Posted on 11/18/2010 7:02:31 PM PST by ejdrapes
By John Stanton Sen. John Cornyn said during a closed-door meeting Tuesday that he expects colleagues to bring their concerns to him about candidates he recruits as National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman and not to help mount challenges against them, Republicans familiar with the meeting said Thursday. Although not mentioned by name, the Republicans said the Texas lawmakers speech was clearly intended for the ears of Sen. Jim DeMint. The South Carolina Republican backed a number of conservative outsider candidates this year who won tough primaries against establishment candidates favored by Cornyn, only to be defeated by what had been seen as weak Democratic candidates. DeMint did not respond to Cornyns comments, the Republicans said. However, the two lawmakers have had several conversations since Election Day, GOP aides familiar with the situation said. NRSC spokesman Brian Walsh declined to comment, but according to Republicans, Cornyn delivered his warning in a speech to the entire Conference during their leadership elections. In the speech, Cornyn noted that some members of the Conference were unhappy with the conservative credentials of Cornyns picks and opted to actively work against them during the 2010 cycle. Rather than attack candidates who have been backed explicitly by the NRSC or by a states party, Cornyn said, unhappy Members should come to him with their concerns. Cornyns speech and his post-election meetings with DeMint are unlikely to curb the South Carolinians efforts to forge a more conservative GOP Conference in the Senate. Although he did not have the kinds of successes this year that would warrant the title of conservative kingmaker, he nevertheless was a key player in the victories of Sens. elect Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Rand Paul (Ky.). His Senate Conservatives Fund political action committee also helped funnel thousands of dollars to conservative candidates, and DeMint has built over the past two years a significant donor list to help fund future campaign efforts. Additionally, there have been long-standing rumors that those close to DeMint actively worked behind the scenes to help Republican Mike Lee in his successful primary bid against Sen. Bob Bennett (Utah), although DeMint has repeatedly denied those claims. Lee went on to win the general election. While DeMint is still expected to actively support conservative candidates in primaries for open seats or seats held by Democrats, he said Thursday that he has agreed not to plan to support primary challengers looking to oust any of his colleagues. I have no plans to oppose incumbent Republicans in primaries, but I do plan to play an active role in primaries where there is a Democrat incumbent or an open seat. Its important that principled candidates like Marco Rubio and Rand Paul are not overlooked by our party, DeMint said.Sources: Cornyn Jabs at DeMints Interference in Primaries
Roll Call Staff
52 minutes ago
What, exactly was wrong with Christine O'Donnell?
Mark Levin liked her.
Speaking of recruiting challengers...
Who can we get to run against Cornyn?
Dan Patrick?
For 2010, I gave to my state and local Republican campaigns as I wanted to oust the Democrats who had Wisconsin in their paws and were chewing us apart. For the national scene, the Tea Party groups and the anti illegal immigrant amnesty foes got my attention.
Cornyn = RINO douchebag.
I liked her but there were legitimate issues there.
He is a back-stabbing RINO skunk.
So’s our other senator, Kay BH, and she’s been quiet as a mouse since she got bounced out of the gubernatorial primary.
Cornyn is a RINO and always has been. Kay Bailey is brain dead.
He should have ran against Cornyn and taken over as National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman....
He can do a better job that Cornyn (does anybody out there disagree ?), he knows, but he decided not to do it.
Instead of sitting on the outside, he had a chance to do things his way, inside, and he chose to maintain status quo and let Cornyn run the same crap over again, with himself on the outside again.
If you don't like the job Cornyn is doing (and I didn't), and you can do better (and DeMint can), then go out, and take his job and do it.......
Now, that will guarantee Orrin G. Hatch's renomination, that one word "challengers". We need only ONE challenger of substance.
This position should be filled by an outsider. Christine O'Donnell maybe?
Cornyn is an establishment hack who should be primaried.
If they win their primaries, then you have no choice but to support them. Don't like them? Then support someone else in the primary.
If I still lived in Texas, I’d be working for any Conservative who offers to run against Cornyn.
I am thrilled we disposed of Mike Castle. Coons is better. I would have been fine with a Mark Kirk loss too. RINOs are poison for our caucus, and idiots like Karl Rove were dead wrong to want to take over the Senate. Our position with just the House is FAR stronger leading into 2012.
I have no plans to oppose incumbent Republicans in primaries, but I do plan to play an active role in primaries where there is a Democrat incumbent or an open seat.”
I am a huge fan of DeMint but that’s not good enough. We’ve got to clean up the right side of the aisle as well. These rinos have got to be taken out if we’re to ever make real progress.
And just when did these Washington elites decide that they should pick the Republican candidates for every state in the union? As I recall, Cornyn picked Charlie Crist. Many, including me, who did not live in Florida were able to spot that loser and know a better candidate was needed.
I'm from California too. I also thought Christine O'Donnell looked fine, and would've made a good Senator...
But we got Senator Boxer in our State ... huzzah ... So admittedly anyone is going to look pretty good to me when I have our Senator as a comparison reference.
Hold on, Johnny. Your time is coming. C’mon, Texas, we can field someone to defeat this RINO POS!
Who can we get to run against Cornyn?”
Our first concern is with Kay Bailey who is up in 2012. There are a couple of good prospects to replace her but rumor mill suggests that they are not people Cornyn would support. I think he wanted to head up NRSC again so he at least control this particular contest. I suspect the senatorial race in Texas in 2012 is going to be a doozy.
Cornyn must go!
What do we have here, a purse fight?
Cornyn and the NRSC supported a DeMint/Tea Party favorite in Alaska, namely Joe Miller, and turned publicly against Senator Murkowski when she announced her write-in campaign.
Cornyn has flip-flopped on amnesty and border security too. Maybe he’s been in politics too long.
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