Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

With ads and foot soldiers, Republican 'establishment' squeezes Tea Party
trust.org ^ | 5/18/14 | Andy Sullivan

Posted on 05/18/2014 5:40:29 AM PDT by cotton1706

BOISE, Idaho, May 18 (Reuters) - On a recent Saturday, foot soldiers in the Republican Party's civil war fanned out across a neighborhood of winding streets and manicured lawns to beat back the Tea Party.

They did not meet much resistance. Over the course of two hours, dozens of residents said they planned to vote in the May 20 primary election for Idaho Representative Mike Simpson, a veteran lawmaker with a reputation for pragmatism. None said they would back his Tea Party challenger Bryan Smith.

As he heads for a likely victory on Tuesday, Simpson has plenty of help. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and the National Rifle Association have joined with groups representing hospitals, dentists and home sellers to try to return him to Congress for an eighth term.

The push is part of a wider drive by so-called establishment Republicans to back mainstream candidates and prevent Tea Party figures like Smith from winning primaries ahead of the Nov. 4 midterm elections.

They fear a repeat of some key races in previous congressional elections when Tea Party insurgents alienated independents and lost to Democrats. Party elders still smart at the loss of a U.S. Senate contest in Missouri in 2012 which was blamed on comments about "legitimate rape" by Republican candidate Todd Akin.

While the Tea Party movement has helped Republicans win significant spending cuts and thwart some of President Barack Obama's agenda, it also forced a messy shutdown of the U.S. government in 2013 that was unpopular with voters.

(Excerpt) Read more at trust.org ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Idaho
KEYWORDS: elections
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021 next last
Mike Simpson may win on Tuesday, but there's always another election.
1 posted on 05/18/2014 5:40:29 AM PDT by cotton1706
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

Team Romney was not satisfied helping Obama in both
2008 and then 2012 (by doing NOTHING except attacking
conservatives).

Now they are back to destroy what is left in America.


2 posted on 05/18/2014 5:43:34 AM PDT by Diogenesis
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

The GOP-E can win all the primaries....but I just won’t vote for their crappy candidates.


3 posted on 05/18/2014 5:48:24 AM PDT by vmivol00 (I won't be reconstructed.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

Mike Simpson, a veteran lawmaker with a reputation for pragmatism.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Pragmatism?

Translation: He’s a squish.


4 posted on 05/18/2014 5:49:37 AM PDT by wintertime
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

Obama shut down the government and spent millions doing so to inflict pain on the American People.
Some of the things that Obama objected to and used as an excuse to shut down the government he did afterwards.


5 posted on 05/18/2014 5:50:14 AM PDT by RedMDer (May we always be happy and may our enemies always know it. - Sarah Palin, 10-18-2010)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

Mike Aiken is one out of how many losses the establishment has put forward? The establishment has no problem alienating Conservatives in favor of the so called crossover voter which never happens.

Pray America wakes up


6 posted on 05/18/2014 5:55:42 AM PDT by bray (Palin 2016)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: vmivol00
The only reason I am a registered Republican is to have a say in primary elections.

I'll never vote rat in the general, but that doesn't mean I will vote for whomever the GOPE coronates.

7 posted on 05/18/2014 6:00:16 AM PDT by Jacquerie (To restore the 10th Amendment, repeal the 17th. Article V.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

How does the endorsement of a GOPe loser like Romney help a candidate?

Conservative Republicans should play hard ball. too, and on election day in Nov., write in the TEA Party candidate’s name. It is important to kill off the Democrat-Lite party in order to fight the Democrats.


8 posted on 05/18/2014 6:19:35 AM PDT by txrefugee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

So this writer seems to think that the GOPe are winners and the Tea Party grassroots wave of 2010 had nothing to do with gaining back the House. His editor’s instructions are apparent.


9 posted on 05/18/2014 6:25:01 AM PDT by Hostage (ARTICLE V)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Diogenesis

Welcome to the uni party...the tea party would do America well to completely focus on the 17th amendment repeal...trying to take on the GoPe is a waste of time

Use the information age and go right to the voters...puts the uniparty in direct conflict with the public... and how then can they not be seen for what they are....

Fix the issues after 17 th amendment is repealed...


10 posted on 05/18/2014 6:30:00 AM PDT by Article10 (Roger That)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

I’m not in the second district so I won’t get to vote on this, but I would not vote for Simpson. I do not at all like the personal attack adds against his opponent he has been running.

Because of those add alone, I would vote for his opponent. That may be just me though, but I suspect not...


11 posted on 05/18/2014 6:33:07 AM PDT by babygene ( .)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: txrefugee

Here in PA my RINO governor will not get my vote in the primary or general election after he raised gas taxes 28 cents a gallon.

I will write-in a conservative both times and if the Democrat who the GOPe attacks as a “tax and spend liberal” wins, there won’t be much difference betweem him and the guy we got now.


12 posted on 05/18/2014 6:33:56 AM PDT by Nextrush (AFFORDABLE CARE ACT=HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY BAILOUT ACT)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

This was an impressively biased, unsigned Reuters piece, likely written by some Rove henchman.


13 posted on 05/18/2014 6:56:12 AM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy ("Don't compare me to the almighty, compare me to the alternative." -Obama, 09-24-11)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

What “foot soldiers” do the GOP-E have? Muffy and Biff? They’re at the Country Club drinking Screwdrivers with their Sunday Brunch?


14 posted on 05/18/2014 11:06:27 AM PDT by MuttTheHoople (Ob)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

What grabbed me was the NRA’s involvement with GOPers instead of more conservative candidates that usually stand for less gun restrictions. Is the NRA liking the unconstitutional restrictions put on gun rights that most states have?


15 posted on 05/18/2014 4:05:07 PM PDT by LowOiL ("Abomination" sure sounds like "ObamaNation" to me.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

Funny, I don’t feel “sqeezed” at all.


16 posted on 05/18/2014 4:06:40 PM PDT by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

it also forced a messy shutdown of the U.S. government in 2013 that was unpopular with voters.

Who wrote this, Nanzi Pelousy?


17 posted on 05/18/2014 4:08:10 PM PDT by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706

If this crap keeps up, we will become a 3 party country just like the UK.


18 posted on 05/18/2014 4:09:19 PM PDT by catfish1957 (Face it!!!! The government in DC is full of treasonous bastards)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: catfish1957

No to RINOs and GOPe. Never give them a dime...never give them your time.


19 posted on 05/18/2014 4:13:47 PM PDT by hal ogen (First Amendment or Reeducation Camp?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: cotton1706
People need to stop believing everything they read in the media.

Most elections and most primaries are not about "GOP-E" vs "Tea party" but one candidate against another candidate. I haven't followed this race, but is the challenger here a good one? If it's a bad candidate that doesn't know what he's doing, that reflects on his team, not "tea party", nor "GOP-E".

20 posted on 05/18/2014 4:22:35 PM PDT by Darren McCarty (Abortion - legalized murder for convenience)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021 next last

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.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson