DeMint: I’m Backing Conservative Candidate Because He’ll Stand “Against” GOP Leaders
Another scene from the post-NY-23 GOP civil war…
On a conference call with reporters just now, conservative Senator Jim DeMint — who has endorsed a conservative candidate to run in a GOP Senate primary against businesswoman Carly Fiorina, the next target of the Palin/tea party brigade — explicitly suggested his endorsement was a shot “against” GOP leaders.
DeMint explained his endorsement of the conservative candidate, Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, by citing “Chuck’s willingness to stand up against his own party leaders.”
Emphasis mine. Fiorina is the choice of Republican Party leaders, and newly emboldened conservatives — backed now by DeMint — are hoping to turn Fiorina into their next casualty, a la Dede Scozzafava.
“We need to shake up the Republican Party,” DeMint added. He also used some suggestive language to suggest that DeVore would be a reliable foe of the GOP establishment: “He’s gonna join the country, and not the club.”
That’s pretty strong stuff, particularly in the context of the Doug Hoffman debacle. DeMint is not just saying his pick is the better candidate or that he is truer to Republican principles. He’s essentially endorsing the Palin/tea party brigade’s explicit, open warfare on the GOP leadership and establishment.
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Oo oo – pass the popcorn. There’s GOP blood in the water and the feeding is about to get frenzied.
Yummy!
Looks like the Right Wingers have decided to go after the “GOP Leaders”, and they are all spreading the same message.
This from Limbaugh:
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200911040024
“Limbaugh on NY-23 congressional race: “Party bosses and these big thinkers like Newt screwed the whole thing up”"
OK, I’m trying to look at it your way.
Didn’t one of the RxxC campaign committees vow as a result of NY-23 to not endorse primary candidates anymore? I guess that counts as a victory for the True Believers. (BTW, do the RxxCers think they can maybe cut a deal with the wingnutters on Crist vs Rubio in Florida? N2HFL!)
My problem is that although I can see your point in the abstract, I’m having trouble imagining who among the Palinista Tea-Paw Armey now has increased influence and with whom.
Jim DeMint wants to be president someday. I can’t imagine a more bleak scenario.
And now for something actually on-topic. . . .
On the SF local news-radio station KCBS, Meg Whitman has had a big presence in the last two to three weeks. Haven’t heard a word from or about Carly Fiorina.
Maybe I could actually contributing something factual by digging out who among the CA GOP supports Fiorina and who supports Whitman.
I just got an email from Ned Lamont -
He’s thinking of running for governor of Connecticut.
He would drive the nation Deminted!
I guess if it wasn’t made official in NY-23 now it is… Teabaggers vs GOP!
I used to live in S.C. for about 8 years…great barbecue..the best peaches..forget GA…and great golf courses. Couldn’t we steal a page from the game of golf and take a mulligan. Let’s let S.C. secede from the Union after all.
All the other wingnuts in the South could move there and with the tremendous run on hoods and sheets they could singlehandedly revive S.C’s once dominant textile industry. The folks in the hoods and sheets could make sure the minimum wage laborers in the textile mills stayed in line.
Liam..Deminted? You on a roll again today. LMAO
D’Oh! Never mind! Whitman is running for governor and Fiorina for US Senate.
New GOP Checklist
Guns ✓
God ✓
**** ✓
Life ✓
Sociopath ✓
anti-science ✓
does Sarah like you ✓
C-street approved ✓
Liam rolls every day – swear to god.
No states are going anywhere unless it is Alaska. Now I could see sending the wingnuts to Alaska and letting them go.
Do you know how many African Americans live in the south? And that includes South Carolina.
There are probably less than a dozen in Alaska. There would be very little emigration out of Alaska if they decided to secede, I’ll betcha [wink]
Whereas you’d get a fight out of a lot of people in the south over leaving the US.
DeMint and conquer, I always say.
Tena…yes I’m sure you’d get a fight but Rick Perry is leading K.B. Hutchison by double digits and he certainly demagogues enough about secession..
But I do like your idea about Alaska…safe out of the way place to store wingnuts and they already have the head wingnut there.
