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In Georgia's Senate race, signs of GOP unease about tea party clout
news.yahoo.com ^ | 8/17/13 | Patrick Johnsson

Posted on 08/17/2013 8:12:16 AM PDT by cotton1706

The GOP establishment in Georgia wants to tamp down tea party fervor ahead of a primary election for an open US Senate seat. Its aim: prevent a primary that yields a candidate who can't win a general election.

Four years after Atlanta saw some of the earliest and biggest tea party rallies in the country, Georgia’s GOP establishment, including Gov. Nathan Deal, are pondering strategies to reduce the right-wing insurgency’s influence on next year’s primary election for a US Senate seat – and on the larger struggle for power in Washington.

To be sure, Georgia is about as red a state as they come. It has had an all-Republican contingent in the US Senate for years, and the state gave a big thumbs-down to Barack Obama twice.

But the emergence of a big-name Democrat – Michelle Nunn, daughter of longtime and big-time former Sen. Sam Nunn – suddenly has the state GOP on the defensive.

RECOMMENDED: Eight open US Senate seats in 2014

As mainstream GOP leaders see it, the problem is how to keep the state’s powerful tea party contingent from dominating the primary nomination process and picking an extreme-right candidate who couldn’t win a general election.

Moreover, to win control of the US Senate, Republicans must reel in six seats in 2014, and that means not losing seats presumed to be solidly in their column, as they did in 2012.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Government; Politics
KEYWORDS: elections; gope; karlrove; primarytherinos
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"The GOP establishment in Georgia wants to tamp down tea party fervor ahead of a primary election for an open US Senate seat. Its aim: prevent a primary that yields a candidate who can't win a general election."

Oh, this is such bull. They want to prevent the victory of somebody they can't control. Somebody like Ted Cruz who will tear their established world asunder! So transparent!

1 posted on 08/17/2013 8:12:17 AM PDT by cotton1706
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To: cotton1706

fock the GOP

bunch of thieves


2 posted on 08/17/2013 8:14:02 AM PDT by yldstrk (My heroes have always been cowboys)
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To: cotton1706
"They want to prevent the victory of somebody they can't control."

The open question is: Of which type is Tom Cotton?

3 posted on 08/17/2013 8:14:43 AM PDT by Paladin2
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To: cotton1706

I could give a rat’s damned patootie about the GOPe in Georgia. I am fuming effing mad at both of my Senators. I will do anything and everything possible to unseat them in the primaries (at least for Isakson, and for anybody the GOPe-Georgia or Chambliss endorses) or vote for the damned Democrat (if like Zell Miller) in the general.

I am not gonna damned take this crap any more. I’ll phone bank, I’ll donate the maximum and I’ll work HARD to get rid of these RINOs. Tea Party sentiment isn’t dead. We’re pissed as hell, and the writer that penned this had better get up off his ass and get out and talk to somebody that don’t live in Washington DC, because he’s as clueless as a stump...


4 posted on 08/17/2013 8:18:53 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: Gaffer

Exactly. Georgia’s current senators are a whole lot like Lindsey Graham. No evidence of principle of any kind. Why bother voting for more of the same?


5 posted on 08/17/2013 8:23:49 AM PDT by madprof98
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To: Gaffer

I left my ballot blank last November for the office of US Senate and thousands like me did the same. We sent Scott Brown packing!

We don’t have to vote for these worthless people anymore.


6 posted on 08/17/2013 8:32:03 AM PDT by cotton1706
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To: cotton1706

I like how a “tea party” candidate is automatically an extreme right winger.


7 posted on 08/17/2013 8:36:07 AM PDT by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
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To: cotton1706

This senate seat will go Republican. But the GOP elite are probably going to be disappointed when we elect Dr. Paul Broun a true conservative not another RINO like Saxby Chambliss. We won’t be fooled again.


