm. Blake)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: Twotone

Trouble is in the extremes - It’s not a Purity test.
It’s just whichever gang is favored by the writer/speaker/promoter/endorser.

Moderate Conservative Republicans who want government out of your lives, don’t care about Gay Marriage, or a National Abortion law, and don’t support America First

Free Trade Globalists and War Pigs that leave us with nothing to Conserve -the McRomBushRyan gang

Deep State UniParty Phony Conservative Across-the-Aisle Reachers like Johnson that sell out for a few pieces of silver.

They hate us, we hate them- Why be ruled over by Crooks that see you as a Tax Donkey and Canon Fodder?

National Divorce is the answer-
No Civil War - Civil Separation
People are voting with their feet, and the States are almost there.


29 posted on 04/30/2024 1:30:51 PM PDT by Macoozie (Roll MAGA, roll!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Twotone

I will gladly vote for Trump, but there is a high likelihood I will never vote for his VP, if they seek the presidency, later.


30 posted on 04/30/2024 1:48:51 PM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Twotone; Glad2bnuts; ebshumidors; nicollo; Kalam; IYAS9YAS; laplata; mvonfr; ...
"We have slept through the primaries ever since the Tea Party era....."

Horowitz is dead on the money with this.

There has been a huge sea-change since the Tea Party era that I am incapable of explaining and incapable of understanding, and nobody will explain it to me. Everything is just so quiet. There are instances where I think the pre-Tea Party Bush Era actually had more healthy conservative activism than what we have today. In general, I'm apoplectic about it.

The only way, - the only way - , to get things done, is for all of us to stand up, do the hard work, and get things done. What we have arrived at though is a post-hard-working-conservatism era. It's Maximum Uninvolvement. I have no other words to explain it.

Yeah, conservatives will work hard at their jobs, yeah, they'll work hard in regard to their families. But the amount of disconnect that there is now in regards to our constitutional freedoms would make all of our Founding Fathers sick to their stomachs. The Founders were not just farmers, they didn't just go to work, then ahh well time to call it a day! Oh some stuff is going on? Well I'm just gonna go to work, don't talk to me about all that! I'm just gonna farm.

No!!! The Founders said "Somebody ought to do something!" then turned right around and planted their fat fingers right in their own chests. "I'm going to do something. I will do it." That's what we had in the Tea Party era, Tea Partiers said "I will do it, I am going to do something", but we sure as heck don't have anything like that now. That's what was given up, and its probably the most valuable thing we ever had.

And we can't call it apathy, because everybody sees whats going on. We know they see it because the complaints are through the roof. That is the one thing where there isn't any quiet. But the only thing reaching higher heights than the complaining is the infinite stubbornness with refusal to ever get involved.

I cannot understand why. How do people think this is working? This is where I get stuck.

Everybody can see that Maximum Uninvolvement doesn't work. Nobody on the planet will ever attest to it's success. Everybody can also compare Maximum Uninvolvement to the Tea Party Era and see that this was way more successful than Maximum Uninvolvement.

SO WHY THEN IS EVERYBODY STILL ACTIVELY CHOOSING MAXIMUM UNINVOLVEMENT OVER THE SUCCESSFUL MODEL??????

I cannot understand why. I'm incapable of getting it. I just start rubbing my head and rubbing my face saying "I don't, I don't, I don't" It makes me stupid. I don't understand. I don't understand! Please. Please. I don't understand. I can't make this math work, I'm stuck. How is everybody doing this all at once, all at the same time, and forever.

Maximum Uninvolvement in our post-hard-working-conservatism era is leading to a terrible ruination.

It's exactly what Lord Acton said. Evil doesn't necessarily have to succeed. The good people just have to do nothing. Maximum Uninvolvement.

