From the National Journal (emphasis mine):
It took a tea party insurrection that disabled the federal government and wrecked the Republican brand, but after months of handwringing, establishment Republicans are preparing to attack ultra-conservative ideologues across red America.
From Alabama to Alaska, the center-right, business-oriented wing of the Republican Party is gearing up for a series of skirmishes that it hopes can prevent the 2014 mid-term election from turning into another missed opportunity. But this will not be a coordinated operation. It will be messy, ugly, and prone to backfiring. And if the comeback succeeds, it will be in fits and starts, most likely culminating in the selection of a presidential nominee in 2016.
“Hopefully we’ll go into eight to 10 races and beat the snot out of them,” said former Rep. Steve LaTourette of Ohio, whose new political group, Defending Main Street, aims to raise $8 million to fend off tea party challenges against more mainstream Republican incumbents. “We’re going to be very aggressive and we’re going to get in their faces.”
So, how does that sound any different than Obama and the Democrats in their fight against Republicans? Again I will repeat what I said about TEA Party, conservative grassrooters left the GOP and went to a third party: “We may not win but you will surely lose”.
Unless there is a wave type election, most are battles of a few percentage points one way or another. I also remind you that Main Street Republicans was the PROGRESSIVE group that Charlie Bass’s father started and that he chair’d for a while – talk about
Do these chuckleheads REALLY want to antagonize the folks that put the GOP’s political boots on the ground? And to add, all the people those boots influence? After all, ask Frank Guinta – he knows well what happened here in NH last go around.
Tactics being discussed among Republican strategists, donors, and party leaders include running attack ads against tea party candidates for Congress; overthrowing Ron Paul’s libertarian acolytes dominating the Iowa and Minnesota state parties; promoting open primaries over nominating conventions, like the ones that produced Republican hardliners like Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli and shutdown-instigator Mike Lee of Utah; and countering political juggernauts Heritage Action, the Club for Growth, and FreedomWorks that target Republican incumbents who have consorted with Democrats.
Open Primaries – a clarion call to Democrats “Come Help Us!”. All of the above is tantamount in reinforcing the grassroots existing belief: just as Obama is willing to negotiate with the Iranians than the Congressional Republicans, the Establishment Republicans seem to be far more willing to consort with like-minded Dem / Crony Capitalists than with those that believe in the Party’s Principles.
Bring it. We’re not your little toadies any more.
