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Republican Establishment Declares War on GOP Voters [Scott Rasmussen]
Rasmussen Reports ^ | Friday, January 11, 2013 | Scott Rasmussen

Posted on 01/13/2013 7:33:08 AM PST by EternalVigilance

Official Washington hailed the deal to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff as a significant bipartisan accomplishment. However, voters around the country viewed the deal in very partisan terms: Seven out of 10 Democrats approved of it, while seven...of 10 Republicans disapproved.

Just a few days after reaching that agreement, an inside-the-Beltway publication reported another area of bipartisan agreement...while Washington Democrats have always viewed GOP voters as a problem, Washington Republicans "in many a post-election soul-searching session" have come to agree. More precisely, the article said the party's Election 2012 failures have "brought forth one principal conclusion from establishment Republicans: They have a primary problem."

As seen from the halls of power, the problem is that Republican voters think it's OK to replace incumbent senators and congressman who don't represent the views of their constituents. In 2012, for example, Republican voters in Indiana dumped longtime Sen. Richard Lugar in a primary battle.

This infuriated establishment Republicans for two reasons. First, because they liked Lugar and the way he worked. Second, because the replacement candidate was flawed and allowed Democrats to win what should have been a safe Republican seat.

So, according to Politico, the Washington team is gearing up a new effort to protect incumbents and limit the ability of Republican voters to successfully challenge establishment candidates.

That makes sense to those whose sole goal is winning a majority in Congress rather than changing the course of government policy. Seen from the outside, though, it sounds like the professional politicians are saying that the only way to win is to pick more candidates like the insiders. Hearing that message, the reaction of many Republican and conservative voters is, "Why bother?"

That's why more than two-thirds of Republican voters believe GOP officials in Washington have lost touch with the party's base.

(Excerpt) Read more at rasmussenreports.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 113th; 2013polls; congress; gop; gope; primaries
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To: EternalVigilance

We still pay attention to Rasmussen?


21 posted on 01/13/2013 7:56:55 AM PST by palmer (Obama = Carter + affirmative action)
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To: madmominct
That does it...I’m registering as an Independent. Screw the GOP.

I gave up on the GOP a couple months ago. I plan to vote for candidates of the American Conservative Party and anyone else who represents my viewpoints. I know that the GOP doesn't.

22 posted on 01/13/2013 7:58:42 AM PST by OldPossum
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To: Timber Rattler

We listen to politico?


23 posted on 01/13/2013 7:59:29 AM PST by palmer (Obama = Carter + affirmative action)
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To: EternalVigilance

Yeah, what a bunch of antidisestablishmentarianism!


24 posted on 01/13/2013 8:00:01 AM PST by ROCKLOBSTER (Celebrate Republicans Freed the Slaves Month)
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To: palmer
We still pay attention to Rasmussen?

When we agree with him.

Hey, this is Free Republic!

/s

25 posted on 01/13/2013 8:00:52 AM PST by EternalVigilance (The New Deal was a Bad Deal. So Bad, in fact, that it is costing you your Liberty and your Country.)
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To: palmer

Trying to protect the party, eh, by questioning the messengers?


26 posted on 01/13/2013 8:01:54 AM PST by Timber Rattler (Just say NO! to RINOS and the GOP-E)
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To: EternalVigilance

The problem is that too many of our little Republican primary voters are themselves establishment or establishment-wannabees, the kind receptive to Jebbie for 2016 because “only he can win.”


27 posted on 01/13/2013 8:04:57 AM PST by Theodore R. ("Hey, the American people must all be crazy out there!")
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To: EternalVigilance

I didn’t leave the GOP, they left me.


28 posted on 01/13/2013 8:05:46 AM PST by Huskrrrr
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To: Timber Rattler
GOP scrambles to fix its primary problem

If the GOP wants to fix it's primary problem, they wouldn't let just anyone vote in "open primaries".

