Posted on 02/24/2014 5:30:12 AM PST by xzins
The leaders of the Big Government Republican establishment are beginning to get desperate. They are finally starting to grasp that the limited government constitutional conservatives of the Tea Party movement and other liberty-minded voters now understand that the first, and most important, fights in the battle to restore America are the Republican primary elections.
In a desperate effort to hold on to power they have begun to deploy one of their oldest tactics in the 100-year civil war in the Republican Party – calls for Party unity to back Big Government Republican incumbents who have betrayed conservative principles and are rightly facing primary challenges.
Conservative author and commentator Ann Coulter whose incisive critiques of liberal policy follies and witty jibes at liberals and Democrats in general, make conservatism interesting and entertaining is only the latest in a long line of “conservatives” to get suckered into the idea that keeping establishment Republicans in power somehow advances the goal of governing America according to conservative principles.
It doesn’t and it never has.
"Of course, I love the Tea Party," Coulter said to Sean Hannity, but she limited the Tea Party movement to people in the "heart of America" who want to see change. She said Tea Party groups such as the Senate Conservatives Fund are just trying to bilk donors.
In other words, now that the Tea Party movement has grown politically sophisticated enough to adopt the tools that the establishment uses to stay in power, such as PACs, and the Senate Conservatives Fund PAC is being effective against incumbent Big Government establishment Republicans, Coulter wants to disarm the opposition.
But here’s where Ann Coulter is really full of it.
“If it weren’t for shysters running against establishment Republicans we would have 51 Republicans senators right now,” Coulter told Sean Hannity referring to the 2012 blow-ups of the Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock Senate campaigns.
Coulter’s comment shows just what a deep draught of the establishment Kool-Aid she has taken and is indicative of how the Big Government Republican establishment is desperately trying to rewrite history to advance the idea that only establishment candidates can win and that conservatives should “unite” behind Republican candidates who have records of betraying conservative principles.
Akin and Mourdock weren’t first time rookie candidates; they were experienced Republican politicians with many campaigns under their belts.
What’s more the comments that blew up their campaigns had nothing to do with the Tea Party’s limited government constitutional conservative agenda. They got suckered by the Democrats’ “war on women” strategy, put their foot in their mouth, were quickly abandoned by the GOP establishment despite conservative calls for Party unity, and consequently got beat.
As our friend Chris Chocola of the Club for Growth put it so well, “the question isn’t why Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock lost — we know why they lost,” said Chocola. “The question is really why did Heather Wilson in New Mexico, Rick Berg in North Dakota, Denny Rehberg in Montana, Tommy Thompson in Wisconsin, George Allen in Virginia and Linda Lingle in Hawaii — why did they lose?”
We could add Mitt Romney nationally and Connie Mack in Florida to Chocola’s list, but you get the point.
The fact of the matter is that of the three Republican Senate victories in 2012; Nebraska’s Deb Fischer, Arizona’s Jeff Flake and Texas’ Ted Cruz all ran as Tea Party-oriented or anti-establishment candidates.
There’s no evidence that running as a principled limited government constitutional conservative automatically made a candidate “unelectable” in 2012 and a whole lot of evidence that running as a Bush-type establishment Republican did make one “unelectable,” because despite the millions Karl Rove and his establishment Republican funders spent on them they all lost.
Tit-for-tat is a poor reason to do anything, so we will forego the opportunity to explore where exactly were the establishment calls for Republican Party unity in campaigns where the conservative won the primary, such as the Goldwater, Reagan and Cuccinelli campaigns, when the Republican establishment did everything they could to undermine the conservative candidate after the primary.
Calls for Republican “unity” and a free pass in the primary for incumbent establishment Republicans like Mitch McConnell, Lamar Alexander, Pat Roberts and Thad Cochran will only accomplish one thing; keeping ineffective and unprincipled establishment Republicans in power. And anyone, including our friend Ann Coulter, who thinks that advances the cause of conservative governance is full of it.
Big business liked welfare too.
Buds of Cornyn.
Even with their losses, the Tea Party, had a better result than did the GOP-E.
And that was with the GOP-E bad-mouthing conservative candidates throughout the campaign.
That should get them put in front of the “disdain and rejection” firing squad.
Exactly. The GOPe, like the democrats, have opted for corporate Americas big bucks and have betrayed the middle class. On who’s backs the invoice ultimately lands.
Veterans have known for decades that Democrats in Congress didn’t represent us, but when Republicans passed Paul Ryan’s Budget cutting military retirement benefits, we learned that veterans now aren’t represented by either political party.
At present, our country’s twenty million veterans have no representation in Congress and it makes us wonder how this came about. Was it something we did or failed to do that caused us to lose representation? How could it be that illegal aliens, homosexuals, and homosexual pedophiles are well represented in Congress, but our country’s veterans who gave the best years of their lives in the service of their country are not represented by either of our political parties?
Veterans are now aligned with the Tea Party and organizing throughout this country to make our presence known in the coming Republican Primaries and in November when we will do all we can to defeat every incumbent Republican Congressman.
