Posted on 06/15/2004 8:01:40 PM PDT by nypokerface
Dismayed at what they see as a lack of strong conservative principles on the other side of the Capitol, a group of House lawmakers is laying plans to elect more conservative Republicans to the Senate.
More than 20 House conservatives met recently at the Hunan Dynasty on Capitol Hill to discuss how to put some conservative backbone into the Senate, among other political and legislative priorities. Many of them believe that Republican centrists in the Senate are as much to blame as Democrats for their policy frustrations.
For example, centrist GOP Sens. Olympia Snowe (Maine), Susan Collins (Maine), Lincoln Chafee (R.I.) and John McCain (Ariz.) have infuriated many of the House conservatives by insisting that budgetary limits be applied to tax cuts, stalling progress on a joint budget resolution.
As a result of that and other factors, House conservatives have decided to start giving more financial help to fellow conservatives locked in contentious Republican primaries.
“Just in the budget process, I think we can do a lot better,” said Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), an influential House conservative. “When we look at trying to fix fiscal problems, the problems are coming from our own ranks.”
At their meeting, they discussed the possibility of creating a political action committee affiliated with conservative lawmakers to counter the Republican Main Street Partnership, a political organization supported by House Republican centrists. They also contemplated tapping their supporters to bundle contributions to conservatives in Senate races or giving to them directly from their leadership PACs and personal campaign accounts.
Many House conservatives were stunned by how centrist Republicans outgunned them in the fierce primary battle between Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), one of the leaders of the Republican Study Committee, a group of over 90 House conservatives. Specter edged out Toomey by less than 2 percent of the vote.
“We saw a lot of moderates poured money into Pennsylvania for Specter, and we realized we could have been better organized in helping Pat,” Ryan said. “Seeing the moderates giving to Specter the way they did, we thought it would be better to be [better] organized.”
The Republican Main Street Partnership, which has more than 60 centrist members in the House and Senate, spent $13,600 on radio ads that ran in the final 48 hours before the primary.
In addition, at the urging of the centrist group, its supporters donated $250,000 to the Specter campaign, said Kerry Kantin, a spokeswoman for the Republican Main Street Partnership.
House conservatives want to focus their financial support initially on Senate races in four states: Colorado, where former House conservative Bob Schaffer is squaring off against beer scion Pete Coors in a Republican primary; South Carolina, where Rep. Jim DeMint (R), a Republican Study Committee member, is facing former Gov. David Beasley (R); Oklahoma, where former Rep. Tom Coburn (R), a one-time leading House conservative who clashed often with his leadership, is running against two Republicans; and Louisiana, where Rep. David Vitter is the only Republican in an open primary.
Conservatives have often had to work against their own party leadership in tough primaries, such as in Pennsylvania, where the White House and Senate GOP leaders supported Specter, whom many on the right have derided as a Republican in name only. Schaffer has had to contend against Colorado Gov. Bill Owens (R), who has labeled him unelectable.
“Others among our ranks will run for the Senate, and we’d like to have a more coordinated effort to help these candidates,” said Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), a prominent conservative. “Can you imagine having Coburn, DeMint and Schaffer in the Senate? Sounds pretty good.”
Flake said that conservatives may form and raise money for their own political action committee. Another lawmaker suggested urging their supporters to bundle contributions to conservative candidates in other states.
“The goal is to institutionalize this somehow and have a better structure to help out on a more timely basis,” Flake said.
Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), who is leading conservatives in their effort to reform the budget process, said, “A number of members ... are not indifferent about what kind of Republicans take these seats,” referring to the contested Senate seats.
“A number of Republicans worked against Pat Toomey, and he’s one of the men I most admire,” Hensarling added.
The Club for Growth, a tax-cut advocacy group that collects hard and soft money, has been active in its support of conservative Republican candidates, but it has had a mixed record.
Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.), a leading House centrist, said the Republican Main Street Partnership had a 9-0-2 record against the Club for Growth in races where the groups supported opposing candidates. The centrist group’s candidate won nine such races, and neither group’s candidate won in two contests.
“We’re working very hard to elect moderates in open seats,” said Castle.
“But it’s tough with districts being so polarized,” he added, referring to congressional redistricting that has over the years concentrated conservatives and liberals in different districts.
Time to sweep out the RINO's
Why would so-called centrists be opposed to the Club For Growth candidates? Don't Moderate Republicans claim to be fiscally conservative?
Thank God for this! I'm sick of the nonsensical idea that Republicans have to move to the middle (aka become more liberal) to get elected.
Ah, yes, that old canard, fiscally conservative but socially aware. I'm still waiting for the fiscally conservative part.
I think I may despise RINOs more than I do liberal Democrats, since the Dems are at least honest about their beliefs, as wacky as they are. RINOs either have no core beliefs, or are simply living a lie.
"Why would so-called centrists be opposed to the Club For Growth candidates? Don't Moderate Republicans claim to be fiscally conservative?"
Good one! ... it's a lie of course. "fiscal conservative" is code word for being the 'tax collector for the welfare state' as Newt Gingrich used to call Dole.
If RINOs were fiscally conservative, they wouldnt be our party's biggest tax and spenders.
The only RINO who can claim to be a tightwad on spending is McCain.
"I guess I don't understand fratricide. In a world of limited dollars, doesn't it make most sense to go after the weakest Democrat rather than one of your own?"
That makes the behavior of the "Main Street Partnership ALL THE WORSE and worthy of opposition. They have gone after and destroyed careers of CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATES. It's a shame they went after Toomey and others. This does great damage to the Conservative cause!
Simple rule, vote for the MOST CONSERVATIVE good Republican candidate in your primary, at all times. We need a more conservative Congress if we want Washington going in the right direction, so there is no case in which it is the right thing to vote for a more liberal candidate.
Support the Club for Growth. They go after RINOs.
I agree, and do already.
It's nice that House conservatives are finally taking action, or talking about taking action. But how aggressive will they really be, given that it took them this far into the 2004 cycle to wake up and smell the coffee?
Like so many conservative efforts, this one may be "a day late and a dollar short." Every day is election day. Things don't start in June, or August, or October.
If we can't clean our own house, who can? A Rino who votes against Conservatives is worse than a Demorat. Rinos can't be trusted and can only be counted on to betray you when you need them most.
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