29 posted on 01/13/2013 8:06:21 AM PST by ROCKLOBSTER (Celebrate Republicans Freed the Slaves Month)
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To: Timber Rattler
Trying to protect the party, eh, by questioning the messengers?

The die hard apologists will always be around. They're still parading in Moscow, pining for Vladimir, for goodness sake.


30 posted on 01/13/2013 8:06:53 AM PST by COBOL2Java (kak-is-toc-ra-cy: Government by the least qualified or most unprincipled citizens. See: GOP-e)
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To: Theodore R.

Well, we certainly got more than a full dose of that last year.


31 posted on 01/13/2013 8:06:53 AM PST by EternalVigilance (The New Deal was a Bad Deal. So Bad, in fact, that it is costing you your Liberty and your Country.)
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To: EternalVigilance

On an another note, why do we allow Iowa and New Hampshire pick our candidate? They don’t vote for them in the general!!


32 posted on 01/13/2013 8:07:01 AM PST by Sybeck1
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To: madmominct
That does it...I’m registering as an Independent. Screw the GOP.

I says screw the GOPe, not the GOP. No third party has a chance of success, except to guarantee a Communist victory. We must defeat the GOPe in the primaries and elect more Republicans like Ted Cruz. Taking back the GOP - perhaps with a handful of Conservative independent candidates who will caucus on the Right side of the aisle - is the only road to success.

Senate Target Number One: Saxby Chambliss of Georgia
House Target Number One: Phil Gingrey of Georgia

33 posted on 01/13/2013 8:07:01 AM PST by Always A Marine
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To: Always A Marine
See #19 above.
34 posted on 01/13/2013 8:12:46 AM PST by Timber Rattler (Just say NO! to RINOS and the GOP-E)
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To: cotton1706

Flake is better than them two earmark loving, pork fondling Republicrats from Mississippi. But I am still not convinced that he is any better than Kyle. I sure hope so, but only time will tell.


35 posted on 01/13/2013 8:13:35 AM PST by Tupelo (Hunkered down & loading up)
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To: EternalVigilance

Yep, patriotic American conservatives have been some of the most despised people in the country (and the world) for a while now. We’re the thorn in the side of the totalitarians that never completely goes away.


36 posted on 01/13/2013 8:15:42 AM PST by jpl (The government spent another half a million bucks in the time it just took you to read this tagline.)
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To: madmominct
That does it...I’m registering as an Independent. Screw the GOP.

My wife and I changed our registration from stupid party to independent two weeks ago. Liberating and refreshing!

37 posted on 01/13/2013 8:15:46 AM PST by Salvey
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To: EternalVigilance

They truly are stupid. Without the base, they will never win control. But then, I think the GOP establishment prefers to be in the minority.


38 posted on 01/13/2013 8:18:19 AM PST by AdaGray (squi)
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To: Sybeck1
And what do you mean by that question? Does it matter if they ALL won? Then you are implying that statist philosophy won, in which case why should I have even voted for any of those Republicrats, since they are themselves statists, (read collectivists) and I for one, AM MOST CERTAINLY NOT!

That's either more proof of a SCREAMING need for a third party, or that America really is lost to the statists(collectivists). Which do you believe?

I believe we stand on principles or whats the sense of voting, since they`d ALL be statists any way?

39 posted on 01/13/2013 8:18:32 AM PST by nomad
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To: EternalVigilance
This infuriated establishment Republicans for two reasons. First, because they liked Lugar and the way he worked. Second, because the replacement candidate was flawed and allowed Democrats to win what should have been a safe Republican seat.

This is not completely true. Mark Kirk was flawed and still won because the GOP-e supported him to the hilt, as did rank and file conservatives, foolishly. Meanwhile Mourdock lost in Indiana not because he was flawed, but because the GOP-e bailed on him because he defeated one of their golden boys. Same thing happened to Christine O'Donnell in Delaware. Until conservatives learn NEVER to support liberal Republicans under any circumstances, nothing will change.
40 posted on 01/13/2013 8:19:00 AM PST by Antoninus (Sorry, gone rogue.)
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