GOP Gives Up Virginia To Democrats Instead Of Giving Tea Party and Social Conservatives A Win

Independent Journal Review ^ | November 6, 2013 | Independent Journal Review

[Timber Rattler]

When the facts are considered in the slim victory that terribly flawed Democrat Terry McAuliffe had against Ken Cuccinelli, it’s hard to deny the conclusion that the Republican party decided it was better to abandon Virginia to the Democrat party than to allow the Tea Party and social conservatives to win.

Here they are:

The Republican National Committee spent three times as much in 2009 on the same race as they did this year. The Chamber of Commerce spent one million dollars in the last Governor’s race, and not one dime on Cuccinelli. While its often claimed that Tea Party candidates do poorly among independents, Cuccinelli actually won independents by 9 points, 47 percent to 38 percent. “McAuliffe outraised Cuccinelli by almost $15 million,” and in the last weeks of the campaign, this left Cuccinelli with nearly no media exposure. Even Politico wonders if Cuccinelli was beginning to turn the tide against the “War on Women” narrative, as he drove down McAuliffe’s lead among women from 24% in polling to 9%.

In the last month, Cuccinelli’s claim that the election was a referendum on Obamacare started closing the gap for him – the continuing debacle of Obama’s signature legislation was taking its toll on his opponent. But ultimately, he couldn’t close the gap without help.

Help that disappeared in the last weeks of the campaign, and could have pushed him over the top.

Finally, a libertarian third party candidate served as a spoiler, stealing a fair percentage of votes away from Cuccinelli, and diluting the conservative message.

To be sure, there were some missteps in the Cuccinelli camp, but the final results show that this could have been a win for Republicans, and the loss was due in no small part to the reticence of the national Republican party to support a social conservative.

If the Republican establishment had thought it important enough to carry Virginia into the “R” column instead of using the loss as a cudgel to beat the grassroots Tea Party insurgent movement, perhaps it would have devoted more resources towards winning this crucial election.

Instead, we’ll continue to hear how “extremist” conservatives can’t win elections, while they praise the Obama-hugging moderates like Chris Christie.

[central_va]

We cannot completrely defund the GOP. The Corps and the Chamber of commerce will always be a source of income for the GOP.

[Starboard]

the GOPe and their Democrat buddies will throw other monkey-wrenches into the works

********
Make no mistake about it, the GOPe and the Democrats don’t want anyone else crashing their party.

The fact of the matter is that there is a deeply ingrained status quo culture in the GOP and it will visciously fight any would be “intruders”.

[Starboard]

You are right about that. But the GOP just wants our money and our votes, not our principles. We can no longer fund an organization that works against our interests.

Individuals can make a difference. Collectively, we represent a lot of money and it is an important “adjunct” to the other sources of income for the GOP. IMO our donations can be better put to use in the Tea Party.

[Farnsworth]

I’m well aware of all the “other” parties my friend. All together, they might eek out 2 or 3%, they are not viable parties.

“Rock, rock
Rock lobster”

[central_va]

I’ve learned to send money DIRECTLY to the candidate. Never filter your contributions through the RNC.

[Starboard]

That approach works for me.

[ArtDodger]

I stand corrected....

[who knows what evil?]

Priebus and Rove are enabling Democrat victories...

[Ramonne]

I will actively work against the Republican Party period. No matter who or what.

[Jane Long]

Yep...like one FReeper said, last night, Cuccinelli ran as an Independent against the DNC, Libertarians AND the GOPe. Tough battle.

[Old Sarge]

See Dick.

See Dick vote.

See Dick believe his vote actually means something.

Silly Dick.

Silly, silly Dick.

[who knows what evil?]

Yep...like one FReeper said, last night, Cuccinelli ran as an Independent against the DNC, Libertarians AND the GOPe. Tough battle.

...and damn near pulled it off. What else could we have done to improve his chances? That is what we need to work on...

