Purity or Strategy: The Debate We Need To Have: Would you rather put up with a RINO, or a Democrat?

Pajamas Media ^ | 02/22/2014 | Andrew Klavan

[SeekAndFind]

^[1]

Last week, there was one of those mommy-and-daddy-are-fighting moments on Fox News as two powerhouse conservatives debated one of the most important issues facing the right. In one corner, was the dagger-sharp and stunningly beautiful and did I mention beautiful Ann Coulter. In the other corner, was the valiant, good-hearted and, you know, perfectly presentable in his own way Sean Hannity. No one can doubt either the patriotism or the fearlessness of these two. You may sometimes disagree with one or the other, that’s fine, but it seems undeniable that both have the good of the country first and foremost in their minds. Plus Ann’s really attractive.

You can watch the video to hear the whole thing but the gist is this. Ann thinks we have to stop “shysters” who pretend to represent the Tea Party from luring us into endless primaries against “establishment” Republicans. The thinking behind this (as I’ve heard her say elsewhere) is that there is only so much campaign money to go around and it needs to be focused wholly on defeating Democrats, winning a Republican majority in both houses and using that majority to “repeal Obamacare, repeal Obamacare, repeal Obamacare.”

Sean took a more purist Tea Party line, saying there are some Republicans who “should be defeated,” and endorsing the idea that we should primary the RINOs where we can and — my words here not his — we should end the civil war within the Republican Party by winning it for the true conservatives.

What a swell party this is!

Just to let you know where I stand emotionally, here’s a true story. The first time I made a speech before a Tea Party crowd, I felt as if I were floating two feet off the ground. I respected, admired and agreed with the Tea Partiers so completely, that my heart rose up and I began to believe that despite the Obama debacle, the country would ultimately be fine. As I was leaving the rally, I got a call from a friend asking me to come by for a drink with a couple of the highest-ranking Republicans in Washington. It was me and them, having a glass together, eye to eye. By the time I left that gathering, I was so depressed by the establishment GOP’s blindness and philosophical corruption I could barely see straight. I phoned Andrew Breitbart for moral support. “I’ve just had a drink with [blank] and [blank],” I began. And he responded immediately, “Are they ***holes or what?”

All my sympathies, in other words, are with the Tea Party. And I would truly love to see the RINOs skewered on their own horns.

And yet… In general, Tea Party candidates tend to do well in congressional races where small, homogenous districts are in play. In Senate races where you need votes across an entire state, a primary victory for someone like Christine O’Donnell or Todd Akin may briefly fill the conservative heart with joy, but the loss of a Senate seat that could have been won is simply too high a price to pay for that momentary triumph.

We need to talk this out with good sense and without pompous ranting. Politics is the art of the possible. Writing belligerently purist articles, blog posts or comments is relatively easy. Winning elections is hard. Barack Obama is one of the most destructive presidents this country has ever seen, but a talented politician. If stopping him in his tracks requires stomaching some RINOs here and there, it seems a no brainer: It must be done. Ann may have put her case a little too forcefully in the debate above (she’s not exactly given to dithering!), but surely she’s right in the general principle that strategy — and victory — have to come before purity.

I’d rather put up with frustrating RINOs than continue in the minority with our country under attack from within. But let me know what you think.

[Norm Lenhart]

Funny thing is that Romney was a thousand times worse going for a far more important position than Akin. But one screw up ended his career, while hundreds didn’t matter for Mitt...

And all the votes he got emboldened the GOP to lurch further left than ever.

And people want to do this stupidity AGAIN?????

[Mamzelle]

Which RINO? Cause I’d rather have a Democrat than Lindsey Graham.

[DanZ]

“Voting in RINOs gave us what we have today”

Voting in the Primary has started in Texas. We are waiting with baited breath on the outcome of the Senate Rep. primary.

There are other State positions that can produce small G’ment nominees. - Lt. Gov. race has a number of very good candidates

[SgtHooper]

It depends on what they support. The biggest, and perhaps last battle that will sink us Conservatives, for many years, is voting rights, which includes amnesty primarily, and voting for felons. Our loss of the electorate will forever end us as a party. I would take a rat who is against amnesty over a RINO who supports amnesty.

[Political Junkie Too]

That's what they said in 2012. There were enough competitive Senate seats, but the Republican consultant class failed to unify them around a national Romney ticket to defeat Obama and Harry Reid.

Romney did not extend coattails into the states. He did not make it a central theme in his stump speeches to tell Americans to rally around the Republicans on their local ballots. He and McConnell did not appear regularly together to support retaking the Senate.

In 2014, Democrats are defending even more vulnerable seats this time, and again we fail to see McConnell and company leading a national message on why it's important for Republicans to retake the Senate.

He's not laying down a series of planks to campaign on. He's not saying what he will fight to do to change the direction of the country. He's not explaining why it's important to send X, and Y, and Z to the Senate to help him.

Nothing will change until the weak and feckless Senate leadership is changed.

-PJ

[zerosix]

After a very disappointing conservative Presidential Primary, many people would rather have Obama than deign to vote for a "pretend" or even conservative sellout!

To all of those people I say, are you happy with the state of the country now that we have a President Obama???

I'm not.

I hated the fact that the only GOP candidate we could garner (playing by the GOPe rules, that is) was first McCain then Romney, but I'm certainly worse off personally, financially and medically since we have a President Obama!

[nascarnation]

Voting in the Primary has started in Texas.

I saw a guy was kicked out of the polling place in Waller County for wearing a pro-2A shirt. He should have come back with that famous gunner Wendy Davis to escort him in.

[nascarnation]

Agree Romney was a weak candidate.
He did get considerably more votes than Cruz or Murdoch though.

[Norm Lenhart]

Then work toward getting RINOs who are the enemy out and good people in. Because Dems are what they are. The only hope is electing those who will oppose them.

RINOs oppose conservatives. History proves that.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

Show me a difference.

[pas]

A RINO. A dem will never do the right thing. A RINO will once in awhile at least.

[AmusedBystander]

The Republican Party is what it is. Conservatives will always have a place there and the more they participate the more influence they will have. This nation was founded and organized by compromise and accommodation. That will not change, no matter how much you want it to. Conservatives even on FR can not agree on a handful of principles, yet expect half the country to agree. Voting for candidates who come closest to those principles are our best hope even though they frequently fall short of our expectations. Flame away.

[Dapper 26]

The devil you know is better than the devil you don’t. A RINO is worse than a Democrat for SOOOOO MANY reasons.

[autumnraine]

He posted xrays of patients.

[nascarnation]

Ronald Reagan would be shredded by a fair number of today’s FReepers. He put tariffs on imported motorcycles to save jobs at a unionized US manufacturer.

[Norm Lenhart]

80% and all the big issues. If they cant meet that. No dice.

[PoloSec]

" Would you rather put up with a RINO, or a Democrat?"

In those famous words: " At this point what difference does it make"!

[GeronL]

and how does that translate into “we need to re-elect the scumbag Roberts”??

[Timber Rattler]

Evil is evil. There is no greater or lesser.

[grania]

It’s not even a hard question. I prefer a Democrat who’s honest about their agenda over a RINO, any day. We can win the discussion of liberal views vs. constitutional conservative. We can’t win with backstabbers in our midst.