Posted on 07/07/2013 12:56:33 PM PDT by jimbo123
To cover his political flank, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has forged an alliance with tea party darling Rand Paul, picked up support from other national tea party leaders and brought in a campaign manager from the upper echelons of the tea party movement.
The GOP's fiscally conservative wing has proven particularly powerful in Kentucky, and elsewhere it has felled incumbents including McConnell's longtime Republican colleague U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar of Indiana. But McConnell's efforts to make inroads with the tea party movement have clearly paid off, virtually ensuring that no would-be challenger can get the kind of infusion of cash from tea party channels that allowed Paul to win here in 2010.
Paul, who has presidential aspirations and is looking to run in 2016, needs McConnell's connections to the wealthy donor base of the Republican establishment. Meanwhile, McConnell needs Paul's tea party influence to keep potential primary challengers at bay and to energize his general election campaign against the likely Democratic nominee, Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Leni
There is only one party in Washington: The Re-Election Party, dedicated to the material enrichment of its members at taxpayer expense.
Rand better realize McCornhole is no friend to the Tea Party and Conservatives. The turd-le needs Paul more than Paul needs the turd. McCornhole is a block to reform the Senate.
On one of Cornyn’s campaign sites it said that Demint was rated 95.5 and Cornyn was rated 96.0 by some Conservative rating system. Im trying to find the exact quote that Cornyn is trying to sell.
Can’t remember where I saw it but I saw a conservative ranking list too about a week ago, and it was shocking who was in the top 10%, I don’t know how they get those lists. I do know Cornyn’s coward No vote on immigration probably counted in his favor though when he didn’t deserve it.
The Kentucky GOP is woefully incompetent. The only reason Rand Paul was successful was because of the campaign structure his father had in place and his ability to tap into the tea party movement....including securing Governor Palin's endorsement.
But Senator McConnell may be the most ruthless campaigner in the Republican party. He is literally a bulldog on the campaign trail. There is no way a novice will stand a chance against him.
Senator Paul is simply acknowledging reality, IMO.
The ratings system is done mostly by inside the DC beltway groups that may have the name “conservative” “Tea Party” “Pro-Life” etc. etc. etc. attached to them but what these groups and their scorecards are really attached to is the political machine of the GOP-E.
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.