Republican Establishment Betraying the People...Again

[gunderwood]

From Jim DeMint/Senate Conservatives Fund:

Dear Fellow Conservative:

You're not going to believe what happened this week. Just when I thought Republicans in Washington were beginning to get the message, they went back to business as usual.
As you know, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski lost the Republican primary to her conservative challenger, Joe Miller, in a fair fight. But instead of graciously conceding and endorsing the Republican nominee, Murkowski announced that she will continue her campaign as an independent write-in candidate.

Senate Republicans held a closed-door meeting Wednesday afternoon to elect someone to replace Senator Murkowski as the top Republican on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Or so we thought.

Rather than taking away Murkowski's leadership position on the committee, Senate Republicans decided to let her keep it. One senator after another stood up to argue in favor of protecting her place on the committee — a position she will no doubt use in her campaign against Joe Miller, the conservative Republican nominee.
It was bad enough to watch my colleagues work to support her in the primary after she had built a record of betraying conservatives principles. But watching them back her after she left the party and launched a campaign against the Republican nominee was more than I could bear.

I spoke out against the motion and I voted against it. But the good ol' boys' club, which always protects its own, prevailed. The motion was adopted by secret ballot and the final tally was not disclosed.

Keep in mind that I was attacked just last week by the Washington establishment for supporting Christine O'Donnell — a conservative — because they believe her nomination will hand the seat to a Democrat in Delaware. This week, however, that same establishment voted to help Lisa Murkowski — a moderate — defeat the Republican nominee, which could hand the seat to a Democrat in Alaska.

Marc Thiessen addressed this double standard in a column he wrote for the Washington Post on Tuesday, which you can read here. Here's an excerpt:
In that sense of entitlement, Murkowski is not alone. All last week, we heard the GOP establishment complain how the Tea Party is threatening Republican unity by pursuing "ideological purity" at the expense of a "big tent" party. But Tea Party-endorsed candidates are the ones who have stayed within the GOP tent. Rather than launching destructive third-party bids, fiscally conservative insurgents have contested GOP primaries — and when they have lost, they have endorsed their establishment opponents virtually without fail.

Contrast that with the record of the establishment candidates. When it became clear Charlie Crist would lose to Marco Rubio in Florida's Senate race, Crist bolted the GOP and decided to run as an independent. When Arlen Specter saw he would lose to Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania's Senate race, he became a Democrat. And, after losing the GOP nomination in Alaska, Murkowski is running as an independent write-in candidate. And yet, we are told that it is the Tea Party that is dividing the GOP and threatening party unity. For establishment candidates, unity seems to be a one-way street. The message to Tea Party activists across the country is: We want your votes but not your candidates.

The idea that DeMint and the Tea Party are threatening the GOP's chances for reclaiming the majority is absurd. Republicans wouldn't have a shot at taking back either the House or Senate were it not for the Tea Party movement, which has both energized the conservative base and attracted independents to the GOP by promising to reform the party and restore fiscal sanity in Washington. The best way to dispirit the conservative base and lose those independents would be to take back the majority and go back to business as usual. (click here to read Thiessen's column)

The decision by Senate Republicans to hurt the conservative nominee in Alaska is certainly dispiriting, but it's also a healthy reminder that we must keep fighting to elect new Republicans who won't continue business as usual. If we're going to change Washington, we have to change the people we send to Washington. It's that simple.

Join me today in supporting Joe Miller for U.S. Senate in Alaska. The Washington establishment is doing everything it can to help Lisa Murkowski hold on to power. The grassroots defeated her once in the primary election and we can do it again in November.

Please contribute to the Senate Conservatives Fund. Senator Murkowski said the "gloves are now off" when she announced her write-in campaign against Joe Miller. By giving to SCF, we can run ads in Alaska that stop her campaign dead in its tracks.

Thank you for standing up for freedom. Washington may not be listening now but it will be in November.

Respectfully,

Jim DeMint
United States Senator
Chairman, Senate Conservatives Fund

[VBshooter]

DeMint is a good man... This is all together true about the Repubs and it shows the need for an educated voter,The leadership still supports far too many of the old scool Republicans that need a permanent vacation, Best thing that could happen is for Mitch McConnell and John Bohner being forced to step down and allow more conservative individuals to be seated. If they were serious they'd tell that pinhead broad in AK to step off and get over it.No doubt we as voters will have our work cut out for us to elect the better candidates, Republicans would be wise to embrace rather than alienate the Tea Party in the weeks to come.The political scene in this country is like a big toilet in need of a flush to get rid of the crap in it......

[Taggure]

They really do not get it do they. A Statesman such as Jim DeMint should be the Majority leader as it sounds like he has the courage and determiniation needed to get the Republicans back on track.

[VBshooter]

He does but he's a newbie and the good old boys of the old guard are not gonna just let him run amok with the party...If the Republicans don't get the message it will cost them dearly in the long run.... They have a lot of uncumbents that we wouldn;t miss if they got unelected this year and in 2012. The kast thing we need is business as ususal .,they better realize we are very very serious about the Constitutiona being followed to the letter and an end to the BS of the past,,,,

[CowboyT]

There was a time when I could have, and actually did, vote for Republicans. This was during the midterm election "Contract with America" days and on the heels of the Federal AWB. Had Colin Powell chosen to run in 1996 or 2000, I could've voted for him. Had Mitt Romney won the Republican Presidential Primary instead of John McCain in 2008...well, I heartily agreed with several decisions Romney made as Gov. of Massachussetts, so he would've had a very good chance of getting my vote then.

