Business groups to take stand against tea party candidates in primaries

The Washington Times ^ | 10/28/2013 | Patrice Hall

[markomalley]

The recent fiscal crisis has opened a major rift between the tea party wing of the Republican Party and business groups that traditionally have backed Republicans, with many business leaders now vowing to get involved more in GOP primaries to try to counter insurgent candidates.

Tea party leaders are defiant, saying they will not change course despite criticism from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable and other top business groups. But business leaders argue that the scorched-earth tactics used by tea party Republicans during the 16-day shutdown and debate over raising the federal government’s borrowing limit marked the fourth time since the GOP took control of the House in 2011 that tea party adherents precipitated a governmental crisis that zapped consumer and business confidence, raised uncertainty and exerted a major drag on economic growth.

Besides encouraging more business-friendly candidates in primary contests, business groups are rallying behind establishment Republicans such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican who is being targeted by tea party activists for brokering a deal to temporarily raise the debt ceiling and reopen the government, while launching a negotiation with Democrats over budget cuts and proposed tax and entitlement reforms.

Business executives agree with many tea party goals such as cutting the deficit and reforming entitlement spending, but they argue that conservative lawmakers have erred in their tactics and wounded the economy by driving the government with increasing frequency into states of crisis and dysfunction — this time for the ultimately unsuccessful cause of trying to force President Obama to cancel his health care law.

[Paul46360]

I posted yesterday that some of these groups were wanting to show the TP the door..HAHA..guess these guys are hoping for obamacare to help their business

[jsanders2001]

I hate to break it to you but almost every business owner I know is conservative (save a few in the entertainment industry and grandstanders trying to get public exposre any way they can: didn’t work too well for JC Penney though) and anti-government control so good luck with that...

[TurkeyLurkey]

The last sentence in the excerpt is a total lie.

[Buckeye Battle Cry]

Big business and their lobbyists have spent years and millions of dollars getting the mainstream GOP into their hip pocket. They are not about to let the peasants and their little tea party uprising undo all of their hard work.

[logic101.net]

These would be the businesses that feed off govt contracts, subsidies and fraud. Sort of the liberal business model rather than providing a product or service people actually want at a price they are willing to pay.

[G Larry]

This article is about LARGER businesses, that can afford to make LARGER donations.

We need to remind them and the GOPe that THE PEOPLE still run this country.

[Timber Rattler]

GOP-E cronies are deluding themselves if they believe that attacking TEA Party congressmen and candidates will automatically translate into more votes for the corrupt, decrepit GOP-E.

So where are those apologists who not too long ago were insisting that the TEA Party had to remain in the GOP-E in order to change it? Well, this is what we get.

[Venturer]

Those Business’s against the Tea party are those business’s who gave to both parties to insure they bought votes on both sides. They were not Republicans to start with only panderers to both parties.

[Venturer]

If those business’s stop giving to the GOP, the GOP is definitely hurting because as a Tea Party member I sure am not giving the RNC one freaking red cent.

[TheZMan]

If you believe THE PEOPLE still run things, I have a bridge to sell.

[nathanbedford]

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican who is being targeted by tea party activists for brokering a deal to temporarily raise the debt ceiling and reopen the government, while launching a negotiation with Democrats over budget cuts and proposed tax and entitlement reforms.

That of course is not why tea party activists are targeting Mitch McConnell. The list of reasons as long, they begin with is a lack of leadership, a lack of serious opposition to Obama, treachery concerning immigration amnesty, voting against Ted Cruz after his filibuster, caving and the list goes on.

The idea that the tea party has somehow caused an economic slowdown is so preposterous that it does not to require a response. But it does betray a belief among those who oppose the tea party that the government is the font of economic growth. These people are not interested as entrepreneurs in growing their businesses, they are interested as lobbyists in farming the government.

[Flintlock]

Bad “tactics” is a phony and misleading argument.

It’s really the TP versus one branch of the “government party”—and that’s it.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Maybe we need to encourage Conservative business owners to start pulling their membership from Chamber of Commerce orgs then.

[shove_it]

"These people are not interested as entrepreneurs in growing their businesses, they are interested as lobbyists in farming the government.>

Exactly. Next thing you know, the CofC will be pushing for subsidies for big businesses to produce nothing.

[Liberty Wins]

Big business combined with Big Government is a nightmare for the rest of us.

BB sold their soul to China years ago. They have no love of country, only love of bonuses.

[G Larry]

Sorry to hear you’ve accepted defeat.

[Night Hides Not]

The idea that the tea party has somehow caused an economic slowdown is so preposterous that it does not to require a response.

It is indeed preposterous to think that a "loss" of $24 billion would push a $17 trillion economy into a recession.

[ifinnegan]

The Gopes are really getting their panties in a bunch, to use an expression.

It’s not good or funny though.

“they argue that conservative lawmakers have erred in their tactics...”

This is their main claim, that their animosity is purely pragmatic.

But next time anyone says that, just ask if President Romney agrees?

People should call up Gope radio shows and say, “we need to run the most conservative candidate there is who can win — and President Romney agreees.

Bottom line, Tea Party wins elections, Gope loses.

[TheZMan]

Accepted? No, but that doesn’t change the facts at hand.

The People still aren’t pissed off enough to fix things. It will be obvious when they are.