I want the name of this Missouri State Republican Committee member who is threatening Akin’s staff. This should concern not just social conservatives but more secular Tea Party people, and also GOP-e people who value grassroots activism.
Many of us who were Reagan supporters back in the 1970s or who volunteered in Reagan's 1980 campaign remember being “advised” to stay away from conservative extremists like Ronald Reagan. Many in Congress in the mid-1980s remember the attacks on Newt Gingrich and efforts made to marginalize him, and with him, the entire conservative movement.
If it happened — and I'm prepared to believe it may not have happened, or may have been an exaggeration — somebody needs to give a very, very good explanation.
The only one I can see would be a well-meaning older party leader speaking to a young idealistic volunteer and cautioning the volunteer on the potential consequences to his future if the Akin campaign implodes. Intent counts, and I can think of several well-meaning professors and Republican leaders who gave me advice that I chose not to take, but whose good intentions I would not question. Likewise, mistakes happen, and if this State Republican Committee member apologizes, I'm willing to take the apology at face value if it appears to be sincere.
Barring that sort of thing, however, this kind of tactic only gives credence to the “union goons” comments being voiced by Mike Huckabee.
We all know the Republican Party is divided into social conservatives, economic conservatives, and national defense conservatives. I respect that, and have zero problem with working alongside a good solid patriotic American who doesn't share my faith but shares a hatred for the enemies of America, whether they were Communists a generation ago or Islamofascists now, because the enemies of America in recent history have almost always also been the self-declared enemies of God. Same goes for the economic policy wonks and businesspeople who place more emphasis on money than I do; private property is a biblical mandate and government theft happens when the state goes beyond its Romans 13 mandate.
Conservatives need to learn to work together, not to do dumb things like threatening the future careers of other conservatives.
If the GOP-e are going to continue to do things like this, they need to understand clearly that neither social conservatives nor Tea Partiers are going to go away quietly.
Akin isn't the issue for me. I personally would be comfortable with Akin withdrawing if I could be assured that the same type of social conservative who the primary voters nominated would replace him. The problem with that is the Republican State Committee members who would select Akin’s replacement if he withdraws would include the committee member making these threats.
Threats sometimes succeed in intimidating people and bullying them into submission, but they most emphatically do not build trust. The way the Republican Party is treating Akin supporters could easily become an issue, and it's not one we need in the middle of an election campaign.
The background to this little dust-up doesn’t go back to a local TV interview but further than that as this article back in March indicates:
You’re far too charitable.
There is an easier explanation that fits what we’re seeing from the gop. The decision has been made to essentially jettison the “noncompliant” conservatives. While its a very risky strategy from the gop point of view, I think they’ve pretty much decided to double down on moving the gop to the left. And it makes some sense from their perspective. I mean what are they supposed to do with this unruly rabble of TEA partiers and rough around the edges conservatives that are always bickering and distracting them from the important task of divvying up the boodle?
Conservatives are basically being told to shut up or not to let the door hitya where the Lord splitya. That will become much more apparent should willard win.