The Republican candidates being put forth now, though? I am thoroughly unimpressed. Like with the Democrats, the Republicans are just putting forth "more o' the same."

[VBshooter]

Yeah they had better make sure they don;t send another old fart with the appeal of a kankar sore this time...There are enough very pissed off people this election that whoever they back stands a very good chance of winning,,But as you've noted ,,More 'o' the same and that just ain't gonna cut it.... Hell out of all the Repubs out there I like DeMInt the best,,, Good representative of what the Repubs could and should be striving for,

[GS78]

ok well don't vote then. Its the only logical solution, if you don't see anyone who deserves your vote, simply don't vote. Its that easy.

[VBshooter]

Not voting is a viable solution and a big cop out, With the current political climate being what it is ,it's imperitive to remove as many of the existing bad politicians from office as possible. That means putting petty things aside and voting for a candidate that you can support.There will always be issues with candidates no matter who they are and the Republicans and Tea Party both have the opportunity to field the best they can, The Republicans have to put old school , biz as ususal politics aside and wake up to the fact that the ones supporting their side no longer will support that kind of platform.In 2012 they are going to need a candidate that not only appears large but can deliver large. Obama will be throwing out the stops to get reelected and a McCain type will not stand a chance,

[CowboyT]

+1 to VBShooter. GS78, start thinking like an American, please.

[gunderwood]

I'm hearing rumors that the Republican leadership is thinking of playing this as politics as usual. I hope the American people are finally wising up about these career politicians.

[CowboyT]

Agreed!!

[Diomed]

I'm hearing rumors that the Republican leadership is thinking of playing this as politics as usual.

Well yeah. They know nothing else.

[zephyp]

Term limits...

Yes, we all must vote but our responsibility does not stop there. We must come up with a viable way to hold elected officials accountable with more immediate remedy than having to wait through the election cycle and hoping they get voted out.

[Taggure]

Term limits...

Yes, we all must vote but our responsibility does not stop there. We must come up with a viable way to hold elected officials accountable with more immediate remedy than having to wait through the election cycle and hoping they get voted out.

I agree but the only recourse we have is a recall of that elected official and if I understand it right that is mostly used at the local level and only a few states have this as an option.


See the following link for more infomation

http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=16581

[zephyp]

Recall is one option but again it relies on the hope of it working...

Here's the problem...when a regular citizen violates a law passed by congress there is a system for quick recourse...if the law is enforced you can face penalties and often find yourself in a world of hurt.

When a member of congress runs amok there is no such recourse...only an ethics panel which is of course ran by congress...an incestuous deal and wee see how well it works. Congress has placed themselves above the law.

We need something separate from congress that has the authority to levy charges, determine guilt, and levy charges. Not sure what that should be or how it should work. But its something we should give serious thought to and petition our elected leaders for.

We can no longer allow congress to violate the Constitution and run amok without having some immediate remedy just like they have when one of us violate the law and run amok...

[shootergdv]

If you're lucky enough to be able to vote for one of the newer folks that espouse Tea Party principles, please do ! The rest of us may have to hold our nose and vote for the lesser evil until we get enough real conservatives in office to send the good ole boys the message more forcefully.

[gunderwood]

If you're lucky enough to be able to vote for one of the newer folks that espouse Tea Party principles, please do ! The rest of us may have to hold our nose and vote for the lesser evil until we get enough real conservatives in office to send the good ole boys the message more forcefully.

And as long as you do they will continue to support and only put up the lesser of two evil candidates.

If they can get you to vote for them even when you dislike their candidate, why change? History says they won't and in 10 years everyone will be complaining about the same things they are today, but the country will be far worse off. Yes, not voting for the lesser of two evils may mean a Democrat wins (I'm granting the assumption for arguments sake, which I'm not sure is valid), but the Republican leadership needs a wakeup call. They still think that the Democrats won the last round rather than Republicans lost it with their awful candidates and behaving like Democrats.

In general the Republican leadership is not on board with Tea Party/conservative ideas, they are just trying to weather the storm. Cases in point, they are attacking DeMint again and have been rallying around establishment Republicans where ever the Tea Party rears its head.


The sooner people realize that what the Republican leaderships primary concern with Obama and his socialist bent is how to use it to gain power and not actually being offended at the ideas, the better off we will be. The leadership is playing both ends against the middle and we have let them for a long time.

[zephyp]

The sooner people realize that what the Republican leaderships primary concern with Obama and his socialist bent is how to use it to gain power and not actually being offended at the ideas, the better off we will be. The leadership is playing both ends against the middle and we have let them for a long time.

I'm real curious to see just how much gets done (or undone) if republicans gain power...

[Taggure]

Could be jumping from the frying pan into the fire

I tell you what I would just be happy right now to get some Checks and Balances back into the system. Get a base of strong conservatives in this round, and then work on it some more for 2012. I really hope the TEA Party will continue to have an influence on the next election as well. Onecan hope anyway.

[VBshooter]

If the Tea PArty can maintain its momentum and candidates are held accountable to the voters it can be done ,,It will take time and patience will be hard at times... LOt of bad joo joo to undo after all these years of PC neglect. I agree with getting some in this round and then trying to get more in 2012,, What we also have to watch very closely,is the lame duck session after the election...If the Dems are out they will pull all the stops trying to pass every POS that they can,,,Dream ACt, Don;t ask Don;t tell, Cap and trade, amnesty for illegals, and a whole ration of other ship we don;t want or need,,,,