Posted on 03/28/2014 1:54:55 PM PDT by cotton1706
In a major blow to former Republican state Treasurer Shane Osborn’s candidacy for Nebraska Senate, national conservative group FreedomWorks is withdrawing its endorsement and backing his main primary rival, Midland University President Ben Sasse, instead.
At issue, FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe said in a statement, is the unspoken support Osborn is believed to have from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
“Both Osborn and Sasse are great people, and this was not a decision taken lightly. The question at the heart of this decision is, who would caucus with the Freedom Caucus, and who would fall in line with the establishment?” Kibbe asked.
“At this point, it is clear that Shane Osborn formed allegiances with Mitch McConnell and the K Street lobbying class. For us, that progression away from the grassroots has tipped the balance. FreedomWorks PAC has a responsibility to endorse the most reliable candidate for liberty, and after following the evolution of this primary, it’s clear that Ben Sasse is the man for the job,” he added. McConnell is reportedly opposed to Sasse’s candidacy, and the Washington Examiner has reported that McConnell's former chief of staff is raising money for Osborn, and a group of lobbyists canceled a fundraiser for Sasse after McConnell's opposition to the candidate became evident.
Sasse now has the backing of nearly all the major national conservative groups, including the Club for Growth and Senate Conservatives Fund. He's also drawn the support of conservative leaders ranging from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) to Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).
Osborn does have the backing of social conservative leader Phyllis Schlafly and the anti-abortion Concerned Women PAC, among others.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Stick with McConnell, face the consequences! Sasse’s election will mean one less vote for McConnell for leader (if he’s still there after November!)
ATTENTION RAND PAUL!!
This is how you do it.
You don’t make excuses, you just endorse the right candidate (Tea-Party: Bevin) even if you made a mistake and endorsed the GOP-E candidate first (McConnell).
Good news!! Come on conservatives, let’s all unite and support Sasse. It will annoy the hell out of McConnell and the GOPe rulers in Washington DC.
“You don’t make excuses, you just endorse the right candidate (Tea-Party: Bevin) even if you made a mistake and endorsed the GOP-E candidate first (McConnell).”
I think Paul endorsed McConnell to get that law changed in Kentucky so he could run for both senate and the presidency. Now that the law’s been changed, he can back off (maybe not publicly) and help Bevin behind the scenes.
“Otherwise, his protestations not withstanding, his so-called Tea-Party credentials don’t mean squat.”
I think Paul’s playing a very shrewd game. I think he’s got his eye on the presidency and is doing what needs to be done. With him as the executive, he can (and I believe will) turn back a lot of this stuff. And if we can all vote for McCain and Romney, we can all certainly vote for Paul.
Babyish. Glad I haven’t sent money to Freedom Works.
Ya know, we are looking more and more like the Democrat party of the late 70s to late 80s....sniping, hating each other more than the common enemy, divided, and unable to work within the cause.
Yeah, yeah, I know the establishment sucks. I agree....but finding decent, conservative Republicans to take the place of Democrats ought to be our first goal. And we focus like laser beams on fighting each other.
Pretty sad.
Great news.
McConnell should be made a pariah by all conservatives.
Also, this is tit-for-tat in that McConnell pressured individual Republican Senate campaigns and other party organizations not to hire Jamestown Associates after the SCF hired Jamestown to work for some of SCF’s candidates.
You can understand if people are confused.
Id rather be take money from by McConnell and the Senate leadership, than Paul Ryan and Dick Goofy Armey.
Hmmmm
Mitch is labeled a plague
I just get the feeling that there’s something else going on, that there’s a wider game being played here. Paul doesn’t need the establishment. Usually a politician will cozy up the establishment because they have the machinery to get elected, the senator and governor endorsements put their armies to work who know all the arcane ballot rules.
But Paul doesn’t need that at all. He already has his father’s organization in all fifty states, who have learned all the rules in the past two elections. They know all the games. I get the feeling that Paul’s a different animal, as Reagan was, that, like how McCain and Romney used conservatives to try to gain power, Paul is using the establishment to get certain things done while he spins circles around them while they’re not looking. He’s already putting together different coalitions.
I could be wrong of course, and am not so naïve as to think that politicians don’t succumb to the powers that be. I just think that Paul is not at all intimidated by them. He did his filibuster right in their teeth, does things his own way, and without telling them first.
I detect a plan to thread the needle to the nomination, and with that, to election, with the establishment left holding an empty bag.
Rand Paul seems a bit too squirrelly for me.
So this group got on board with everyone else after learning some new negatives, what is the problem?
Paul has already moved to the the GOPe left, and is staking out that territory on social issues, he is beginning to look like another Liz Cheney.
Good news!
Re: Your Post #3: RIGHT ON!
Are Enzi, Crapo, Barasso, Risch RINOs because they have the backing of Mitch?
The Club for Amnesty endorsed Rubio and Flake.
Toomey has supported Orrin Hatch and Lindsey Graham.
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