On August 2nd, 5 GOP candidates seeking re-election to the Tennessee State legislature discovered just how dangerous it can be to disdain the wishes of those conservatives who helped put them in office.
In 2010, members of various Tea Party groups in Tennessee donated the necessary time and money to put Republicans in charge of both the legislature and the governor’s mansion for the first time in 150 years. But after 2 years, not one of the top 10 Tea Party priorities placed before the Republican–controlled legislature had been implemented. Those priorities were based upon “…re-asserting state sovereignty over unconstitutional Federal abuses,” writes Tea Party steering committee member Van Irion. Yet rather than assist the Tea Party groups that had both drafted legislation and lobbied members of both legislative houses, “…the Tennessee Republican Party treated the Tea Party with contempt.”
In 2012, Tea Party officials decided the only way to gain the respect and attention of Republican politicians was to “…PROVE to the [GOP] that the Tea Party had power at the ballot box.” And the best way to do that was to initiate a “RINO Hunt!”
Four-term incumbent and Chairwoman of the Republican Caucus Debbie Maggart was selected as the RINO upon whom the sights of these Tea Party hunters would be trained. A ranking member of GOP leadership, Maggart had a bunch of campaign cash to spend and enjoyed the endorsement of both the Party and its leaders.
BUT she had also “actively fought” against the wishes of state Tea Partiers, incurring the wrath of voters and the National Rifle Association for her stance against NRA backed legislation.
As a result, not only did Maggart lose to Tea Party endorsed candidate, retired Lt. Col Courtney Rogers, she lost BIG! Money poured into Rogers’ campaign from Tea Party groups and conservative PACs all over the state. The NRA paid for ads and billboards linking Maggart to Barack Obama. And when the smoke cleared on election night, the stunned incumbent had been defeated by 12 percentage points, truly an old-time drubbing.
Along with this principle target of conservative efforts, 4 other Republicans legislators with less than acceptable voting records were removed from office, and 2 more are involved in recounts. As Irion puts it, “every Republican in the Tennessee Legislature knows what just happened. They were aware that the Tea Party had targeted Maggart. They were aware that the other RINOs were being targeted. Now they’ve seen the result.”
Though Republicans may continue to ignore the legislative demands of Tea Parties and other conservative groups, they now know that a price will have to be paid on Election Day. For the focused energy of conservative voters can put at risk the political career of even the most powerful of Republican politicians.
In 2 years, South Carolina RINO Senator Lindsey Graham will be the principle political target of conservatives throughout the nation. Look for him to join Lugar, Bennett, and other “Republicans in Name Only” in the growing ranks of unemployed sellouts.
Photo credit: formatted_dad (Creative Commons)
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We need to throw out ALL 75 CP. M-L members fron the Govt. ALL of them.!
Sounds like a damned good start but there are still a bunch of RINOs in elected office that need to go! We are going to turn this nation around!
I plan to actively work AGAINST re-electing my Republican senator. He is NOT representing us in the Senate. I have written to him and written to him. Faxed him and faxed him. Telephoned and telephoned. And STILL he votes against our principles. Time for him to go. He is a true RINO. I will do whatever I need to do to ensure he is done next election.
Great news about the Taxed Enough Already or TEA party being able to help get some of the RINOS out of the Tennessee legislature. Now we’ve got to get busy getting fiscal and social conservatives into the U.S. Senate. I’m looking forward to help vote out Lindsay Graham whom I hate to claim as my senator. Last time I voted for his conservative Democrat opponent to no avail. I hate that over 100 years ago we got away from legislators being appointed by state legislators for ONE term and then returning home. Then someone else was appointed for a term. These were not always doctors or professionals. I say we need to stop sending lawyers to Washington also. Just some everyday folks with some brains, common sense, those who know how to balance a budget, spend less than you make and put some in savings. Start with voting out Obama, and then replace liberal socialist progressive legislators with conservatives who have business sense.
With any luck Arizona’s RINO Senator John McCain will pay the price, and be removed from office for his co-authoring the NDAA, which was found to be unconstitutional by a Federal Judge. One would have thought with 25 years at the Public Trough and with a large staff along with nothing but time on his hands, that McCain would have know that what he co-authored was un-constitutional. Hopefully the citizen’s of Arizona will kick him off of the gravy train, he should have been thrown off the train a long time ago. Similar to BO, McCain has nothing to show for his 25 years in Congress other than a pile of air-miles. He needs to go and the sooner the better.
The career politicians NEED to go…and term limits need to be put in for the new ones coming on board…these folks need to PROVE themselves to WE THE PEOPLE…
YES!!!!! GO get em!!!!!! I am sick and tired of Politicians who say one thing, then when they get in they do another. This crap needs to end!! I am so glad the Tea Party is going to clean house!!!
You know, some of us may have been born conservatives, others undergo a sort of metamorphosis over the yrs as we grow older & wiser. Do you honestly think that Gov Romney would have picked Rep Paul Ryan if he wasn’t a conservative?? You also have to take into consideration that he was Gov of Massachusetts, probably the most liberal state or commonwealth that it is & to govern a place where the Kennedy Irish Mafia was in control for decades would be an impossible task as a conservative – in fact, couldn’t be elected. Have a look @ Sen Scott Brown, who won the seat that had been occupied by drink ‘em, dick ‘em, drown ‘em Teddy Kennedy until his death – do you think for one moment that he is a conservative??
If I may expound on your word metamorphosis. Nice word ! It has always been amazing to me how a caterpillar could change into a beautiful butterfly. I have a butterfly bush in my yard that I can see all day long. And there is a quote by a famous man that illustrates that same concept in people. He said….” If you aren’t a liberal by age 20 you have no heart. If you aren’t a Conservative by age 40 you have no brain.” Sir Winston Churchill So there are many examples of metamorphosis all around us. You just have to look for them.
“Pessimist are merely optimist with experience.”
Eddie, you used one of my favorites of Sir Winnie! Here is the one that, to me is most poignant: “The tree of liberty, from time to time must be refreshed with the blood of tyrants & patriots.” Thank you Thomas Jefferson!!