Even After Victory, Tea Party Dividing Republicans
A group of Republicans want confrontation, not compromise and reconciliation. Tea Party Republicans want a fight.
Click here for reuse options!Despite Republicans’ ascension to Senate control and an expanded House majority, many conservatives from the party’s activist wing fear that congressional leaders are already being too timid with President Obama.
They do not want to hear that government shutdowns are off the table or that repealing the Affordable Care Act is impossible — two things Republican leaders have said in recent days.
“If the new Republican leadership in the Senate is only talking about what they can’t do, that’s going to be very demoralizing,” said Thomas J. Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, a conservative advocacy group that convenes a regular gathering called Groundswell. Any sense of triumph at its meeting last week was fleeting…
…in a stark reminder of the difficulties Republican leaders will face from within their own ranks, other lawmakers popular with the Tea Party base are saying the fight is on.
As votes were still being counted on election night Tuesday, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas said Republicans could still work through Congress to dismantle the Affordable Care Act — even though the president is guaranteed to veto anything Congress passes that undermines it. “After winning a historic majority, it is incumbent on us to honor promises and do everything humanly possible to stop Obamacare,” Mr. Cruz said in an interview.
Some Republican senators rejected that outright. “There are intelligent things to do, and there are some not-so-intelligent things to do,” said Senator Orrin G. Hatch of Utah. “And one of the first things we should do is find some areas of common ground with our Democrat friends.”
Tea Party conservatives, many of whom argue that the government shutdown last year was a sound strategy, said they were baffled by remarks after the election by Mr. McConnell that the Senate under his control would prioritize policies that Republicans knew Democrats would also support.
Copyright 2014 Liberaland
10 responses to Even After Victory, Tea Party Dividing Republicans
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crc3 November 9th, 2014 at 11:30
Teapublicans will never do the right thing. So much infighting only creates stalemates and obstructionism. There will be little legislation passed in the next two years because the Repulsives have no answers…
crc3 November 9th, 2014 at 12:30
Teapublicans will never do the right thing. So much infighting only creates stalemates and obstructionism. There will be little legislation passed in the next two years because the Repulsives have no answers…
Foundryman November 9th, 2014 at 12:06
“Despite Republicans’ ascension to Senate control and an expanded House majority….”
It’s not ‘despite’…it’s because of. Teabaggers believe they are responsible for the republican majorities. They are pushing for what they think is their right or legacy. People forget that the Kochs plan when they created the tparty was to divide and conquer.
So far, the left has failed to fight back, let’s hope that changes soon. New Dem leaders anyone???
Foundryman November 9th, 2014 at 13:06
“Despite Republicans’ ascension to Senate control and an expanded House majority….”
It’s not ‘despite’…it’s because of. Teabaggers believe they are responsible for the republican majorities. They are pushing for what they think is their right or legacy. People forget that the Kochs plan when they created the tparty was to divide and conquer.
So far, the left has failed to fight back, let’s hope that changes soon. New Dem leaders anyone???
burqa November 9th, 2014 at 12:23
For years we on the Left have had stronger arguments on many issues because the Right did not do nuance. They would make sweeping stereotypes and superficial arguments that, upon closer examination, were found to be hollow.
We on the Left should not make the same mistake with Republicans. We should distinguish between the Pee Party and what they’re calling the “establishment Republicans.”
In my opinion, the greatest contributor to gridlock in Washington has been a refusal of the Republicans to negotiate, cooperate or compromise. It was a problem before the rise of the Pee Party, but got far, far worse and today we see them leveraging the way they can get their voters to the polls to compel GOP leaders to refuse to work at all with Democrats.
It is in our interest on the Left as well as the national interest to reduce the impact of the Pee Party and to exacerbate the split described in the OP. We need to point out that forcing competing factions to compromise and cooperate is one of the most important building blocks of our system. Since conservative pundits like to wave around the Federalist Papers, we should point them to Federalist #10 and #51.
If a group with a 51% majority compromises with the minority, the result is representation in policy of a far greater percentage of our people. No one gets everything but a lot more than just 51% get something.
burqa November 9th, 2014 at 13:23
For years we on the Left have had stronger arguments on many issues because the Right did not do nuance. They would make sweeping stereotypes and superficial arguments that, upon closer examination, were found to be hollow.
We on the Left should not make the same mistake with Republicans. We should distinguish between the Pee Party and what they’re calling the “establishment Republicans.”
In my opinion, the greatest contributor to gridlock in Washington has been a refusal of the Republicans to negotiate, cooperate or compromise. It was a problem before the rise of the Pee Party, but got far, far worse and today we see them leveraging the way they can get their voters to the polls to compel GOP leaders to refuse to work at all with Democrats.