Which “leaders”? Steele? Rush/Beck/Palin/Armey? Cornyn? Anyone see a moderate in there who isn’t a teabag endorser? Gingrich is not a moderate and in NY23 backed the GOP candidate because she would win. And she would have if winning the seat was all that mattered to the right.
The odd thing here is that the GOP “rebels” don’t really have anyone to rebel against, save perhaps McCain. None of the moderate Repubs have any power or backing at this point and so really all that’s happening with this Conservative Party switch is that it will replace the GOP with a “national” party with an insufficient base to win national elections.
And since they don’t have any ideas that have anything to do with governing, which they don’t believe in, they are just going to be a nihilistic presence, and a major one, in American politics.
So, I wonder how much longer will Steele last?
“Rick Perry is leading K.B. Hutchison by double digits and he certainly demagogues enough about secession..”
I haven’t seen any polls – that’s just weird. If Texas re-elects Rick Perry, we can wave goodbye to public option in Texas.
No offense to Tena but I would like to see a Southern border state secede, like TX. I want to see how they defend themselves from the U.S. military and Mexican military. Besides why should we give up good BBQ and Peaches!
Hah. Looks like what Frank Luntz mentioned the other week is taking fruit. That being don’t use the term Obamacare. Pence and Steele are going to have a townhall “Pelosi Plan Exposed” h/t TP
I guess Obamacare was bad since people overwhelmingly trust him over Republicans and Democrats.
Maybe they should call the health care plan “Republican Care” and go for the kill.
I would like to see them try, Andy. The whole thing is absurd.
If Texas tried it, I’d really be hoping that Mexico stepped in. One an afford a lot of life im Mexico for very little and it wouldn’t be the end of the world.
But the Republic of Texas? That’s hysterically funny. Texans would have to pay taxes to Texas and they’ve resisted doing that, successfully, for lo these many years. I think we’re one of about 2 states that doesn’t have an income tax.
Will DeMint refuse any and all GOP monies when running for reelection? If his strategy fails, will he want to rehabilitated within he GOP? This ideological purification via fratricide doesn’t seem to be the best plan for the GOP, yet they keep pursuing this strategy of self immolation.
If the überconservatives keep trying to push everyone else from the GOP, what will they do if they succeed? Yesterday’s results should give them pause. While the GOP gained two governor’s seats, Christie defeated a more conservative candidate in the GOP primary. That, and the Democrats picked up the most reliably Republican house seat in the country. There was no mandate for conservatism that emerged yesterday. If the teabaggers can’t win in the reddest of districts with boatloads of national money, where can they win?
If whatever replaces the GOP is more inclusive of a broader swath of the American public, we will all be better served.
Tena…the poll I saw with Perry up double digits was a U.T. poll..don’t know about the accuracy.
And since I live in the glass house of Florida where we have enough of our own wackos I won’t throw stones at Texas…but Rick Perry? There was a time when I thought I’d be joking if I said Kinky Friedman appears to be the best choice for Texans…but after Perry I’m not sure Kinky wouldn’t be a refreshing change!
I’ll start worrying about conservatives and GOP debate when they start calling each other racists and race baiters a la Obama and Clinton.
This is way off topic but I just read it and it’s disgusting. Thought I’d share it. Just another twist in the legacy of the Cheney torture regime.
http://rawstory.com/2009/11/ambassador-cia-people-tortured/
“If the teabaggers can’t win in the reddest of districts with boatloads of national money, where can they win?
If whatever replaces the GOP is more inclusive of a broader swath of the American public, we will all be better served.”
LOL
The Dem won with a plurality and fewer votes than the combined votes of the withdrawn Republican and an awfully uninspiring last-minute Conservative. Gee, I can’t imagine how the GOP can ever win there again. Or any other district in the country.
Between 2000 and 2008 liberals were constantly up in arms to push the Dem party left, reaching a fever pitch after 2004. I’m sure you were all on that bandwagon. Amusing to see you now pronouncing the GOP dead.
Q.B again you reveal your ignorance and total lack of perception. That flareup in a hotly contested nomination battle quickly faded in Denver..and now Clinton serves as Obama’s Secy of State…hardly internecine warfare! Think any of your wack jobs like Palin, Pawlenty et al will include a moderate Repub in their administration….of course that’s completely hypothetical since hell might just freeze over before one of your far righties ever sess the W.H. again. By today’s standards Reagan was a RINO!
Tena… what would be even more insane is this scenario:
TX secedes. Of course within months they begin to run out of the goods they get from other states because they have not successfully set up a trade agreement with the USA. Soon civil unrest begins to set in. Of course that means some of their population will try to sneak into our country. Next the TX President requests an emergency meeting with our President to discuss emergency aid to his country. Of course we feel bad for this new third world country and we give in.Every one lives happily ever after!
So, let me get this right.
The GOP would rather have Sarah Palin out spinning her nonsensical word salads, targeting the tabloids w/ Levi (and in the meantime, generating Dem/Indep support because they HATE her), than two women (Scozzafava, Fiorina) who are just as incompetent but at least (ostensibly) smarter and more electable w/ a general public?
Riiiigggghhhtttt. They’re f*****.
@Mike from Arlington…thanks for an interesting but disgusting link. Perhaps the Cheney family could emigrate to Uzbekistan where they feel right at home.
quarterback,
“I’ll start worrying about conservatives and GOP debate when they start calling each other racists and race baiters a la Obama and Clinton.”
Right. It is so patently obvious that nobody on the right has done anything even remotely to invoke the specter of racism.
Have you seen ANY photos from ANY of the MENSA-fest teabagger rallies? I don’t know how anybody could have leveled the charge of racism to anyone on the right.
Let’s see: Barrack the Magic Negro; watermelons on the White House lawn; Obama as witch doctor replete with bone in nose; Obama as a gorilla; Michelle Obama as kin to a gorilla; Obama as a monkey; Obamabucks with images of fried chicken and watermelon; presidential portrait as a “darky in the dark” with only his eyes showing; “halfrican American”; etc., etc., etc.
Yup. It is an insidious liberal plot to accuse anyone on the right of ever uttering a racist sentiment.
Greg,
When do you think the GOP establishment, which DeMint is APART OF of for God’s sake, aim their targets at him? I guess this is a silly question considering who is running the RNC.
Nic
“Right. It is so patently obvious that nobody on the right has done anything even remotely to invoke the specter of racism.”
O certainly Karl Rove didn’t engineer a smear on John McCain that he had a biracial baby when George W was running against him. No that never happened.
quarterback,
“The Dem won with a plurality and fewer votes than the combined votes of the withdrawn Republican and an awfully uninspiring last-minute Conservative. Gee, I can’t imagine how the GOP can ever win there again. Or any other district in the country.”
I see your closet is still stocked with straw men.
Who ever suggested that the “GOP can ever win there again. Or any other district in the country?” Not I nor anyone else in this thread besides you.
So, a mere plurality is a sign of a lesser win? What then of Obama’s rather large and decisive victory last year? The logical extension of your argument would seem to be that you accord Obama greater respect and legitimacy because of his greater mandate. Lincoln also won his presidency with “fewer votes than the combined votes” of his two opponents. Was Lincoln somehow a lesser president because of this?
Which straw man will you deploy next?
“but Rick Perry? There was a time when I thought I’d be joking if I said Kinky Friedman appears to be the best choice for Texans…but after Perry I’m not sure Kinky wouldn’t be a refreshing change”
Trust me – I do not get it. It’s not the cities – it’s the rural areas. The cities and their surrounding counties vote Democratic.
As for Kinky – if he’ll promise to legalize, I might consider voting for him this time. If he runs.
Crazy as it is Gov. Goodhair is leading Kay Bailey. On another note he is quoted in the Austin Statesman as saying “Our options are open” reguarding the public option. He knows that Texans would have to pay for the program whether they used it or not. We don’t have an income tax, but my property tax is high as hell.
And George Bush Senior never ran a campaign ad about a scary black criminal.
No that never happened either.
And Joe “You lie!” Wilson never said that having a biracial baby was a source of shame. Naw, never happened.
The GOP are definitely the party of racial tolerance.
““Our options are open” reguarding the public option. He knows that Texans would have to pay for the program whether they used it or not. We don’t have an income tax, but my property tax is high as hell.”
And thus do Texans get screwed – by letting themselves be lied to about a state income tax. You get that back on your federal taxes. You do not get anything back for your property taxes or your sales taxes.
Texans are idiots – and I’m a Texan, so don’t think I’m someone from outside saying that.
As far as the gubernatorial race – it’s really frakking early to call a winner.
Since we’ve been broadly talking Southern (Republican) politics and the uberconservatives versus RINO’S here is a bit of a twist on this story.
In Florida the Gubernatorial race to succeed Charlie Crist is a matchup of Dem female Alex Sink against Bill McCollum the Attorney General and a former congressmean who made his bones riding the “Lewinsky Scandal” to conservative fame her in the land of Sunshine.
McCollum who certainly has enough conservatism to please even the most ardent teabagger has now attracted a challenger.
Casting herself as a “fresh face” not connected to what she calls a troubled Republican establishment, state Sen. Paula Dockery of Lakeland jumped into the race for governor Tuesday.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/article1049143.ece
Now I’m really hoping Kinky runs.
“He’s gonna join the country, and not the club.”
So lemme get this straight. DeMint is against the country-club “establishment” Republican Party by siding with the teabaggers who call for tax cuts for the rich and for corporations?
That oughta be real fun.
I think I’d rather Chris Bell tried again. Just keep Carol Keeton Strayhorn Rinelander ect. ect. out of it.
I’m starting to think the strategy Bernie and amk were noticing with them putting women forward to try to capture the indy gals is already passe.
They’ve already set their sights on Scozzafava and now Fiorina. Palin backed Perry and the Cheneys backed Hutchinson so Liz Cheney is not going to get anywhere with them. Is Meg Whitman next? I’m sure Palin and Bachmann channel each other so Michelle’s probably safe for now.
Sorry guys your theory is slipping. They’re just doubling down on conservatism, anti-government, don’t compare us to Bush because we didn’t like him either, don’t tax don’t spend, keep your nose out of my business but preserve the sanctity of marriage and gun ownership ideology. It’s sort of a cross between Libertarianism and Conservatism.
When you throw in a little Obama Hate, it’s quite a party.
” They’re just doubling down on conservatism, anti-government, don’t compare us to Bush because we didn’t like him either, don’t tax don’t spend, keep your nose out of my business but preserve the sanctity of marriage and gun ownership ideology. It’s sort of a cross between Libertarianism and Conservatism.
When you throw in a little Obama Hate, it’s quite a party.”
I thought that was the theory.
Maybe we could concentrate on the two seats we picked up instead of analyzing two governor’s races, which have almost nothing to do with national politics?
”
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White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod
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David Axelrod, Election Reaction, MSNBC, NY-23
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In an appearance on MSNBC earlier today, Senior White House Adviser David Axelrod called the NY-23 special election — in which a Democrat beat a Conservative Party candidate after the moderate Republican nominee dropped out and supported the Democrat in the wake of prominent Republicans defecting to the Conservative — “a great referendum on national issues.” Axelrod also downplayed the importance of big GOP wins in the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial elections yesterday.
Axelrod first emphasized the importance of the Democrats’ win in the NY-23 race. Whereas the New Jersey race was “a referendum on the incumbent” largely “based on local issues,” NY-23 was the only race “where national issues were really at play.”"
http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/11/david-axelrod-ny-23-is-a-great-referendum-on-national-issues.php?ref=fpa
O lookee – I’m going to be annoying sbj with that cut and paste.
hee hee!
FreeThinkingRedneck – I have no idea who is running for the Democrats in the gubernatorial race.
I think the biggest story from yesterday’s results – aside from the embarrassing teabagger belly flop – is the overwhelming win for Obama. By appointing McHugh as Secretary of the Army, Obama set in motion the events which led to yesterday’s Dem victory in the reddest of districts.
While Obama could not have foreseen the internecine knife fight that broke out between the GOP and the teabaggers, I’m sure he enjoyed it. His goal was to flip the district. He did just that. The rest was just icing on the cake.
I know Tena, I just thought it was interesting to point out that there’s no let’s try to nominate and support women in their strategy. That was bantied around a little. Actually, I don’t think they’re that smart.
“O lookee – I’m going to be annoying sbj with that cut and paste.”
Darn you, tena!
But seriously, you aren’t buying that Axelrod load, are you?
And I don’t mean women obviously, but the C strategists. Let’s call it the New GOP.
“His goal was to flip the district.”
What was his goal when he was campaigning with Corzine?
Liam
Maybe you could come up with a name for the new Consevative party. You know like my favorite, The Brad Pitt Public Option.
When will we see an actual party platform for the teabaggers? I looked on-line and all I could find was this list of grievances:
* Forced bailout of mortgages for those who made bad or risky investment choices by those who were more careful.
* Massive federal spending on government social programs that are likely to become entrenched interests.
* Increasing taxes on small businesses and their owners, who are the engine of the economy.
* Massive deficit spending that will take many generations to recover from.
* Ineffective throwing of hundreds of billions at financial institutions with no discernable positive result.
* Reduction of tax breaks for home mortgages and charitable contributions.
* Not allowing details of “spendulous” plans to be seen, read and comprehended prior to a vote.
* Massive “Cap and Tax” on the same kind of air molecules that we breathe out every few seconds.
* Wealth transfer that discourages industry and promotes laziness.
* Lack of concern for the trillions of dollars of personal savings that is being lost in the stock market.
It would be nice to know what they propose to address these issues.
I guess we now have a “party of no” and a “party of I don’t know how to solve it, I am just mad as hell”!
Imsinca – I didn’t mean to be snarky – I honestly didn’t know which theory you meant there. I was trying to figure out if you meant the general theory that jzap is still having trouble accepting, or the advancing women theory.
sorry – lol
ps – you answered that, too, so now I know.
sbj
His goal with Corzine was to try to save his but#.
“The Brad Pitt Public Option.”
Now I have to ask – why the Brad Pitt Public Option? I must have missed something…
“I’m mad as hell!”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WINDtlPXmmE&feature=related
sbj – Inasmuch as Axelrod is agreeing with me, I don’t consider it a load.
Seriously – - that’s what happened and a Congressional seat does have national significance that two gubernatorial or 50 gubernatorial races never will have. They are really local races.
@lmsinca: Well, someone was talking about “the overwhelming win for Obama” – that Corzine affair would have to be considered a loss, wouldn’t it? And Deeds was a loss, too. It was a mixed night for Republicans but you’d be hard-pressed to call it a good night for Democrats (except tena).
“A Congressional seat does have national significance.”
You add two seats to an already sizeable majority in the House – don’t mean doodly-squat. You don’t acknowledge the significance of governorships. You’re trying to spin but you don’t have to – let Axelrod do that. No one’s paying you…
True dat, Andy. How much you want to bet the Tea Party platform looks a helluva lot like the Republicon platform…
“but you’d be hard-pressed to call it a good night for Democrats (except tena).”
Yeah, I know – I’m a lone maniac whose opinion about last night isn’t shared by anyone except David Axelrod.
[yawn]
That’s actually funny, because I had forgotten until I watched the documentary last night about the campaign, that Axelrod constantly found the downside to everything during the campaign.
He was always gloomy.
I guess they replaced his brain when he went to work in the White House.
And George Bush Senior never ran a campaign ad about a scary black criminal.
No that never happened either.
And Joe “You lie!” Wilson never said that having a biracial baby was a source of shame. Naw, never happened.
The GOP are definitely the party of racial tolerance.
Yup.
Another thing that didn’t happen just a couple of weeks ago was that someone in the South Carolina GOP leadership praised Sen. DeMint for being a careful watcher of pennies, just like a prosperous Jew.
This.Is.AWESOME.
Go wingnuts!
My theory (such as it is) is that the tea-baggers led by that twit from tundras will be playing up the “white entitlement” and “white fear” of differently hued people. And yes, they will even do it brazenly openly. At least, a lot of code words will be used and they have a perfect target in Obama. They think that what with a white majority in population (at least in the near future), they can win this thing. It’s the nixon’s southern “stratergy” all over again albeit with blatant racism
Dems better be prepared to woo moderate and liberal whites and the differently hued voters (like Obama did on 2008) and they definitely won’t do that by being repug lites. Unfortunately, economy (aka white entitlement) still seems to be in the tank and I don’t see it picking up anytime soon but that’s the front Obama has to tackle amidst all the noisy distractions, fully abetted by the fvcking media. I’d hate to be in his shoes right now.