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Title: GOP Family Feud: Tensions Over Tea Party
Source:
USA TODAY
URL Source: http://content.usatoday.com/communi ... imers-and-tea-party-upstarts/1
Published: Jul 20, 2010
Author: USA TODAY
Post Date: 2010-07-20 12:04:47 by Brian S
Keywords: None
Views: 7815
Comments: 14
Further evidence of the mounting tensions between Tea Party-style conservatives and the Republican Party establishment just flew over the transom:
It arrived in the form of an email from the Club for Growth -- a political group that espouses many of the same anti-tax, small government ideas as the Tea Party. Chris Chocola, a former Republican congressman who heads the club, is blasting former Senate Republican leader Trent Lott for comments in yesterday's Washington Post"which disparaged both the Tea Party movement and U.S. Senator Jim DeMint."
The key quote: "We don't need a lot of Jim DeMint disciples," Lott told the Post.
DeMint is a Republican from South Carolina who has been backing conservative candidates, sometimes against his own party leadership. In Kentucky, for example, DeMint backed Rand Paul, who ended up snatching the GOP nomination from Trey Grayson, the favorite of home state Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Senate's Republican leader.
Lott is now a name partner in one of Washington's hottest lobbying firms and Chocola took aim at that in his statement:
Corporate lobbyist Trent Lott is apparently afraid Congress' incoming freshman class will put an end to the earmarks, handouts, and bailouts that make him rich. He should be. Real economic conservative reform, like that advocated by the Club for Growth and the Tea Parties, will put the K Street favor factory out of business.
The Club for Growth's political action committee endorsed DeMint when he first ran for the Senate in 2004 and is backing his bid for re-election this year. (1 image)
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Trent Lott didn't speak for the vast majority of voters when he was a spineless SML in the 1990's.
He still doesn't.
Obama's first all-by-his-lonesome budget, btw, calls for a $1.17 trillion deficit.
#2. To: Brian S (#0)
Former Senate majority leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.), now a D.C. lobbyist, warned that a robust bloc of rabble-rousers spells further Senate dysfunction. "We don't need a lot of Jim DeMint disciples," Lott said in an interview. "As soon as they get here, we need to co-opt them."
I for one find it extremely refreshing that the GOP leadership is finally admitting that they are nothing more than a bunch of corrupt big government A- HOLES.
#3. To: jwpegler (#2)
Lott hasn't been a leader for going on 9 years.
Obama's first all-by-his-lonesome budget, btw, calls for a $1.17 trillion deficit.
#4. To: jwpegler (#2)
The above isn't in disagreement with the overall viewpoint of your post however. There are many in the GOP as terrified of the TP movement as there are within DNC headquarters.
Obama's first all-by-his-lonesome budget, btw, calls for a $1.17 trillion deficit.
#5. To: jwpegler (#2)
Your problem is that you are a minority % of barely 1/3 of the electorate.
#6. To: Badeye (#3)
McConmel is even worse
#7. To: Badeye (#4)
The establishment never likes to be challenged. The GOP needs to be challenged and booted out.
#8. To: jwpegler (#7)
The establishment never likes to be challenged. The GOP needs to be challenged and booted out.
Booted out...of what?
I do agree its long past time the old guard country club Republicans like Lott get thrown into the dustbin of history.
Obama's first all-by-his-lonesome budget, btw, calls for a $1.17 trillion deficit.
#9. To: Badeye (#8) (Edited)
Booted out...of what?
At the very least, their leadership positions. Ideally, they'd get the Bob Bennett treatment in the primary and be gone from public life altogether.
#10. To: jwpegler (#9)
Booted out...of what? At the very least, their leadership positions.
Who specifically? Its my view those primarily responsible for the insane spending during the Bush Era were Hastert, DeLay in the House, and idiots like Frist and Mr 'Bridge to nowhere' in the Senate.
Who's head do you want on a platter today, four years after they were all fired?
Obama's first all-by-his-lonesome budget, btw, calls for a $1.17 trillion deficit.
#11. To: Badeye (#10)
Who's head do you want on a platter today, four years after they were all fired?
Let's start with McConnell. He was the Majority Whip (#2 GOP leader in the Senate) from 2003 until 2007. He also backed an ex-Democrat and neo-con in the Kentucky primary over Rand Paul (the Tea Party candidate). McConnell is a BIG part of the problem.
#12. To: jwpegler (#11)
McConnell is a BIG part of the problem.
No disagreement here. Who else?
Obama's first all-by-his-lonesome budget, btw, calls for a $1.17 trillion deficit.
#13. To: Badeye (#12)
Lamar Alexander is the GOP Senate Conference Chair. The conference chairman manages the private meetings to elect floor leaders, handles distribution of committee assignments and helps set legislative priorities.
Alexander is no conservative. According to Congressional Quarterly, Alexander is one of the most bipartisan Republican members of the Senate. We don't need someone like that setting legislative agenda.
#14. To: jwpegler (#13)
I'm luke warm related to Alexander. I know what you mean however. He doesn't disgust me on a routine basis as McConnell has in the past though.
Obama's first all-by-his-lonesome budget, btw, calls for a $1.17 trillion deficit.
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