It is in our interest on the Left as well as the national interest to reduce the impact of the Pee Party and to exacerbate the split described in the OP. We need to point out that forcing competing factions to compromise and cooperate is one of the most important building blocks of our system. Since conservative pundits like to wave around the Federalist Papers, we should point them to Federalist #10 and #51.
If a group with a 51% majority compromises with the minority, the result is representation in policy of a far greater percentage of our people. No one gets everything but a lot more than just 51% get something.
arc99 November 9th, 2014 at 12:26
Boehner and McConnell may be many things, but they are not stupid.
In two short years, America will be voting again in a Presidential election. The Democrats and independents who stayed home last Tuesday will be voting.
Defending 23 Senate seats, the last thing they want is for America to have a two year news cycle of the most extreme elements of their party pushing for impeachment and government shutdowns. Outright repeal of the ACA means that upwards of 9 million people lose their health insurance, creating a perfect campaign commercial for the DNC.
In McConnell’s Kentucky alone, upwards of a half million people have obtained insurance through Kynect, Kynect will disappear if the ACA is repealed. Now maybe the GOP has become so adept at convincing people that voting to cut their own throats is a good idea, the voters of Kentucky will still support Republicans even if it means losing the only health insurance they have access to. Given that many Kentuckians do not know that Kynect is Obamacare, it would not surprise me at all if many of these voters make choices that lead directly to the loss of their health insurance.
It is up to the DNC to inform voters and tell them the truth. Contrary to what McConnell tells you, the end of the ACA means the end of Kynect. It should also be pointed out that Democrats retained control of the Kentucky House of Representatives, so there is hope. Notice how right wingers never call it a mandate when Democrats win. Kentucky has a Democratic governor and a Democratic House of Representatives.
I remember in the aftermath of the 2004 elections which was the only time the GOP won the popular vote in the last six Presidential elections, there was an online USA Today article that highlighted some surprising gains and victories by Democrats at the state and local level. The article concluded that it was a sign that the GOP success might be very short-lived. Of course, this was in the wake of that “Permanent Republican Majority” Karl Rove and Grover Norquist were ranting about. The usual suspects dismissed the article as liberal spin. The GOP has not won a Presidential election since.
http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/elections/kentucky/2014/11/04/ten-kentucky-races-determine-controls-house/18478605/
Democrats hold control of Ky. House
arc99 November 9th, 2014 at 13:26
Boehner and McConnell may be many things, but they are not stupid.
In two short years, America will be voting again in a Presidential election. The Democrats and independents who stayed home last Tuesday will be voting.
Defending 23 Senate seats, the last thing they want is for America to have a two year news cycle of the most extreme elements of their party pushing for impeachment and government shutdowns. Outright repeal of the ACA means that upwards of 9 million people lose their health insurance, creating a perfect campaign commercial for the DNC.
In McConnell’s Kentucky alone, upwards of a half million people have obtained insurance through Kynect, Kynect will disappear if the ACA is repealed. Now maybe the GOP has become so adept at convincing people that voting to cut their own throats is a good idea, the voters of Kentucky will still support Republicans even if it means losing the only health insurance they have access to. Given that many Kentuckians do not know that Kynect is Obamacare, it would not surprise me at all if many of these voters make choices that lead directly to the loss of their health insurance.
It is up to the DNC to inform voters and tell them the truth. Contrary to what McConnell tells you, the end of the ACA means the end of Kynect. It should also be pointed out that Democrats retained control of the Kentucky House of Representatives, so there is hope. Notice how right wingers never call it a mandate when Democrats win. Kentucky has a Democratic governor and a Democratic House of Representatives.
I remember in the aftermath of the 2004 elections which was the only time the GOP won the popular vote in the last six Presidential elections, there was an online USA Today article that highlighted some surprising gains and victories by Democrats at the state and local level. The article concluded that it was a sign that the GOP success might be very short-lived. Of course, this was in the wake of that “Permanent Republican Majority” Karl Rove and Grover Norquist were ranting about. The usual suspects dismissed the article as liberal spin. The GOP has not won a Presidential election since.
http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/elections/kentucky/2014/11/04/ten-kentucky-races-determine-controls-house/18478605/
Democrats hold control of Ky. House
Denise November 9th, 2014 at 15:27
and this surprises who? I am going to sit back with my popcorn and enjoy the show. the tea party members have been divisive for the past 5 years. why should anything change?
Denise November 9th, 2014 at 16:27
and this surprises who? I am going to sit back with my popcorn and enjoy the show. the tea party members have been divisive for the past 5 years. why should anything change?