Posted on 04/21/2010 10:32:18 AM PDT by Maelstorm
Vaughn Ward wonders when the Tea Party Express passed him by. The Republican challenger to Blue Dog Democrat Rep. Walt Minnick in Idaho figured to at least have a shot at an endorsement to switch the seat from a vote for Nancy Pelosi and Democratic control of the House. Instead, the Tea Party Express endorsed Minnick, and left a lot of head-scratching behind in Idaho afterward:
When the Tea Party Express last week endorsed Idaho Rep. Walt Minnick — the only Democrat to receive the backing of the conservative grassroots group — one of his Republican challengers said he was simply baffled to learn the news, considering Minnick’s past votes that line up with Democrats on bailouts, the estate tax and Guantanamo Bay.
“He voted for Nancy Pelosi. I mean all these things — I’m like, ‘Wait a minute. This is the guy you guys want to get behind nationally?’” said Republican Vaughn Ward, an active Marine Corps reserve officer whose candidacy for Minnick’s seat was endorsed by Sarah Palin.
His initial shock, Ward told The Daily Caller during an interview Tuesday, turned to frustration upon learning from Tea Party groups in Idaho — who he said have not endorsed candidates in the race yet — that the Tea Party Express didn’t consult them before the endorsement of the Democrat. …
Sal Russo, a strategist with Tea Party Express, said the group did reach out to a number of groups and activists, many of whom support Minnick. Democrats who “are willing to stand up to Pelosi and Reid” should get support from Tea Party organizations “to encourage others” to act similarly, he said.
“When you find someone willing to stand up, you got to stand up with him,” Russo said.
The strategist said he wouldn’t be surprised to see the group add another Democrat or two to the list. “It can’t be a one-party issue. Fiscal responsibility has to be embedded in both parties,” he said.
Tea Party groups from around the country have positioned themselves outside of the Republican Party, demanding accountability from GOP leadership before supporting Republicans. They have also made the point Russo notes here, that both parties need to have fiscal discipline in order for the US to end the spending spree that is sending us careening towards bankruptcy. In that sense, Minnick might be the one Democrat to support. While his party pushed a Porkulus bill that cost $830 billion and didn’t stimulate anything, Minnick proposed a $170 billion version that eliminated all of the pork and had self-termination clauses that returned unspent money after recovery began. He voted against Porkulus, cap-and-trade, and ObamaCare.
On the other hand, Minnick voted for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker, and would certainly do so again in 2011 — and that makes a big difference. The Republicans aren’t guaranteed to win a majority, after all, and they need every seat they can get to take control of the House. Without a Republican majority, Pelosi will once again control the agenda and will continue to pursue her hard-Left, nanny-state, big spending legislation. A vote for Minnick makes that more likely rather than less, which puts the Tea Party efforts at least a little more at risk.
Should Tea Party organizations consider endorsing Democrats in this cycle? Take the poll:
that one surprised me. I thought that he was one of the few ethical Dems in Congress. Needless to say, I was very wrong.
The democrat party is an organizational arm of the communist party that is determined to monitor every person and their lives..... from who should be born, how they are weaned, educated, how much toilet paper to wipe your ass, water in your toilet, what you eat, what you drink, how big your light bulbs are to how big your car is...cause doncha know that everybody should ride a train or bus on a schedule and not have the freedom of a car.
Democrats are bullsh#tters of the highest order and any support for any of them is a vote for the enemy of my country.
Always a bad idea. There are no more Zell Miller’s in the party.
There are some bad Republicans, but there are NO good DemonRats. Moderates had their arms broken on the Health Care Fiasco. THEY ALL CAVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ALL DEMONRATS MUST GO!!!!!!!!!!!!
EVERY ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!
this might be a fake tea party group.
The Tea Party leaders need to keep in mind that MOST of their supporters are pro-life. And that abortion is not something that you can compromise on or negotiate.
Hillary after the 2004 election said, Let’s compromise! What does that mean, cut the baby in half? Obama at Notre Dame said, Let’s compromise. What does that mean? My way or the highway?