8 posted on 08/17/2013 8:39:21 AM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped.)
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To: cotton1706
The national GOP establishment is still smarting over losses in Missouri and Indiana

Akin was establishment, dumbass. Pete Hoekstra was establishment as well and lost badly in my own state.

her candidacy has energized Democrats, many of whom believe she could win a matchup against arch-conservative Republican candidates such as US Reps. Paul Broun of Athens, Ga., or Phil Gingrey of Marietta, Ga., both of whom politicos say have extreme fiscal or social views that are likely to alienate general election voters.

Isn't Gingrey establishment?

9 posted on 08/17/2013 8:39:40 AM PDT by Darren McCarty (Abortion - legalized murder for convenience)
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To: Georgia Girl 2

Dr. Paul Broun has done nothing as my House of Representative. He talks a good talk but lacks action.


10 posted on 08/17/2013 9:17:39 AM PDT by Dacula
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To: Dacula

Check his voting record.


11 posted on 08/17/2013 10:57:46 AM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped.)
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To: cotton1706

Stop contributing to the GOP and select only individuals that you deem worthy of your financial support.


12 posted on 08/17/2013 11:04:32 AM PDT by 353FMG ( I do not say whether I am serious or sarcastic -- I respect FReepers too much.)
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To: AnAmericanMother; Broker; clee1; ctdonath2; dansangel; Dick Bachert; DJlaysitup; epow; ...

Another GA ping on the Senate race.

“Four years after Atlanta saw some of the earliest and biggest tea party rallies in the country, . . .”

< raises hand>

I was in front of the GA state house on Feb 27, 2009, as described here as the “first national protests”:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement#First_national_protests

It was a cold, rainy Feb day, the definition of a crappy Winter day in Atlanta, and there were several hundred of us out there despite the weather. We got some funny looks from the legislators and aids who came out to see what was going on.

Here’s a vid of Tom Graves speaking during that event, and it really gives you an idea of how bad the weather was.
http://youtu.be/_PqygkY_ZuQ

Two months later, there were more like 15 - 20,000 of us on April 15, though the AJC probably reported it as “a few thousand”. Hannity was there, among others.

With that bit of history discussed, I will go on to say I have no intention of allowing another hereditary political career get started with a Senate seat in GA, and especially not so for someone who will caucus with the Democrats. I will vote for whomever gets the Republican nomination. Right now, I like Broun philosophically and will probably vote for him in the primary.


13 posted on 08/17/2013 11:37:33 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: FreedomPoster

Tom Graves was my sister’s rep. Another great American.


14 posted on 08/17/2013 11:42:30 AM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped.)
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To: Georgia Girl 2; Dacula

>>Check his voting record.

I concur. Here’s a nice site for that, that covers the GA state house with rankings based on detailed voting records.

http://www.electtherightcandidate.us/ETRC/Elect_The_Right_Candidate.html

For GA’s races for Washington seats, he links to other conservative voting record indices.

Worth a bookmark.


15 posted on 08/17/2013 11:48:33 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: Moonman62

>>I like how a “tea party” candidate is automatically an extreme right winger.

They don’t have a reasoned argument so they are reduced to name calling.


16 posted on 08/17/2013 11:50:07 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: FreedomPoster

I always look to see how my rep Woodall votes and Paul Broun, Tom Price and Tom Graves. Broun and Graves never let me down. Woodall is OK but he won’t go out on limb.


17 posted on 08/17/2013 11:52:06 AM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped.)
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To: 353FMG

I stopped contributing to the GOP long ago. And I give their fundraisers an earful when they call, though I haven’t received a call in quite some time, haha.


18 posted on 08/17/2013 12:47:53 PM PDT by cotton1706
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To: cotton1706

These Senate elites think their seats are to be passed down to their heirs.


19 posted on 08/17/2013 5:26:22 PM PDT by fortheDeclaration (Pr 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation:but sin is a reproach to any people)
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To: FreedomPoster

The Republican Senatorial Reelection Committee a few cycles back started spending money in primaries against tea party candidates. It will be interesting to see if they do that here.


20 posted on 08/17/2013 6:50:23 PM PDT by Pan_Yan
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