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Former Sen. Bennett: GOP should be 'careful' before nominating Tea Partier
The Hill ^ | February 26, 2011 | Michael O'Brien

Posted on 02/26/2011 3:12:27 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

Republicans must "be careful" before nominating a presidential candidate identified with the Tea Party movement, a veteran former senator said Friday evening.

Former Sen. Robert Bennett (R-Utah) warned his party against nominating a candidate too quickly after the early caucuses and primaries, urging the GOP to instead pursue someone with more national appeal.

"If you're going to nominate a national candidate, don't make the mistake of assuming that those who attend the early caucuses and the early primaries speak for the nation as a whole," Bennett said on Fox News. "If you're going to have a national candidate, you'd better have a national view."

Bennett was ousted from the Senate after losing renomination at a state convention to a Tea Party candidate, Mike Lee, now the Republican senator from Utah. He said that many of those Tea Party nominees, though, in other Senate races cost the party a shot at the majority in the upper chamber.

That should serve as a "cautionary tale" to Republicans as they look to nominate a candidate for president, Bennett said.

"The Republican nominee has almost always been closer to the center than the center of gravity in the Republican Party," he explained.


TOPICS: Utah; Parties; State and Local; U.S. Senate
KEYWORDS: 2012; backstabbers4romney; rinos4romney; rinos4romneycare; saboteurs4romney; teaparty; teapartyexpress; teapartyrebellion
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Oh, we will, Bob. Believe me...we will.

[imagine me reading that like Charlie Sheen wishing Brooke Burke luck because she’s “going to need it...badly.”]


41 posted on 02/26/2011 5:05:54 PM PST by RichInOC (Palin 2012: The Perfect Storm.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Key word being “FORMER”... Hmmm... wonder why???


42 posted on 02/26/2011 5:06:51 PM PST by KnutKase (VRWC member since 1988)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Can we defeat him again?


43 posted on 02/26/2011 5:12:10 PM PST by FreeAtlanta (Obama and the left are making a mockery of our country.)
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To: MindBender26
It's the middle of the roaders, the independents, who decide national elections. We will need a candidate who can attract them, not a Sharon Angle or Christine O'Donnell.

Adamantly disagree. Independents are drawn to strong candidates, not weak or mushy candidates trying to look "moderate." This has been proven in election after election.

We need the strongest conservative candidate we can field.

And for the record, Sharon Angle was defeated by voter fraud (union and illegals), pure and simple.

44 posted on 02/26/2011 5:15:56 PM PST by The Citizen Soldier (Obama: All turban, no camels.)
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To: Artcore
Hatch OUT in 2012. Notice how Hatch is all of a sudden becoming conservative since he saw he’s a target of the Tea Party!

I saw hatch on tv recently and he sounded like Sarah Palin, Jim Demint and Michelle Bachmann, all rolled into one.

The guy sounded more conservative than me, hey I wanted to get my guns and follow him into the hellfire.

Fear does crazy things to old politicos.

45 posted on 02/26/2011 5:38:57 PM PST by USS Alaska (Nuke the terrorist savages, in honor of Standing Wolf.)
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To: The Citizen Soldier

Didn’t the voters decide to show this moron the door? Keep going, you RINO loser. Who really cares what you say about anything?


46 posted on 02/26/2011 5:39:50 PM PST by hal ogen (1st amendment or reeducation camp?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

With all due respect, shut up Bill. RINO’s like you have gotten us into the horrendous mess we’re in and RINO’s like you won’t get us out. It’s going to take new blood to do the job that needs to be done.


47 posted on 02/26/2011 5:39:55 PM PST by iceskater (11/2/10 - the beginning of the beginning of restoration.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Palin-Walker 2012


48 posted on 02/26/2011 5:53:13 PM PST by proudpapa
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To: USS Alaska

Fear does crazy things to old politicos.

____________________________________________

Indeed!

It really is sad that fear is the motivating factor behind RINOs change of heart; and not convictions!


49 posted on 02/26/2011 6:29:30 PM PST by Artcore
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I sincerely hope that the Teaparty Reps don’t lose their way because of tripe like this. The election in November wasn’t to put people in Congress to “go along to get along”. This point in time demands a whole different approach. We don’t need any more mealy-mouthed fence sitters like John McCain and Mike Huckabee. We certainly don’t need any more RINOs.

We need someone who isn’t afraid to speak out and stick to their guns after they do. Did anyone see a Democrat “compromising” or “reaching across the aisle” in the last two years? We need someone to take us full speed ahead. An over-the-top, brash and brave, strict Constitutionalist would fit the bill right about now. We can’t afford wishy-washy, there’s too much at stake.

Our Republican governors need to stick to the magnificent job they’re now doing in putting the stops on Obama’s cash cow unions. We all need to continue to stand behind their efforts and that of the Teaparty Representatives.


50 posted on 02/26/2011 8:25:29 PM PST by Aleya2Fairlie
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To: MindBender26

You could be farther from the truth. Winning republican candidates rarely if ever are in the middle. They take strong conservative stands and win the middle with a stark difference from the democratic party. A winning candidate, and successful president, will take strong conservative stands on the issues of the day and will articulate them to the voters to demonstrate an alternative to the currant approach.


51 posted on 02/26/2011 8:52:42 PM PST by ilgipper
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To: The Citizen Soldier
Independents are drawn to strong candidates, not weak or mushy candidates trying to look "moderate." This has been proven in election after election. We need the strongest conservative candidate we can field. And for the record, Sharon Angle was defeated by voter fraud (union and illegals), pure and simple.

Hooray. Well said.

52 posted on 02/26/2011 11:33:12 PM PST by Finny ("Raise hell. Vote smart." -- Ted Nugent)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Republicans must "be careful" before nominating a presidential candidate identified with the Tea Party movement

This is merely preemptive DRIVEL!

My response . . . . . .
Democreates should "be careful" before nominating a canidate who is identified with the DEMOCRAT PARTY!

53 posted on 03/10/2011 9:40:45 AM PST by Freeper (Obama - Please STOP representing MY country!)
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