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

Skip to comments.

The tea party is helping Democrats
Washington Post ^ | October 19, 2012 | by Dana Milbank

Posted on 10/19/2012 11:30:14 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer

There are those who say that the tea party is fading in influence, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the movement is on the cusp of achieving what once seemed nearly impossible: keeping the Senate Democratic.

A year ago, famed political handicapper Charlie Cook gave Republicans a 60 percent to 70 percent likelihood of capturing control of the Senate; now, he tells me the likelihood of it remaining Democratic is 60 percent.

The switch in fortunes can be attributed to many causes — a slate of lackluster Republican candidates high among them — but one thing is beyond serious dispute: If not for a series of tea party upsets in Republican primaries, the Republicans would be taking over the Senate majority in January.

There is a deep irony here: The tea party faithful, who claimed they wanted to shake up Washington, have wound up perpetuating the old system. In fighting for ideological purity in primaries regardless of the consequences, they have set back their own cause of limited government and expanded freedom.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2012issues; charliecook; election2012; influence; milbank; teaparty; wishfulthinking
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-94 next last
To: Oldeconomybuyer

He always appeared to be a credible/unbiased source of information (rolling eyes)

21 posted on 10/19/2012 11:41:58 AM PDT by BookmanTheJanitor
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: taxcontrol
The GOP-e are all deep into the 'reach around' philosophy ~ which is why Dana is running this hit-piece for them.

What in the world is Romney going to do when he goes to the Senate with his RINO appointees and there's nobody there?

22 posted on 10/19/2012 11:43:21 AM PDT by muawiyah
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: rhinohunter
You forget that when George Allen was first elected to office the idea someone would homeschool their kids was considered abnormal, but certainly Conservative.

Most of his critics point to his voting record ~ which, like almost any voting record, will seem to have him voting against interests you hold near and dear ~ but that's an artifact of the number of times Senators' vote plus the result of negotiations and swaps.

Unless you follow the debates and multiple votes you can't really tell what these guys are doing.

George is, in general, more Conservative than most Republican members of the Senate for the last century, and it's hard to find someone more Conservative than that.

23 posted on 10/19/2012 11:47:39 AM PDT by muawiyah
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: taxcontrol

Yep, nothing to do with the fact that we have Romney at the helm. I warned people that they would blame Ryan and the tea party if they lose, and credit themselves if they win.


24 posted on 10/19/2012 11:47:48 AM PDT by JCBreckenridge (Texas, Texas, Whisky)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Perdogg

Tom Smith in Pa. has a chance to unseat Bob Casey in the Senate race.


25 posted on 10/19/2012 11:49:19 AM PDT by fatnotlazy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer

There may be something to this - I think it is true that RINOs and the GOPe are more likely to betray OUR candidates who win primaries than we are to betray theirs.

The RINO/GOPe - GOPt breakdown varies state by state.

If we lose Indiana or Texas, this will need some serious discussion. In 2010, the witch never had a chance but a better candidate than Sharon Angle would have retired Harry Reid.

I have given up on “taking over” the GOP and I think starting a conservative party whose explicit mission is to destroy the existing GOP has more promise.


26 posted on 10/19/2012 11:49:41 AM PDT by Jim Noble (Diseases desperate grown are by desperate appliance relieved or not at all.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer
You keep lying to yourself dana... your messiah obama lies to you about everything so it seems natural for you to lie to yourself!

LLS

27 posted on 10/19/2012 11:50:26 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (OUR GOVERNMENT AND PRESS ARE NO LONGER TRUSTWORTHY OR DESERVING OF RESPECT!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer

i would rather have 40 Jim DeMints than 60 Susan Collins’


28 posted on 10/19/2012 11:50:53 AM PDT by Snuph ("give me Liberty...")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Perdogg
if you'd bothered watching the Mourdock/Lugar debate, and read up on their positions over a period of years you'd have quickly discovered the big difference was Mourdock doesn't smile as often as Lugar.

Most of the dispute was hype from the Intramountain West crowd who wanted Hatch to become the senior ranking Republican. Lugar stood in his way. They didn't really care about Mourdock, just that Lugar was removed.

29 posted on 10/19/2012 11:52:09 AM PDT by muawiyah
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer

Uh, please correct headline to “after defeating RINOS, the tea parties could help elect Democrats.”


30 posted on 10/19/2012 11:54:02 AM PDT by zerosix (Native sunflower)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Jim Noble
I have given up on “taking over” the GOP and I think starting a conservative party whose explicit mission is to destroy the existing GOP has more promise.

