Conservatives vs. the GOP - Republicans in Congress are warned that they will lose their base if...

Republicans in Congress are warned that they will lose their base if they vote for tax hikes.

Brent Bozell, chairman of ForAmerica

Conservative groups are sending written warnings to both congressional Republicans and the Republican National Committee. If Republicans sign on to a deal that raises taxes, they risk an open break with large portions of their base. “This is a time of testing for you,” more than 70 conservative leaders write in an open letter sent Friday morning to every GOP member of Congress. They warn that if a budget deal that raises taxes is passed with GOP fingerprints on it, conservatives will “see that the current leadership is not an acceptable alternative to the left. Conservatives would then likely repeat what they did in the 1970s, when they systematically and successfully undertook a multi-year effort to replace Republican congressional leadership.”

The letter goes on to warn that there are two ways President Obama and liberal Democrats could turn their economic agenda into law. First, just enough Republicans could vote with the Democrats to provide a narrow majority for tax hikes. Or the Republican leadership in both houses could negotiate a “deal” and pressure Republican congressmen and senators to approve it. “Either of these two courses would be a disaster for conservative principles because they would result in permanent advances for the ‘fundamental changes’ the left wants to impose on our country,” the conservative leaders warn.

Among the leading conservatives who signed the letter are Morton Blackwell, a prominent member of the RNC from Virginia; Colin Hanna, head of Let Freedom Ring; and Tony Perkins, a well-known pro-family leader. Their tough message was amplified and sharpened in a separate letter to Reince Priebus, the RNC’s chair, written this week by Brent Bozell, the chairman of ForAmerica and a noted fundraiser for conservative groups combating media bias and liberal legislation. Bozell noted that he has spent over 30 years raising hundreds of millions of dollars for “an alphabet soup of conservative causes,” including the Media Research Center, which he founded. But his involvement with the Republican party would end with a budget deal that raised taxes.

“Reince, it pains me to say this, but if the Republican Party breaks its word to the American people and goes along with President Obama with tax increases, it will have betrayed conservatives for the final time,” he wrote. “I will make it my mission to ensure that every conservative donor to the Republican Party that I have worked with for the last three decades—and there are many and they have given tens of millions to Republican causes—gives not one penny more to the Republican Party or any member of Congress that votes for tax increases.”

Both letters were prompted by a small group of Republicans in Congress—Senators Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, Bob Corker of Tennessee, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina—who took to TV news shows to declare they no longer felt bound by the pledge they took not to vote for any net increase in taxes. “Republicans should put revenue on the table,” Graham told CBS News. “We don’t generate enough revenue. Capping deductions will help generate revenue.”

But many of Graham’s fellow Republicans respond that becoming what Newt Gingrich once called “tax collectors for the welfare state” was both bad policy and bad politics. Senator Jim DeMint, Graham’s South Carolina colleague, warns that “if there is a bad deal, I just think you’re going to see conservatives around the country coalesce around better candidates, better-trained candidates, and to recognize the Republican party needs to reflect more conservative principles.” He told The Hill that he knows a lot of conservative donors who have already stopped giving to official Republican groups and are instead sending money to the Club for Growth, FreedomWorks, Americans for Prosperity, or DeMint’s own Senate Conservatives Fund.

It’s unclear just how much attention the letters sent to GOP leaders will get in the rush to avoid the fiscal cliff. But Republicans ignore the message at their peril. The last election showed that many GOP donors are now comfortable with contributing to non-party groups. Tea-party activists are often proud to highlight their independence from the official GOP structures of authority. And Republicans always risk losing voters to upstarts from the Libertarian and Constitution parties. This month’s elections saw the GOP lose several close races probably because of third-party inroads into its base. Most notable was the Montana race, where Dan Cox of the Libertarian party won 7 percent of the vote after GOP Senate nominee Representative Denny Rehberg voted twice against Paul Ryan’s budget in the House because of its budget restraint on entitlements.

But Republicans are feeling enormous pressure to go along with President Obama, the elite media, and much of big business and to approve a budget deal that raises taxes. Republican leaders in Congress should realize, however, the degree to which they risk a civil war over the issue if they break their anti-tax pledge in exchange for another flawed and probably unenforceable budget deal.