No, if the Tea Party leaders refuse to deal with this issue, they’re going to end up about as popular as Ron Paul. They need conservatives. And you cannot win the conservative vote by compromising on abortion. We have seen that ever since the passage of Roe v. Wade. The Big Tent turns out to be an increasingly smaller tent. The RINOs boast of their broad appeal, but they continually lose elections.
Even if these guys are willing to kill babies in order to cut taxes and spending, their supporters are not. We support life, liberty, and small government. Without life, the rest means nothing.
As I have said, it’s not just a matter of principle, although that’s the main thing. It’s also a matter of voter appeal. Do they want to WIN? Then they’d better not offend 2/3 or 3/4 or 9/10 of their supporters.
could be ... might want to figure out if there is anybody out in Idaho who can investigate.
Anyone supporting a Dem pol (directly or indirectly) has no credibility. Although Minnick voted with the conservatives during this congress, don’t tell me that if the Dims keep the House by a narrow margin next year that Pelosi won’t demand Minnick’s vote for her socialist initiatives. Minnick could soon become Pelosi’s boy, a Dim hostage. Pelosi has forced Dims in less conservative districts to walk the plank this year for her beloved 0bamacare etc.
The national TP organization could support a third party congressional candidate if the Republican candidate is not conservative as was the case in NY-23. In fact NY 23 was a textbook example of division leading to failure. The lack of communication produced a split between the national leadership, the local Republican party establishment and the grass roots Republican/Conservative activists. The national TP leaders should at least consult with the local leaders before unwittingly undermining and splintering the movement. The strength of the Tea Party movement rests with the local activists, not with the national leadership. Much like Al Queda, the TP movement is more effective as small cells because there is not a national figure or organization vulnerable to frontal attack from the Dims.
Local control. Isn’t this the essence of our current fight with the Marxists and the Regime?
I once asked him, "Why do you as a leader of the party allow the DemocRATS to introduce such garbage as the ____ bill?" He said why waste time on a law that won't happen. It does not make us look as bad as you think." A real stand up guy
“When you find someone willing to stand up, you got to stand up with him,” Russo said.
Who made Sal Russo the "decider" for the Tea Party movement?
Is there any reason to add one more vote to Pelosi for speaker? I fail to see how this makes any sense at all.
Sal Russo heads a PR firm . He has taken control of the TP to tame it and moderate its message , and herd it . He now has a come back to the charge the TP is partisan . He thinks "screw Idaho and those working to get Republicans like Ward elected" . He wants the energy of the TP harnessed , packaged , and delivered for the RINOS .
I understand your conclusion you will be glad you can easily be made stronger with the truth .Do a search on this site . We went over this days ago . The Idaho TP was not even consulted . Don't blame this idiocy on Idaho . I blame any Idahoan who didn't speak out after , as I did , as being guilty of what you assumed .
Thanks, I don’t paint with broad brushes, just wanted to know who (individual ) took it upon themself to make this statement.
And truthfully we don’t want any more. It dilutes conservative power.
So, now we need to learn. You know, the old saying, fool me once..., blah blah blah. Lesson one: there are no "moderate" Dems, there are no "conservative" Dems, there are no "pro-life Dems". There are simply, 'Rats. And they are loyal to Obama. That makes them radical, liberal, pro-abortion 'Rats. Lesson two: never, ever trust a 'Rat. No matter what he/she says, never, ever trust their word. The word of as 'Rat is useless. It has no value. Lesson three: always vote to defeat a 'Rat. Short of Satan himself, a vote for anyone to defeat a 'Rat is a better choice than having the 'Rat re-elected.
Since the Tea Party Movement is an “idological movement” and not a “party”, they should endorse no one. Let those who believe they deserve the votes of those who ascribe to the Tea Party Movements ideals embrace those ideas publicly and in writing. They should be judged by their past political deeds. If they measure up and are electable, they can expect the votes.
The war hasn't yet started...yet. The 2010 and 2012 elections could avert it.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
“The war hasn’t yet started...yet. The 2010 and 2012 elections could avert it.”
Don’t tell the left. They think they’ve been fighting the war for decades and winning. Given the state of our universities, our educational system, our media, both entertainment and news, our government institutions and agencies, the left has good reason for thinking they have won. If Democrats win in 2010 and 2012, it will all be over but the crying, maybe a little shooting, and then the cleansing begins.
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