31 posted on 04/30/2024 9:47:16 PM PDT by ProgressingAmerica (The historians must be stopped. They're destroying everything.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: zeestephen

No. You aren’t good with numbers or comprehending statistics. A SOLID majority of republican voters support large decreases in legal immigration levels & putting a stop to illegal immigration altogether. Sizable majorities of Republican voters have favored decreasing legal immigration since the early 90s. Republican politicians, on the other hand, have long favored high legal immigration levels (because big business bankrolls Republican bureaucrats reelection campaigns- in return for voting for to import high levels of the cheapest possible labor . You mistakenly assume Republcan politicians bear any resemblance to their voters. They don! 🙄


32 posted on 05/01/2024 2:25:47 AM PDT by redheadedshannon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: zeestephen

Yet again your statistics. Trump won Mississippi 4 years ago by nearly 20 points Trump 58%/ Biden 40%. Find another hobby 😬😉


33 posted on 05/01/2024 2:36:04 AM PDT by redheadedshannon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: ProgressingAmerica

That’s a wonderful rant & I agree with every word of it. All I can say is those of us who were Tea Partiers are now...what, 20 years older & 20 years tireder. We’re out-manned & out-spent by the billionaire class (which can hire mobs of foot soldiers, like the criminals on our campuses) & when we get a good guy into office, they seem to be bought off within a year & end up doing what he worked for them NOT to do. I think we’re depressed, emotionally & spiritually.

And I don’t know what to do about it.


34 posted on 05/01/2024 5:24:32 AM PDT by Twotone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: redheadedshannon
I do not recall corresponding with you in the past, redhead.

I am sorry to hear that you think my electoral math and my statistics are flawed.

You wrote that Trump won Miss. by almost 20%.

Actually, Trump won Miss. by 16.5% in 2020.

Trump won Miss. by 17.8% in 2016.

Reagan won Miss. by 25% in 1984.

In 2008 and 2012, Obama lost Miss. by just 12%.

In 2018 and 2020, a Black Democrat U.S. Senate candidate in Miss. lost his two state wide elections by just 10%.

The obvious trend in Miss. voting is not encouraging for Conservative Republicans.

You claim that a solid majority of GOP voters want reduced levels of legal immigration.

If that were true, a solid majority of GOP Senators and Reps. would want the same thing.

In 2005-2008, a vocal and passionate minority of Republicans at Free Republic compelled the Republican Party to back down from Amnesty. It was a thrilling victory. But, short lived.

In Trump's first three years - before Covid - Trump naturalized more new citizens, Trump issued more Green Cards, and Trump issued more foreign work visas, than Obama did, during Obama's last three years in office.

Bottom Line...

20% of USA voters are foreign born or First Generation Americans.

They are the Swing Vote in USA politics - and, they vote 70% Democrat!

35 posted on 05/01/2024 5:06:48 PM PDT by zeestephen (Trump "Lost" By 43,000 Votes - Spread Across Three States - GA, WI, AZ)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: zeestephen

That was also a different age in America. No Republican OR DEMOCRAT can win 49 states. That will likely never happen again. I concede- Mississippi was 16.5, not 20.0. Of course strong majorities of Republicans want reduced legal ilmmigration levels. No that doesn’t immediately follow with “well, majorities of Republican voters want it reduced, therefore Republican officials feel the same....... Umm no, the whole reason for Trump & Republican voters protest vote for him was because the officials we elected sold out what a majority of our voters wanted on immigration because big business donors made huge contributions to their campaigns & got them to change their stance. Trump came in & said “I’m going to come in & build a big, beautiful wall. It’s going to be fabulous!” That’s part of why we began calling so many elected Republicans “establishment” & “Rhino”. They screwed their own voters, we got ticked & Trump became a voice for that anger.

As far as immigration- I agree! It’s been an unmitigated disaster overall. However, hispanic voters have moved 20points rightward since Trump. It’s been at 55/45 for the last 4 years. The Democrat plan on immigration is coming back to bite them. You are crazy if you think that bad statistics from 15 years ago are going to stay that way indefinitely! Stop thinking so negatively! The biggest problem I think Democrats didn’t count on was that when they made big promises about improvement in minority communities & it never materialized or actually made the situation worse, would eventually create a problem come election day. They believed the “demographics is destiny” thing. Nope! It’s way more complicated than that. Hispanics are on the verge of voting identical to white folks. Whites were in favor of mass deportations at 50+% & Hispanics were supporting it at 45%. They elected DeSantis & Florida & Texas. The only group that has moved in Democrats direction in the last 6 years are women with 4+ years of college & chances are in 10 years that won’t stick either 🤔


36 posted on 05/01/2024 7:02:32 PM PDT by redheadedshannon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-36 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson