Posted on 03/28/2013 6:33:11 AM PDT by cotton1706
Many people expected to see a Tea Party challenge to Mitch McConnell in next year’s Kentucky primary, and it could still happen. However, that challenge will not include any support from the Tea Party’s 2010 candidate for US Senate, Rand Paul. Late yesterday, Paul threw his support behind the highest-ranking member of the GOP establishment in the upper chamber:
The Daily Caller has learned that Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul is endorsing Sen. Mitch McConnell for re-election in 2014, ending speculation that Paul would back a tea party challenge to the Senate minority leader.
“Rand Paul has endorsed McConnell,” Jesse Benton, McConnell’s 2014 campaign manager, told The Daily Caller.
Benton, who has worked for both Rand Paul and his father, former Texas Rep. Ron Paul, is credited by insiders with brokering Paul’s support for McConnell.
The move quashes a determined effort by Kentucky Republican Liberty Caucus chairman David Adams, who launched Paul’s Senate bid and served as Paul’s campaign manager through the 2010 primaries, and other tea party leaders to mount a primary challenge against McConnell. Sounds as though we have unity on one level, and a split on another. Bear in mind that McConnell’s primary is a year or more away, so this endorsement is coming mighty early in the cycle. So why do this now? Paul might want to quash any hint that he’s fomenting an attack on leadership before it gets started, in order to make it easier for him to build support for his own initiatives in the Senate. There may have been some sort of fallout between Paul, Benton, and Adams over recent votes by Paul, perhaps on the Chuck Hagel confirmation.
It seems beyond doubt that there will be fallout now. The Tea Party had really wanted to take aim at McConnell in order to drive a harder line against Democrats; if immigration reform passes in a bipartisan effort, that desire may rapidly increase, too. The next budget may heighten tensions. But without Paul — or worse for the Tea Party, with Paul actively backing McConnell — the grassroots will split, and without the organizational force of the Ron Paul movement, will probably fall well short of a Mike Lee-type victory.
That’s going to create a lot of hard feelings on the ground among those grassroots, and Paul may end up dissipating some of his support by rushing to endorse the establishment incumbent. We’ll see what how far the fallout spreads, and how long it remains potent.
In any case, Old Mitch needs Paul and the Tea Party if he wants to keep his job. Just as Orrin Hatch voted in lockstep with Mike Lee and John Cornyn is sticking close to Ted Cruz, Mitch McConnell is cozying up to Paul. Who are the leaders here and who are the followers.
McConnell and Cornyn may be the actual leadership, but in reality, the real power in the senate republican caucus has shifted from them to their junior members.
He told Hannity two weeks ago that he would support McConnell. I don’t know why this is a big issue now.
Yeah. How dare we be judgmental about a supposed Tea Party darling supporting the old fat back RINOs?
We need to shut up and BELIEVE!
Shades of Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum. Didn’t go to well for Rick after his endorsement. In my opinion Old Mitch has been there to long and his spine has turned to jelly.
Oh. I saw it in two places today so thought it was news. Maybe it’s news because Judd pulled out yesterday. There’s a story on Mitch in Politico today. They’re obviously trying to shore him up because he’s the democrat’s repulican rollover man.
Too early to compare it to Specter, Santorum and Toomey. As bad as McConnell is, he’s not as bad as Specter - and from what I can tell, there isn’t a “Pat Toomey” already in the race in Kentucky now.
Yeah. How dare we be judgmental about a supposed Tea Party darling supporting the old fat back RINOs?
We need to shut up and BELIEVE!
__________________
Wait, am I supposed to hate Paul now, too? Man, so many Republicans that I am supposed to hate, I am having trouble keeping up.
As the man said, don’t “waste your hate.” Save it for the democrats.
McConnell voted for Rand Paul’s budget that eliminates the departments of Commerce, Education, Housing, and Energy:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3000582/posts
He is not a rino.
Once McConnell is safely reelected, he will work to undermine real conservatives in both the Senate and the House. It’s what he does.
What tea party?
Not a fan of McConnell, but he has stood behing Rand whil McCain and Graham have been pushing for his distruction. I realize it is likely only a factor of political necessity, but that is how politics work.
No, I don't suggest we expend that sort of energy toward any wayward politician, but we do need to keep a level headed perspective about them.
Call a spade a spade. Don't make excuses for them when they stray.
So that one vote now absolves McConnell of any and all transgressions against the conservative cause, or weakness in the face of active tyranny?
If people don’t use this against Rand Paul like they unfairly did to Santorum endoring Arlen Spector, I am going to be pissed off like you have never seen before. I am finding Rand Paul to be a politician who has zero real principles.
Then it is too early for Rand Paul to be sucking up to Mitch McConnell. Why not endorse the conservative running for that seat? That might actually give the guy some exposure. No Principles Rand Paul!!!!
Suckers.
Agree to that — no excuses.
That stated, I am all for replacing Mitch IF it is with someone who can win.
Please for the love of all that is sacred: No more Sharon Angle, Former Witches, “Legitimate Rape” debaters, and full blown morons. I’d rather have Mitch than today’s democrat any day of the week. I’d rather have Ted Cruz than Mitch, lets just make sure we get a Ted Cruz and not a Sharon Angle.
While I agree with you, McConnell is Conservative-moderate. Specter was an outright liberal and should not have been supported by any conservative.
Rand will find that the aging Mitch McC will bite him in the hand again and again, especially after 2015.
He is a lousy minority leader but his voting record is very conservative. It’s probably a bad idea to take him down before we know who would take his place.
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