Posted on 11/07/2013 12:29:37 PM PST by cotton1706
In considering Will Marshall’s argument that Tuesday’s primaries show that Tea Party influence on the GOP is on the wane, I countered with the suggestion that intimidation of Republicans by the Tea Folk is a more important part of its strategy than replacing “RINOs” in primaries.
A case in point is the ongoing pander-fest being conducted by Sen. Lindsey Graham, who faces divided and underfunded Tea Party primary opposition next year, and is trying to overcome conservative anger at his role in supporting immigration reform legislation and then ending the government shutdown.
First you had him risking the Mother of All Filibuster Wars with a threat to hold up all presidential nominations unless he’s given fodder for more Benghazi! investigations. Now we have this, via National Review’s Robert Costa (burnishing his credentials as the go-to conservative reporter of his era):
Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is ramping up his pro-life efforts, and today unveiled the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would prohibit abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. “These babies who have been taken out of the womb at 20 weeks can feel pain, and some have survived,” Graham says, in an interview with National Review Online. “We need to get the courts to establish this as a legitimate state interest to protect unborn children….” The planted-axiom rhetoric about “babies” is as much the point as the legislation, which has no chance of passage (to the chagrin of “pro-life lawmakers” cited by Costa who clearly think Graham is grandstanding).
Graham, who is up for reelection next year, says it’s important to bring social issues back into the fold as the midterms approach. “The goal is to have a vote in 2014, to make sure we vote on it,” he says. “It’s worth having this debate. The more people understand what we’re trying to do, the more public support will grow over time. More to the point, it will be harder to purge Graham as a traitor to The Cause if he’s out there fighting for the victims of the American Holocaust.
Another validator of the Tea Folk’s power to intimidate is its onetime hero Marco Rubio. Is there any right-wing meme, position, or opinion the man hasn’t embraced since his movement-conservative stock fell over the immigration bill? If so, I must have missed it. Just yesterday Rubio offered post-election analysis closely toeing the Movement line that Cuccinelli lost because the party didn’t give him sufficient resources, while Christie’s win had zero implications for the national party.
These are just data points, of course. But I’d argue that Graham’s and Rubio’s frantic efforts to propitiate radical conservative opinion are better measurements of the Tea Party’s influence on the GOP than a very narrow loss to a rigorously conservative and massively-financed candidate in Alabama.
It's not the conservatives who are shaking at the prospect of an upcoming election. It's democrats and their RINO handmaidens.
Tea Party is just logical grass roots people who don’t believe you can get a dollar and spend three.
I was wondering, does anyone find themselves wondering of many Republicans are literally Democrats that ran as Republicans to fill the party with appeasers?
That’s a nice concise and cutting analysis.
Nonsense. Rubio is conservative except on immigration which seems an emotional issue. Graham is a pandering political hack.
We aren't talking about just 2014 and 2016. We're in the game as long as it takes.
That's why I'm seriously looking at taking early SS in 3 years. I'm going to make this a full-time fight for the benefit of my kids and grandkids.
If I need a few extra bucks to make ends meet, I can do a variety of part-time work, to include slingin' hash at Luby's.
Rubio has nothing to do with legitimate immigration... he wants to make 40 million mexican illegal invading law breakers citizens and that is an unforgivable breach of trust.
Rubio is not just bad on the issue. He decided to use the same old tactics of lies and rushing legislation. He showed to be ill-suited for the leadership we need and a politician with bad political acumen. He could have managed legislation with strong border control, expanded work visas and modernization of the system and showed himself to be deft and smart pushing legislation to the right. Instead he jumped on the Democrat version, voted down all Republican amendments to improve it, and then zigged and zagged to deny it.
I was as big a Rubio fan as anyone, supporting him early when he was in the teens vs. Crist. Rubio is still very good on other issues, but he was horrific in this instance. It’s one thing to moderate on some issues and go center right. It’s another to go full McCain and side with the opposition.
Nonsense. Rubio is conservative except on immigration which seems an emotional issue. Graham is a pandering political hack.
Illegal Alien Amnesty is not the only thing Rubio has voted with the Dems on...
Rand Paul’s immigration speech[but he’s not in favor of amnesty, snicker, definition of is is]
03.19.13 | Hon Sen Rand Paul (KY)
Posted on 03/19/2013 7:04:07 AM PDT by Perdogg
...The Republican Party must embrace more legal immigration.
Unfortunately, like many of the major debates in Washington, immigration has become a stalemate-where both sides are imprisoned by their own rhetoric or attachment to sacred cows that prevent the possibility of a balanced solution.
Immigration Reform will not occur until Conservative Republicans, like myself, become part of the solution. I am here today to begin that conversation.
Let’s start that conversation by acknowledging we aren’t going to deport 12 million illegal immigrants.
If you wish to work, if you wish to live and work in America, then we will find a place for you...
This is where prudence, compassion and thrift all point us toward the same goal: bringing these workers out of the shadows and into being taxpaying members of society.
Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers.12 million more people assimilating into society. 12 million more people being productive contributors.
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.