— John Fund is national-affairs columnist for NRO.

YAY!!! Now we are finally hearing it. Where the heck were they BEFORE this election? Why didn’t we hear this when we were being sold down the river by the rino elite?

Because the sheeple had already spoken. Everyone claimed they were "done" and they weren't going to support "RINOS" anymore after the McCain't fiasco. Then Myth Romney was nominated. And anyone that said they weren't going to support him was branded an 0bama supporter, communist, ignorant, selfish etc.

"conservatives" sold themselves down the river so "the lesser of two evils," or "at least a Republican" would win. Principles are only matters of convenience and bargaining chips to be squandered away for the sake of "our guy" winning an election.

It's how "conservatives" justify calling Myth Romney "pro-life," "pro-family," and pro-gun rights.

Even though he supports abortion; queers in the Boy Scouts, queers in the military, and queer "marriage;" and supported, pushed for, and signed anti-gun legislation.

But claiming he has "evolved" or outright ignoring the truth helps them sleep at night.

But, not to worry at least we have those awesome "conservatives" in the House that were going to "hold Mitt's feet to the fire." I mean look how great they're doing. /s

Further, there is no such thing as a "RINO"....aka a Republican In Name Only.......being a spineless, nutless, pandering, welch without morals or principles IS the Stupid Party (R) platform. A true "RINO" would actually have conservative principles.

But so long as those that supposedly do have conservative values continue to vote for and support the Stupid Party (R), the Stupid Party has little incentive to change.

pepsi says: I used to think the talk of a fracture in the GOP coalition was liberal talk to try to drive a wedge. I think it was at one time but I think the open contempt for conservatives is winning out and we ought to let them have the party, let them pursue their new base while we look to create our own identity outside the GOP.

Mamzelle says: Maybe the time is for the Unthinkable. Third Party.

Redfreedom says: The time for a third party has never been better.

Concerned says: Once again the tax slaves - the working people - had no one to vote FOR. The Republicans just toss them an old, dry bone once in a while (so they can feed their own children).

Norm Lenhart says: Those who call liberal ideas and candidates ‘conservative’. Plenty infest every remotely conservative site on the web, including this one. We can be serious about who and what we are and believe, or we can keep playing this pathetic game.

Repeat Offender says: "conservatives" sold themselves down the river so "the lesser of two evils," or "at least a Republican" would win. Principles are only matters of convenience and bargaining chips to be squandered away for the sake of "our guy" winning an election. It's how "conservatives" justify calling Myth Romney "pro-life," "pro-family," and pro-gun rights. Even though he supports abortion; queers in the Boy Scouts, queers in the military, and queer "marriage;" and supported, pushed for, and signed anti-gun legislation. But claiming he has "evolved" or outright ignoring the truth helps them sleep at night.

Christie says: The moderates of the GOP-e continue to marginalize the conservatives because they have in their armor, one thing. They say where else will those suckers go.

Functional liberal Democrat Romney is the apex of Republican folly. What the hell is the point of being a Republican if Romney represents you? Yet that damned guy is a friggin' vampire. And there are more throughout the party -- big government statists who determine "rights" the Founders stated came only from God. So Government grants such "rights" as the "right" to health insurance and health care, the "right" of atheists to live without city-funded Christmas decorations, and the "right" of homosexuals to force adoption agencies to accommodate them if a "married" couple wants to adopt. When government starts usurping God in dictating morality, society becomes immoral. The Founders knew this.

The only way to ditch Romney and his ilk is to leave the party. And if the rat bastard tries to register in the new party, he should be kicked to the curb. The hardest fight is going to be choosing a third party to rally around. I fancy the Constitution party myself, not because I know anything about its platform, but because its very name as an immediately communicated third party concept with across-the-board appeal to Americans who are sick and tired of government dictating their morality, their charity, their health care, their income, their retirement, their very homes and property rights -- a party philosophy built around the concept of restoring Constitutional liberty and right to self-determination is a solid rallying point.

Americans are mostly a moral, good people, and honest elections would reflect this. There's a long road to fight, but I kinda think a third party, much feared, is the way to go if only to ditch Romney and the political gangrene he represents.

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