Posted on 02/12/2013 2:35:46 PM PST by Servant of the Cross
Former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour, one of the most influential players in the Republican party, is privately battling the Club for Growth.
Last week, at a closed-door retreat in northern Virginia, Barbour told a large gathering of congressional staffers, including several leadership aides, that party officials should discourage donors from funding the high-profile conservative group.
Insiders say Barbours comments came during a question-and-answer session at the Ripon Societys annual symposium, which was held at Mount Vernon, the home of former president George Washington.
Sources say Barbour was asked about the groups growing influence, and then he urged the aides and strategists to fight back. Many in the audience applauded Barbour for his remarks, according to two sources in the room.
In an interview with National Review Online on Tuesday, Barbour confirmed his appearance at the retreat, and acknowledged his growing frustration with conservative organizations that target Republicans in primaries.
We kicked away four or five Senate seats in the last two cycles by nominating candidates who did not have the best chance to win, he says. We ought to talk to Republican donors now, in the off-season before the primaries, and discourage them from donating to organizations that will attack good Republicans.
Republican groups like the Club for Growth should stop spending money to defeat Republicans, he adds. Politics cant be about purity. Unity wins in politics, purity loses.
Barbour, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, is an adviser to American Crossroads, the Republican super PAC founded by Karl Rove. Crossroads recently started a new program, the Conservative Victory Project, which aims to protect select Republicans in contentious primary battles.
Twice in my lifetime, Republican presidential candidates have gotten 60 percent of the vote, Barbour says. We should manage our coalition and keep our party diverse and large.
Poor Haley. He wants to fight in 2014-2016 with strategy from the 1980s.
What Unity when you are at war with your own base??
The Club for Growth is anti-Christian.
If we don’t have tradtional values the money won’t save us.
My first thought was that it said Barbara (Walters) had joined Rove... lol
>>We should manage our coalition and keep our party diverse and large.<<
Translation: Amnesty.
How stupid can these people be? We lost because we didn’t run CONSERVATIVE candidates! The dims already own the “diversity” (translation: racists and takers) vote. No amount of kissing up will change that.
We need to re-brand ourselves as true Conservatives: small government, maximum freedom, Constitutionalism.
Reagan won’t come back, but we can and must find candidates who hew to these principles!
BUMP
If the fight is between those 2 groups, I don’t have a dog in it.
Ex Guvner Ping
Ex Guvner Ping
Yes, the Club for Growth is suspect because the head guy is a Muslim lover. We need to get the boss out of there, or find a new outfit that will take its economic position without shilling for the Arabs.
But it must be said that that’s not the reason why Barbour is speaking out against it. He is first and foremost a political operative, and he hates real conservatives.
Just goes to show you, ya can’t trust any politician......Fire them all (and their staffers) frequently. Government needs a constant supply of new officials....ones with the common sence of the everyday man.
“Good Republicans = “Shut-up-and-do-as-you’re-told” Republicans.
'I Dont Expect to Be Cheering House Republicans Anytime Soon'
Message to Haley: Winning means nothing unless followed by a conservative voting record. I’m done with the likes of Karl, Haley, and Sean. They’re all too establishment and liberal for me.
What happened to him? I used to be a fan of his. Another RINO. Pity.
Conservatives can lose elections also. We need candidates who are conservatives AND politically savvy. Otherwise we end up with losses in elections:
Richard Mourdock
Sharron Angle
Christine ODonnell
George Allen
Joe Miller
Ken Buck
Alan West
Doug Hoffman
JD Hayworth
All of them very good & solid conservatives. I love them
all without exception. But they are now sitting on the ash
heap of history. Hopefully some of them can make a comeback.
If I’m not mistaken, the Club for Growth has always been soft on illegal immigration. They’re one of those groups who repackages their own special agenda as conservative orthodoxy. Good for Barbour for standing up to them.
Weird list. George Allen was the choice of the party guys. Allen West won as a conservative and got redistricted out by our own party bosses.
Yea, some other posters don't like CFG either. However, Haley (and Rove) are casting a broad brush here. It's not just CFG they are going to war with.
We ought to talk to Republican donors now, in the off-season before the primaries, and discourage them from donating to organizations that will attack good(?!) Republicans (i.e. he means the likes of Crist, Lugar, Castle ...).
This is pure GOPe. He and Rove have a big problem with any non-GOPe conservative group.
BUMP!
___________
” - - - Unity wins in politics, purity loses. - - - “
It is called the Zombie RINO Lemming Dance.
After all, we don’t need no stinkin’ Principles, Constitution, or Values! We just need to WIN!
Yesss, indeedy! The Democrats have the winning idea: stand for the worst of human nature, and lie, lie, lie!
Just follow ol’ “Turd Blossom” Rove who is so smart that he KNOWS which Candidate will win, form a united front, and do the Zombie RINO Lemming Dance!
BTW, ain’t this great? No need to think or stand for anything! Wow!
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.