When groups like the T.E.A. Party were on the rise leading up to the mid-term elections of 2010, Barry Goldwater Jr. recalled how similar they were to the conservative movement his father stood for. He was particularly impressed with how it reminded him “…of the conservative movement in 1960 and 1964,” and he concluded that they were “…people who are sick and tired of the country moving to the left.” While the final results were mixed, T.E.A. Party candidates represented the Republican party in several key races where the party establishment candidate was seen as being just as bad as the Democrats they were running against.
In an article I wrote in September that year, Even a little poison is deadly, I provided several observations about how similar the Republican party had become to the poisonous Democrats. As I noted then:
Suppose I put two glasses in front of you. The first glass is filled to the top with a lethal poison. The second one is filled to the top with your favorite beverage mixed with just a small amount of the same lethal poison.
Which one would you drink from?
I’m guessing that you wouldn’t drink from the first one because it’s pure poison. But I bet that you would also pass on the second glass as well, because even a little poison is a bad idea.
For years, when it came to the elections, Republicans voters have had to choose between a glass full of poison (Democrat/Progressive) and a glass with just a little poison in it (Republican/Progressive). As we see in the hypothetical example above, neither one is really a good idea.
Particularly troubling back then was how willing the establishment Republicans were to attack members of their own party while claiming to be conservative. Equally troubling today is how they continue to do the same.
- Karl Rove opposed the T.E.A. Party in 2010 just as he does in 2014
- Republican funding favored the establishment in 2010 just as it does in 2014
- “Republican” political action groups like the Main Street Partnership supported “moderate” Republicans and Democrats in 2010 just as they do now—with help from Democrats
As we continue down the road to the elections in November, we need demand a third glass to drink from. We can no longer settle for something with just a little bit of poison in it. While we no longer have that option in states like Kentucky (Mitch McConnell) and South Carolina (Lindsey Graham), there are still opportunities to be had before the general elections. A few recommendations:
Replacing Mary Landrieu (D-LA) is important, but William “Bill” Cassidy (RINO), who has been the U.S. Representative for Louisiana’s 6th congressional district since 2009, has a near mirror image voting record on several key issues as Landrieu. Heck, he even gave money to her first re-election campaign.
- Mary’s a glass of poison and Bill is a glass with a little poison. The glass with no poison is Rob Maness.
God was a baby when Thad Cochran (R-MS) first went to Washington which is already enough of a reason to replace him, but he has a rather poor record of representing his constituents—although he has become quite the porker . . . as in spending.
- Thad is a glass with a little poison. The glass with no poison is Chris McDaniel.
Pat Roberts (R-KS) has been in Washington for so long that he doesn’t even have a home in Kansas any longer. According to CQ Roll Call, Roberts voted with Obama 35% to 45% of the time with most of the “improvement” coming in 2013 in preparation for the election.
- Pat is a glass with a little poison. The glass with no poison is Milton Wolf.
Tom Coburn (R-OK) is retiring from the U.S. Senate and Rep. James Lankford (R-OK) would like to replace him. However, his recent votes on the budget deal and his position on amnesty for illegal immigrants puts him too close to the GOP establishment.
- James is a glass with a little poison. The glass with no poison is T. W. Shannon.
These are just a few of the opportunities we have to move Washington in the direction necessary to restore liberty to America.
It’s time to get rid of the poison in Washington and the Republican party, even if it’s just a little bit of poison.
