Times They Are A Changin'
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.
Last night's primary election results came as a shock to many. Like Lisa Murkowski in Alaska, Sue Lowden in Nevada and Bob Bennett in Utah, Mike Castle was widely expected to win the Republican primary in Delaware. However, Delaware voters, like Alaska, Nevada and Utah voters, turned conventional wisdom on its head. Christine O'Donnell defeated RINO Mike Castle in a huge upset.
You would think that after seeing the primary results in state after state after state, the pundits, strategists and the GOP establishment would get the message. The Republican electorate wants CONSERVATIVE candidates. This message was sent in Florida, Utah, Nevada, Delaware, Colorado, Alaska, Kentucky, and potentially in New Hampshire, yet the NRSC still doesn't get it. Karl Rove was on Sean Hannity's show last night talking about the O'Donnell victory and how it diminished the Republican's chances of winning the Senate in November. An unidentified, high-ranking GOP staffer is quoted in the Daily Caller bashing Jim DeMint and his Senate Conservatives Fund for derailing the Republicans attempt to win a majority.
Even in my home state of Alabama, conservative voters are rejecting the status quo. Dr. Robert Bentley beat out Bradley Byrne and Tim James, both favored heavily by the Republican establishment, to win the GOP gubernatorial primary.
I, however, don't think anyone should really be surprised by this election cycle. Most of the "establishment candidates" who are being defeated are squishy moderate conservatives--the same kind that we've had in Washington who got us into the mess this country is in by spending like drunken sailors. Polls show that all Americans are overwhelmingly worried about the national debt and want more fiscal responsibility. Why would they support the very same people who have failed to give them that year after year?
Whatever their reasons are, the message is clear, "We want conservative candidates." There is a definite sense of revolution in the air. People are tired of being told they have to vote for the moderate because he/she is "more electable", tired of voting for the lesser of two evils. They want solid conservative candidates that believe in limited government and fiscal responsiblity. They want candidates that represent their values and ideology. They've bought into the idea of pragmatism for years now, and look where it has gotten them. I think voters overwhelming recognize that if you keep putting the same people (or same type people) in office, you're going to get the same result.
I don't know what's going to happen come November, but I do think that a lot of the talking heads will be surprised. Since the election of Obama, this country has swung far to the left, and people are unhappy with the results. The pendelum is due for a significant swing to the right. Fortunately, with the rise of the tea party movement, people are starting to realize that simply putting a Republican in office is not enough. True movement conservatism is making a comeback, and it's a real threat to the entrenched GOP establishment. Things may get ugly before they get better, but one thing is clear, the times they are a changin'.
Jim DeMint, Tea Parties Fight the Entrenched Establishment
On the candidates he's backing through the Senate Conservatives Fund and with the help of Tea Party groups:
These candidates are leaders in their own right. I’m supporting them, because they’re not running on some consultant’s talking points. They’re running on principle.” Jockeying for a leadership position, he says, is not his focus. “What I’m interested in is turning this country away from its fiscal cliff — and for the first time since Reagan, I think that we have a chance for real action, not just political posturing.”
On the GOP establishment:
Still, without naming names, DeMint remains critical of many establishment GOP senators. Earlier this summer, former Senate majority leader Trent Lott (Miss.) told the Washington Post that the Senate does not “need a lot of Jim DeMint disciples.” Party leaders, he said, need to move quickly to “co-opt” any rabble-rousing conservatives who may find their way to the marble halls of Washington. DeMint, with a hint of disgust, says, “We need to realize that Trent Lott was speaking for many senior Republicans.”
Looking at what has happened in Republican primaries across the country--most recently with Joe Miller in Alaska--establishment Republicans have a reason to be worried.
CPAC 2010 Saving Freedom
"Battle is between American people and the Democrats. I like those odds.Of Rubio: I could use a guy like that in the US SenateWhen the Constitution was signed it did not even allow a federal income tax--that sounds like a good way to limit the size of the federal governmentEvery elected official takes an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. It’s time they started living up to that.People in Washington are too willing to give up freedom for earmarks and kickbacks.I’d rather have 30 Marco Rubio’s in the Senate than 60 Arlen Specter’s.I believe in holding Republicans in Congress accountable to conservative principles.You can’t govern from a teleprompter.We need a leader who will remind Americans how we became the greatest nation"
Ongoing: Panel--Saving Freedom For Future Generations
They are expecting 10,000 people at CPAC this year--a record for the conference. There's a lot of enthusiasm in the crowd. Definitely a feeling that the tide is turning against the Democrats and Government in general. I'll keep updating as things happen.