[TribalPrincess2U]

We can’t give up! We need to start doing what they do to win.

[dfwgator]

The RNC chose to spend their donors' money on the New Jersey Fatass instead.

In a race the Democrats weren't even going to oppose.....They put up a sacrificial lamb that had no chance of winning. They want Christie to be the 2016 nominee, because they know they can crush him like a bug, just like McCain and Romney.

[Washi]

If I were a Democrat trying to fracture the Conservative movement, I would write this article.

What conservative movement are you referring to?

The only "conservative movement" in the GOP is the movement away from conservatism.

The article is true. The GOP leadership is actively working against conservatives.

[CodeToad]

“I’ve learned to send money DIRECTLY to the candidate. Never filter your contributions through the RNC.”

Worth repeating a million times. Every candidate has offices. Go there and donate directly. Heck, you’ll even get all kinds of nifty signs and swag to advertise for the candidate, too!

The RNC is done.

[nathanbedford]

Even though I have three adult children living in Virginia, I am 5000 miles away in Germany so I will not presume to reply to your questions except to say that my general impression is that Ken Cuccinelli is sound on all the issues from a conservative point of view and there is nothing truly exceptional in any of his utterances which, if undistorted, would give soccer moms occasion to fear him.

I am still preoccupied by the betrayal of the Republican establishment but there are some preliminary observations which should be made:

First, the RNC will produce a postmortem which should be data heavy and BS light but there is no assurance that any data favorable to truth much less to the tea party will be made public. After the last presidential election, I was screaming for us to find data to answer the very questions you raised in your perceptive reply, questions far more perceptive I might add that are appearing in much of the press.

Second, the preliminary analysis is that this is a loss occasioned by a gender gap. My daughter, 43 years of age, originally was under the impression that Cuccinelli missed a step on the issue of birth control so, since she is politically aware, I conclude the depth of ignorance across the board must have been staggering. At least it was potentially there to the degree that Terry McAuliffe's demagoguery could find fertile ground.

Third, I am inclined to believe that this was a momentum election. That is, McAuliffe grabbed the momentum in the beginning with his big television buy, extended his lead during the government shutdown, lost much of it as the momentum shifted because of Obamacare, and saved the day with the extensive shoe leather get out the vote campaign.

I think McAuliffe said that they had made 3 1/2 million doorbell rings which no doubt was facilitated by the apparatus left over from Obama's startling ground game which went a long way toward winning Obama the presidential election. I cannot conceive that our side had anything like that kind of ground game. It is in this context, perhaps more than the TV war, that the stinginess (or sabotage) of the Republican elite did the most harm.

Until the Republicans get this ground game in hand and move up to the 21st century we will face loss after loss.

[Jane Long]

...and damn near pulled it off. What else could we have done to improve his chances? That is what we need to work on...

Hopefully the Tea Party groups and other Conservative PACs/groups are studying this and forming/finalizing a game plan...since we know the RNC is NOT and has, in fact, become our opponent.

[Jim Noble]

The Republican party is DONE with conservatism. Done. I'm beginning to think that they've always been against conservatism

They've always been against conservatism WHEN A CONSERVATIVE CAN ACTUALLY WIN.

[Jim Noble]

Libertarian, liberal....same thing. It's just a freakin ruse

I disagree, sorta.

Libertarians (real ones) don't support the welfare state, and they don't support the Fourth Branch. Most libertarians would ACTUALLY end the Department of Education and the EPA, if they had the power to do so.

So, a conservative (not a GOPe) candidate actually has something to offer those people. But, the problem is that most of them are also allergic to any politics pertaining to things between the navel and the knees.

The Democrats have been successful - brilliantly so - with the War on Women™. No Republican candidate attacked in this way has prevailed in a statewide or national election since Stephanopoulos brought up birth control for the first time in the January 2012 debate. Our candidates need to be able to answer the unfair questions about f***ing in a way that is humorous and engaging, rather than stumbling and repellant.