Posted on 10/23/2013 8:12:14 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Hot Air’s Allahpundit and Erika Johnsen have both documented a growing movement to boot Tea Party members of Congress over the next two election cycles. It seems that the business community is behind this conspiracy; horrified over the fact that a rather significant proportion of Republicans in Washington were willing to roll the dice on default. In the aftermath of the government shutdown, which was highly enjoyable, the Republican establishment is striking back – and one of their targets in the Senate is Mike Lee.
[In Utah,] prominent Republicans and local business executives are openly discussing the possibility of mounting a primary challenge against him. Top Republicans are also maneuvering to redesign the party’s nomination system in a way that would likely make it more difficult for Lee to win reelection in 2016…
Spencer Zwick, a Utah native and national finance chairman for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, was more direct, calling Lee a “show horse” who “just wants to be a spectacle.”
“Business leaders that I talk to, many of whom supported him, would never support his reelection and in fact will work against him, myself included,” Zwick said…
“You don’t have ideological wack-jobs,” [former Utah Gov. Jon] Huntsman said. “For all of its labeling as a red state, underneath it all Utah is a pretty pragmatic Western state, a just-get-it-done ethos.
In fact, Allahpundit noted that the business community is what’s keeping John McCain in the “maybe” column concerning his decision to run for re-election in 2016. Neil King, Jr. at the Wall Street Journal added:
Even before the shutdown brought Mr. Lee to national prominence, some Utah party and business leaders had begun a $1 million petition drive to overturn the state’s caucus system that brought him to power. That system, which gives grass roots delegates a large say in picking party nominees, toppled incumbent GOP Sen. Robert Bennett —a more conventional conservative—in 2010 amid a wave of anger over passage of the health-care law. Mr. Lee went on to win the seat that November…
Republican circles are now rife with talk of who might challenge Mr. Lee in 2016. So far, no one is firmly raising a hand. But the Count My Vote initiative to do away with the state’s caucus system, backed by many of the state’s largest GOP donors and business names, represents perhaps the best-organized effort in the country to counteract the tea-party wave in the 2010 elections.
Mr. Lee could face a tougher route to re-election in 2016 if GOP caucuses are replaced with a direct primary. That would allow a more centrist candidate to make an appeal to all Republican voters, not just the activists who dominate caucuses, political observers say.
There are a lot of potential challengers to Lee, including the former chair of Utah’s Republican Party, former Governor Jon Huntsman, and former FreedomWorks-backed Dan Liljenquist; he’s the state senator who tried to primary Orrin Hatch in 2012. That’s just ironic.
Although, Allahpundit leaves us with this question.
Will national establishment Republican groups get involved or will a primary against one of the heroes of “defund” be too hot for them to risk in 2016? They’ll be sorely tempted to jump in — not because they have any special animosity for Lee, who’s way more low-key in his criticisms of them than a loud-and-proud flamboyant populist like Ted Cruz is, but because at a minimum they might be able to suck tea-party money into Utah to protect that seat and away from primary challenges to GOP incumbents in other states. If they can force TPers to fight there, they’ll take that — putting the grassroots on the defensive means they’re less of a threat to go on offense elsewhere. If they can’t force TPers to fight there, they’ll take that too — that’ll leave Lee in real jeopardy of being primaried, which, like I said above, would be a big symbolic victory for RINOs everywhere. Then again, at the rate we’re going, the GOP and the tea party will be two fully separate entities by 2016, so maybe this is all academic.
Indeed.
After all, Lee’s re-election isn’t for another three years. At that time, the government shutdown will be a distant memory. Additionally, are establishment Republicans willing to spend monies against Tea Party candidates in a year where conservatives could be facing the Clinton Clinton machine?
There is no doubt that without the GOP would be a diminished presences in the Senate and a sad minority in the House. As a result, what’s to be gained by trying to find ways to annihilate the grassroots swell that is keeping the Republican Party alive? Furthermore, the Tea Party may have won since the Obama administration isn’t taking delaying the individual mandate off the table due to the fiasco related to the website.
I have absolute faith in Mike. Utahns will know by 2016 that he did a heroic thing standing up to this abomination.
Would those GOPe'rs be LDS, is it the non-LDS fighting against the LDS or both against the TEA Partiers???
Interesting to know as Bennett, I thought wasn't LDS and Lee is. Just an interesting side thought.
Non-LDS states GOPe'rs are contemplating the same strategy but not so vocal as yet.
We had this fight in KS some time ago and it continues.
We called it the moderates against the conservatives and one word was the lightening rod, "abortion," though it also contained quite a bit of anti-gay marriage but that wasn't the lightening rod that it became later.
I have faith in Mike Lee, but not in UT. Orrin G. Hatch has faith in UT, and he’s what’s wrong with UT.
The establishment is not going to win this war. They have money. They don’t have voters. That’s why they lost something like 7 races in 2012 with their cruddy candidates.
They’re already fighting it. They’d rather have Democrats win.
Bring it. Bring all ya got.
bkmk :-)
They have been at war with us and we are at war with them and the rat bastards.
Cruz and Lee led the party into a one/two combo set by Valerie Jarrett and Obama and got flattened. First it was refund then...ummm. Yeah...delay....no....Vitter amendment...no wait just make sure Congress is on Obamcare...no...POW! Poll numbers collapse for the GOP. Duhhh. The public hates shutdowns. And this was a good idea why?
What does Lee and Cruz have to do with the shut down?
Harry Reid refused to hold a vote on the 11 funding bills passed by the House of Representatives, that is what caused the shut down.
C’mon I read your posts you’re smarter then that. They wanted a showdown with Obama to defund Obamcare. It was never going to happen. A Pickett’s charge. ... Obamawas on the ropes. Obamcare in flames. 140,000 lousy part time jobs...now the Saudis breaking bad . There was no reason to shut down the government...when Obama was tourching it already.
Obama and Harry shut down the government because they wanted to shut down the government.
The GOPe has been at war with “limited government, pro opportunity” conservatives since Reagan left office.
Bring It On! RINO-man, We’ll see who changes whom, and how quickly it happens.
I have a very strong opinion that ‘business interests’ with the likes of Romney and Huntsman never were or are in tune with plain old citizens who want to believe that the USA is a land of opportunity for those who don’t believe the more dollars or capital one accumulates or controls makes you a better citizen. The average citizen needs to know if they are in any way contributing to these people’s millions and stop if at all possible.
The corporatists want the Republican party. If they boot out the base, they can enjoy losing.
Between this idiocy and immigration reform, the party will be finished anyway.
Is it only me, or is there a 1% bashing going on here. I personally like Biblical law when it comes to business. How to run Exxon according to Leviticus. Make a great doctoral dissertation. I wonder if the diamond industry is run that way? I’ll ask some South Africans.
Yeah...you getting it? You’re almost there. Reid’s a pawn . It was Valerie Jarrett the whole time. Just like Bengazi. She suckered in the Tea Party to shut down government then sicced the media on us. Marginalizing the right. It almost worked too. Until Obamacare blew up. I hope Lee gets primaried from the Utah Republicans. All he’s don’t so far is screw things up.
Fact is most Big Business and MultiNational Corps support Socialized Medicine....they never complain or campaigns against it around the world.
A GOP candidate going against a Tea Party candidate will be supporting ObamaCare
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.