Posted on 04/21/2010 11:31:18 AM PDT by American Dream 246
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:
The “Tea Party Express” endorsed him. Not the Tea Party. The Tea Party is a grassroots movement of concerned Americans. The “Tea Party Express” is a top down organized Political Action Committee, (PAC.) The TPE is basically run by the Republican Party but is trying to open the tent a little to attract dissaffected dems. That’s why they decided they had to endorse a few blue dog rats. They are looking for the most conservative dems so they don’t look like they are nothing but a Republican front. (In reality, they are nothing more than a Republican front.)
This deal reeks.
*Somebody’s* playing Bait n’ Switch or some other suckerbait da** game, and I’m afraid TPE just went on my “Fool Me Once, Shame On You....” list until I hear some EXTREMELY convincing reasons to take them off.
If a lifelong friend was running unopposed for Dogcatcher and even called himself a ‘rat in fun, I’d write in the name of the sorriest egg-sucking mutt dog I could think of.
Screw them ALL.
Tea Party Express just jumped the shark.
"Tea Party" takes in a lot of territory. I'm in Idaho. I've attended "Tea Parties." If I am not mistaken, the "Tea Party Express" in question appears to be the bunch that went several times cross-country in the bus.
As far as I know, that is the outfit that was advertised on the home page of Free Republic while they were on there little trip.
In any event, it is obvious to me that they did not ask my opinion before they "soiled their diapers."
Minnick is a dyed-in-the-wool lib on the biggest issues.
Truth:
“It can’t be a one-party issue. Fiscal responsibility has to be embedded in both parties,” he said.
I’m sorry folks but the tea party can’t be a republican or nothing party. To get the best leverage over BOTH parties, we need to be willing go with Dems sometimes. I don’t think this will be very frequent in 2010 but by 2012, there will be a lot of republicans in need of a lesson.
Ping. The Onada propaganda organs are in overdrive. Do you know that there are people right here on FR who insist that covering up Onada’s presidential ineligibility is not costing him a thing.
My my. I guess it costs nothing to set up fake Tea Party groups.
We don’t go with Dems when they are not the candidates that best represents what the Tea Party movement stands for.
The fact is, a Democrat is rarely if ever the best candidate in the race.
There are, however, plenty of Conservative Party and Libertarian candidates out there who are more worthy than the Republicsn in the race. But a Democrat? Not likely. Tea Party Express might as well endorse the Green Party while they’re at it, because it seems they’ve completely lost the plot.
We don’t go with Dems when they are not the candidates that best represents what the Tea Party movement stands for.
The fact is, a Democrat is rarely if ever the best candidate in the race.
There are, however, plenty of Conservative Party and Libertarian candidates out there who are more worthy than the Republican in the race. But a Democrat? Not likely. Tea Party Express might as well endorse the Green Party while they’re at it, because it seems they’ve completely lost the plot.
This is STUPID. Yes, I typed Stupid. In 2006, 28 Democrats ran as Blue Dogs and who have they voted with over the last four (4) years?
Keep DEMS in office and PELOSI stays in power.
“We don’t go with Dems when they are not the candidates that best represents what the Tea Party movement stands for.”
I didn’t know you spoke for the Royal We but I agree with the statement.
The fact is, a Democrat is rarely if ever the best candidate in the race.
“rarely”... true. “if ever”..... not true
“There are, however, plenty of Conservative Party and Libertarian candidates out there who are more worthy than the Republicsn in the race.”
Nah. Voting for an nonviable third party person is an exercise in self gratification. Might as well stay home and talk to oneself.
“But a Democrat? Not likely.”
Nope not likely. Agree.
“Tea Party Express might as well endorse the Green Party while they’re at it, because it seems they’ve completely lost the plot.”
No not at all. To gain control of the political system we have to be willing to switch teams. If not then the Republicans need do nothing more than make just enough empty promises to win then they are free to betray us when it counts. Let me give my own example. In my area, we’ve got Gresham “Bailout” Barret, Lindsey Grahamnesty and Bob “Conservative and has the same root as conservation so they must be the same” Ingles. I will vote for Democrats over all these jokers just to get them out of office.
But why is Vaughn Ward a casualty of the Tea Party Express Democrat tokenism? The Tea Parties should be endorsing the candidate most aligned with their values, and that would be Ward, not Minnick. By singling out one token Democrat to “prove” they are non-partisan, they only make themselves appear they are. It needn’t be partisan, but it should be ideological.
And the simple question of what will their first vote be — for Nanzi Pelousy and her radical socialist agenda, or for a Speaker of the House with a Liberty agenda — should be enough to clear up any question of which candidate deserves Tea Party endorsement.
It seems to me that this Tea Party Express is trying to assert itself as the authority on all things Tea, when instead it should be a loose coalition of local groups who know their own local issues and candidates.
Sal Russo is part of the problem...
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