I just received this email from a fellow Tea Partier from South Carolina, home of Senator Jim DeMint, who, breaking from the rest of conservatism, has oddly endorsed Todd Tiahrt’s very moderate opponent for Senate.
As a native Kansan, a resident of South Carolina, and an executive board member of the South Carolina District 5 Patriots “tea party,” ( www.scd5patriots.org ) I am appalled that my Senator and Tea Party Hero, Jim DeMint, is actively campaigning against his fellow Tea Party Hero, Todd Tiahrt, in the race for the Senate Republican nomination in Kansas.
This week, Sen. DeMint, will travel to Kansas City to tell the voters of Kansas that Jerry Moran is the guy they can trust to put constitutional principles and the interest of his constituents above “politics as usual.”
There are reasons Congressman Moran was not chosen as a Tea Party Hero, such as voting to raise taxes 12 times, and voting for the tourism bailout that Senator DeMint called a “$400 million corporate welfare boondoggle.” (Washington Post op-ed by Jim DeMint) Yet DeMint, my senator and a Shining Star leading conservatives across the nation, will use his Tea Party Hero status to hoodwink the good people of Kansas.
This begs the question “Why?” And, it spits in the face of the millions of grassroots Americans who are seeking honest and principled ambassadors to represent THE PEOPLE in Washington.
What grates even deeper is that Moran is playing up DeMint’s Tea Party Endorsement as being an indirect Tea Party endorsement for him. This is a sleazy, deceitful tactic to usurp off the good name and credibility of the tea party movement. It’s fake, and it’s unscrupulous.
Sen. DeMint is sending mixed signals here, and it reflects poorly on the Tea Party Express organization and what it stands for.
So, Senator DeMint, which side are you on? As your constituent and leader of the SCD5 Patriots, I am holding you accountable. I want a really good explanation, or a retraction of your endorsement of Moran for Senate in Kansas and cancellation of your trip to Kansas.
Sincerely,
Kris Thompson, Secretary
SC District 5 Patriots
803-526-9569
Tags: DeMint, endorsements, Jim DeMint, kansas, Kris Thompson, SCD5, SCD5 Patriots, South Carolina, Tea Party, Tiahrt, Todd Tiahrt, U.S. Senate
Just so you know, this is one of those blog posts that is going to make some people upset. There, you’ve been warned.
All I ask is that you hear me out. Rip me up in the comments section, flame me on Twitter, but read what I have to say.
I don’t want the Republicans to take back control of the House and the Senate.
Even after two years out of power, they’re still on parole in my book. They’re simply not ready.
Have they had some good moments? Of course. But history is like weather cycles; they’re both doomed to repeat themselves over and over again.
Haven’t we all had enough of this flip-flopping between the parties? They commit atrocities while in office, we vote them out, and then they try to win back our trust by screaming, “But, look! They’re doing it, too!”
We had Republican majorities from 1994 until 2006, and what did we get? Some good legislation at the beginning, at least before the acquiescence of the Contract with America, but by the end, we were dealing with our beloved GOP milking the cash cow for all it was worth and growing government to sizes never before seen, with Medicare Part D, amnesty proposals, and the largest federal intrusion into education ever.
What makes everyone think this time will be different? Has two years truly been enough for them to learn their lesson? They’re not necessarily quick studies. They lost control in 2006, yet we got progressive John McCain as the nominee in 2008. Huh?
Before this gets bandied about, I am not a proponent of a third party. I never have been.
I am a true-blue (er, red?) registered Republican, and yes, Mr. Steele, I get your letters, too. I still think, as I did in 2008, that the Republican Party is our best hope to act as a catalyst for bringing traditional American values of family, frugality, and faith back to Washington, and for giving our States the standing they deserve.
We’ve seen how the Republican Party acts when its in the minority, and, you know what? I like it better. It’s the free market at work: they’re fighting for a majority and, therefore, they’re performing better. They’re willing to take those risks (see: healthcare, energy) in order to do right by those who elected them.
Let’s not open wide the door to the Capitol to anyone who is not a true defender of liberty.
Truthfully, I hope “we” gain forty-five seats in the House, and four or five in the Senate bringing us to the point where we make the Democrats nervous.
Why not just go for the whole thing? I won’t be upset, obviously, if they win majorities, but if they don’t, I’m fine with that, too. We need at least another two years out in the cold, so to speak, to really find who we are as a party. The whole point of the Tea Party movement has been to take over the Republican Party from the inside out (or, for some of you, vice versa). Have we done that yet? Eh, it’s debatable. We’ve had some good progress, with people like Sen. DeMint actively seeking out real conservative candidates, but, as evidenced by bizarre acts like Meghan McCain speaking at CPAC, we’re definitely not out of the woods yet.
So will I be campaigning for Republican candidates this fall? Of course. Will I continue to protest against all politicians who dare step on MY Constitution. Definitely. And will I rejoice if Congressional Republicans prove me wrong and we enjoy a golden age of conservatism and limited government? Yea, I guess I could go for that, too.
Tags: Congress, Congressional elections, conservative movement, Election 2010, GOP, Jim DeMint, mccain, Meghan McCain, Michael Steele, obama, progressivism, republican party, RNC