Paul Ryan, John Boehner and the Republican Party attacked the Veteran community and we intend to respond accordingly.
Ronald Reagan said 80-85% of the time.
I don’t think a 50 percenter is on my side. In fact, I consider him wishy-washy and absolutely unreliable, “blown about by every wind” that comes his way.
If you go to war with a 50% chance that the left wing of your Army is going to join the enemy shooting at you, then you’ve got real problems.
I think you’re right. We have to take control of the GOP, and that means fighting it out in the primaries. However, what do we do if the GOPe wins? Sadly, some here would rather cut their own throats by sitting out general elections or voting third party if the conservative doesn’t advance.
Let’s assume Senator McConnell survives his primary. I hope he doesn’t, but assume he does. McConnell’s voting record isn’t nearly as bad as ANY Democrat. Pick any. None of them come remotely close to voting as conservative as Mitch. This is why its foolish to sit out general elections (or vote third party) in acts of revenge even though GOPe candidates will likely back stab us on some votes.
IIRC in 2010 Maryland’s First District the RINO incumbent was primaried by a TEA Partier and the loser proceeded to campaign for the Dumbocrat. Do not recall the loser’s name.
In 2012 in NY 11 we were slammed by Sandy. The conservative half of Staten Island dragged itself to the polls after sometimes having slept in tents for several nights. When the counting was done 14% didn’t vote, but those who did fought their way to the polls to say NO to Willard Romney. The RINO Congressman we have got 27% more votes than he did. I have never seen this analyzed because the GOPe doesn’t want people to know the bozos they send us are merely shills for amnesty high taxes and bigger government. Coultergeist is a fake and a mouthpiece for Boehner.
Until “We The People” put their/our caring hats back on, this sort of craziness will only continue.
America’s founding was fortunate (blessed, in reality) to have a historically unusual degree of Christian influence. The New World was the place where many Christian societies of various flavors went to get away from established “state” churches that were cramping their worship style. Some went for the sake of trade, but it was mostly the desire of being able to come closer to God that took them far from their home shores.
People of that mindset tended to care more about trying to keep things sane in this mortal coil.
The gospel was the answer, and the gospel is going to BE the only true answer. And it answers questions far beyond how do we make the best of earthly politics. It tells us how we can get our attitudes and lives right with heavenly God (and thereby with one another).
Akin was not a Tea Party guy. He was more a religious right candidate. That’s not a bad thing, it didn’t work because he couldn’t keep from answering an ambush question.
Mitch’s damage isn’t about his voting record — although please remember that Ted Cruz revealed Mitch’s voting record for the fraud it is with that forced debt ceiling vote.
That aside, Mitch is the Republican leader and his manipulation in favor of liberalism and exploding debt is why he should be gone no matter what a conservative has to do.
I would easily deny him my vote in primary or general. He MUST be gone.
The only way Mitch could get my vote is if he SWORE to take no leadership position at ALL in the new Senate.
I read a comment by Glenn Reynolds on the Klavan article about purity or strategy this morning. Here is what he said, and it's worth noting:
Yeah, I agree (with Klavan). Also, a GOP-controlled Senate is necessary to block potentially horrible Supreme Court nominees. To get there requires that Tea Party activists sometimes grit their teeth. But it also requires establishment GOP types to treat the Tea Party base with respect, because when they don’t, you get 2012. This will be a test of maturity all around.
Without both these things happening, we will be screwed and played endlessly by the totalitarian left. They know how to do that well.
He won with the aid and comfort of 62 million traitors in this country.
bump!
Why are we bothering to discuss this Christie lover?
I agree we have real problems if the 50 percenters advance, and that is why they have to be challenged in primaries. However, I don’t think the military comparisons are entirely appropriate in politics. Democrats, for example, seem to vote in lock step. From a practical standpoint, how is 0% better than 50%? I’d rather have control of the senate with senator 50% than no control at all.
Again...primary them all. I’m simply trying to convince people to not get frustrated or vengeful if we lose those primaries. I understand the anger at the GOPe. It makes me furious when a fallen RINO endorses a Democrat. Believe me. I want those 50% RINOs gone, but I really need to beat my 100% enemies—Democrats!
It’s an interesting reminder how devious is the GOP-E.
This kind of thread also generates hits and during a Freep-a-Thon it’s good to remind folks why they like Free Republic.
Might inspire someone to donate to THE ONLY PLACE on the web where they actually get to voice their opinion, discuss it, and get feedback....FREE REPUBLIC
“The only way Mitch could get my vote is if he SWORE to take no leadership position at ALL in the new Senate.”
I honestly don’t know how the senate leader is elected. It doesn’t seem to be based on seniority.
I hope you aren’t forced to drag yourself to the polls for Mitch in the general election. He may not win the primary, but incumbents are usually tough to beat. Either way, we’ll hopefully increase the size of the Cruz coalition by next November. That’s our best hope of limiting RINO damage and stopping the Democrats.
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