Once in a while (a rare while, I will post up a complete post from elsewhere – this time, from Bill Quick at Daily Pundit (via Instapundit) (emphasis mine):
Stinking Chickens Coming Home to Roost for Gentry GOP
Republicans See Money Drying Up in Final Weeks – NationalJournal.com
The disparity has led to mounting frustration among political operatives running Republican campaigns. And they are issuing a blunt warning: In a year with a half-dozen tight Senate contests, the party could easily squander most of them.
“I am worried about it for the first time in a long time,” said Rob Jesmer, who ran the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2012 and 2010 and continues to work on behalf of Senate campaigns now. “I think in some of these places, it could be the determining factor.”
The party, Jesmer says, still has a good chance of taking the Senate from Democrats. “But if we don’t, the story is going to be that outside money saved these guys.”
Yeah, that will be your story, JIsmer. Of course you won’t mention the scorched earth war, and the oceans of money, you and your organization spent to “crush” the Tea Party, whose donors are taking their wallets and going home.
Just like the base here in NH that watched the NH Senate Republican Majority PAC drop oodles of money into two NH State Senate districts to beat grassroot conservatives and support two people whose stances and votes that many NH conservatives find rather odious (David Boutin and Nancy Stiles). Again, what the Republican Party has done has been extremely dumb and has done it all over the country. Sure, they were all happy for the short term – they got those primary wins that they were so willing to spend gobs of money on. Then they ASSUMED, for the mid-term, that those that they “crushed” would be all happy about having had that privilege of being crushed and, in good Animal House style (“Please sir, may I have another!”), just take it.
I think the Establishment and their Political Operative Clerisy are learning what Obama is now learning – when you go to war against someone, you don’t get to demand; they get a vote about it as well. And they are voting no. And what does that mean for the long-term future?
Democrats have given up on the mush middle; instead, using Catalist they are diving far deeper into their base to turn that vote out. Republicans? Not understanding that the paradigm has flipped seems intent on the sticking old fashioned. 2008 had the Dems win because of Big Data, won big in 2010 because of the TEA Party, and in 2012, having let the Dems demonize the TEA Party (their natural base) for two years, lost. And having beaten up the TEA Party themselves this time around, they are unbelieving at the lack of money?
Sure, the TEA Party has made mistakes but remember, it is a political movement only 6 years old. The Establishment could have entered into “coach mode” but instead, decided to bring out steamrollers. However, in politics, Power rules and there are plenty in the GOP (and NH GOP) that are unwilling to share even if it means that the Party could win. They have to be in charge – regardless.
Well boys and girls, I guess you get to live a bit more frugally for a while.