You have to be kidding. How on earth can you ever get enough votes to win anything if you splinter the party? It would mean perpetual victories for Democrats. There is only one way to do this and that is to win incrementally through the primaries but it is also folly to make kooks like "I am not a witch" as the candidate. They must have broad appeal.

31 posted on 10/19/2012 11:57:09 AM PDT by Conservativegreatgrandma
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer

Yup,it’s helping the Rats.Yet,in spite of that,Republicans and Independents are willing to crawl over broken glass to get to the polls this year whereas Rat voters show no sign of being willing to put down their crack pipes for an hour.


32 posted on 10/19/2012 11:57:50 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Ambassador Stevens Is Dead And The Chevy Volt Is Alive)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Snuph

That won’t work. We MUST have 51 Republicans in whatever combination possible. I’m good with 51 DeMints.


33 posted on 10/19/2012 11:58:55 AM PDT by Conservativegreatgrandma
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer

That’s a shocker that the Compost Milktoast would want to write an anti-Tea Party article. What’s the matter little Dana, the Tea Party got rid of some of your favorite RINO’s? Are you scared that there is finally a group of citizens who who hold Republicans’ feet to the fire in terms of shrinking the size of government? This started during the midterm election when several Senate seats were kept by Democrats because the Tea Party candidate won the Republican primary. But in the long run, I bet that it is much healthier having Republicans act like it instead of turning liberal the minute they get into office. After all, what’s the point of electing a Republican Senate if they act like Democrats?


34 posted on 10/19/2012 11:59:17 AM PDT by winner3000
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer

That’s a shocker that the Compost Milktoast would want to write an anti-Tea Party article. What’s the matter little Dana, the Tea Party got rid of some of your favorite RINO’s? Are you scared that there is finally a group of citizens who who hold Republicans’ feet to the fire in terms of shrinking the size of government? This started during the midterm election when several Senate seats were kept by Democrats because the Tea Party candidate won the Republican primary. But in the long run, I bet that it is much healthier having Republicans act like it instead of turning liberal the minute they get into office. After all, what’s the point of electing a Republican Senate if they act like Democrats?


35 posted on 10/19/2012 11:59:32 AM PDT by winner3000
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer

Washington ComPost!


36 posted on 10/19/2012 11:59:45 AM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer
"If not for a series of tea party upsets in Republican primaries, the Republicans would be taking over the Senate majority in January. "

We'll see about that when ALL 10 of them win

37 posted on 10/19/2012 11:59:50 AM PDT by Mr. K ("The only thing the World would hate more than the USA in charge is the USA NOT in charge")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer

If Willard and his GOP-e didnt try to kill off our Conservative Senate candidates we might have been well placed to win the Senate...

So now the GOP-e want to blame the TEA Party ...

Typical RINO behavior...

Look up “passing blame” in any dictionary...

Tjhere’ll be a pic of a Rhino...

Look up “political scapegoat”

There’ll be a pic of a TEA Pot...

:(


38 posted on 10/19/2012 12:00:31 PM PDT by Tennessee Nana
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer

It turns out that it’s really hard to achieve both of the conservative movement’s objectives: replace left leaning Republicans with real conservatives and gain political power with those solid conservatives. Milbank is correct about what happened in 2010. It remains to be seen if he is correct about the fate of the Senate this year.

It irony is that it all depends on Romney. If he continues the way he is going, he is going to have coattails and those coattails may win the Senate. Romney, no conservative for sure, may put conservatives back in power.


39 posted on 10/19/2012 12:01:05 PM PDT by centurion316
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer
Ridiculous article.

Todd Akin & Tommy Thompson are having trouble and neither were tea party candidates - in Akin's race tea party support split 3 ways, and Thompson is establishment all the way and only a big push by DeMint & Club for Growth stopped the tea party candidate from winning that primary. Rick Berg has had some difficulty in NoDak and he's establishment all the way.

Mourdock should be fine. Milbank cites Dick Lugar's undercutting of Mourdock as if that's the tea party hurting GOP electoral chances, which is unusually obtuse even for the MSM.

2010 was a wreck, though, with more electable conservatives rejected in Nevada and Colorado, costing us two seats. Blame the Tea Party Express group for the Nevada disaster at least. Ken Buck's loss was more due to a hatchet job by the media, but Jane Norton would've won. (I don't care about Mike Castle's loss.)

40 posted on 10/19/2012 12:02:25 PM PDT by Skulllspitter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-94 next 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