PrintCuccinelli Only the Latest Conservative Candidate Targeted by G.O.P.
The Republican establishment continues to undercut the campaigns of conservative candidates. Ken Cuccinelli was just the latest.
In early 2013, a Texas-based Tea Party website posted a series of articles that documented how the G.O.P. establishment, at the county, state and national levels, had worked against six candidates supported by Tea Party organizations -- five running for House seats, and one G.O.P. nominee for a U.S. Senate seat.
A seventh case detailed how the Chair of the Illinois State Republican Central Committee was chosen. It illustrates the "Illinois Combine" - the bipartisan collaborative formula going national these days.
The introductions for each installment, plus portions of the conclusions, are posted below beneath the links.
In three of the seven cases (2, 3, & 4) the real names of the candidates were withheld at their request.
I wrote all of the articles after speaking with the candidates and/or their campaign chair.
1. Pennsylvania 12th Congressional House race
Introduction: "Pennsylvania State Republican Party (PSRP) officials did not want William 'Bill' Russell running for the 12th Congressional District after Democrat Congressman John Murtha died on February 8, 2010, after serving 34 years in the House.
Beyond general anecdotal comments to the effect that Russell was "too conservative," party officials never said why they didn't want him.
Conclusion: "The PSRP establishment picked businessman Tim Burns to represent the Party in the Special Election. Burns had co-founded, and eventually sold, TechRx - a pharmaceutical technology company.
In the Special Election on May 18, Burns was defeated by the Democrat candidate, Mark Critz, a former Murtha aide. Critz completed Murtha's term and was the incumbent for the November election. At the polls, the official Republican establishment position was to 'Vote for Tim Burns twice,' as if Burns was the endorsed candidate in both races. That was not accurate, but the party establishment worked hard to send the message that Burns was the only approved Republican candidate. Luksik [Russell's campaign chair] states that, 'They did not want Bill. Period. End.' In the November election, Critz beat Burns 52.6% - 45.1%."
2. Northeast U.S. House race
http://www.teaparty911.com/blog/the-nrcc-shuns-a-republican-tea-party-backed-house-candidate/
Introduction: "While running as a Republican for the U.S. House of Representatives, Chris Wolfe found out that those presumed to be political allies can be neutral, if not downright adversarial.
Chris ran as an experienced local politician in a contested primary election and beat the G.O.P. candidate chosen by the county and state Republican establishment.
It happened in a Congressional District where the long-time incumbent Democrat was the odds-on favorite to win re-election. So it wasn't a case where G.O.P. officials assumed they were picking the next member of Congress from that district, and that the winner need only be able to fog a mirror."
Conclusion: "Chris has been an effective political official at the local and county level; is exceptionally well-educated; and enjoys a successful professional career. Add to that, Chris is skilled at articulating conservative principles.
Illustrations of those communication skills can be accessed on YouTube, but don't Google 'Chris Wolfe'. It's a fictitious name...for a true story. The G.O.P. establishment, across the board, chose not to support Chris because Chris puts voters and principles that happen to be shared by the Tea Party, first.
In a deep, dark, blue state, it's hard to defeat an incumbent Democrat.
It's just about impossible when those we would presume to be political allies are neutral, if not adversarial."
3. G.O.P. Tea Party-backed Republican Nominee for the U.S. Senate
Introduction: "Persons associated with the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) recommended that a G.O.P. primary-elected candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2010 engage the services of six key campaign staffers who proved to be, at a minimum, non-productive, according to a reliable source with first-hand knowledge of the inner-workings of the candidate's campaign. According to the source, the staffers came 'highly recommended' by the NRSC."
Addendum: The Democrat Senator was re-elected. These events were not included in the original posting: (1) After the Tea Party backed candidate won the G.O.P. primary race, the candidate met with Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. In a private conversation, McConnell said to the candidate, "I know how Senator (Democrat incumbent) thinks, but I don't know how you think." (2) One of the staffers recommended by the NRSC was discovered rifling through campaign HQ files in the middle of the night using an unauthorized key. U.S. Senator John Cornyn chaired the NRSC at the time. (3) The Democrat Senator was re-elected.
4. Congressional House race in a Texas district
Introduction: "In a Republican primary run-off election for an open U.S. House of Representatives seat in a red state, the National Republican Congressional Committee (HRCC), and the G.O.P. state organization, leaned heavily toward the candidate chosen by the G.O.P. establishment to be the winner." We'll call the Tea Party candidate "Williamson."
Conclusion: "When asked if the NRCC provides funding assistance to Republican candidates in contested House primary elections, Daniel Scarpinato, NRCC Press Secretary, said, 'We don't get involved in primaries. Period.'
There's no reason to doubt the literal veracity of Scarpinato's statement. There's no public record of campaign contributions to Williamson's opponent written against NRCC accounts before the votes in the run-off election were counted. But there are other avenues through which to funnel deposits into a candidate's campaign via contributions from G.O.P.-friendly political action committees (PACs), and loyal, individual Republican contributors called upon to support a particular cause or candidate.
Vastly out-spent, Williamson made a respectable showing in the run-off election, but lost.
Today, the G.O.P. establishment-backed candidate sits in the U.S. House of Representatives, deeply beholden to the party apparatus that chose the winner and, thereby, the loser.
Robin Williamson is a fictitious name, but the story is real. And it's not the only one like it."
5. Michigan 11th District House race
Introduction: "The local Republican establishment in the 11th Michigan Congressional District didn't want Kerry Bentivolio to be their candidate for Congress, so they did all they could to confound his campaign. In the end, their efforts failed. On November 6, 2012, he was elected to Congress."
Conclusion: "The term of respect for Kerry Bentivolio's service with the U.S. Army in Vietnam was, and is, 'Grunt.' Grunts there humped a pack, slept on the ground, and carried an M-16 rifle. As a Grunt, Bentivolio came under enemy ground fire, which is why he received the C.I.B. (Combat Infantryman Badge). He earned it by being shot at.
As a Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from the 11th District of Michigan, Bentivolio came under fire again. This time, though, the lion's share of incoming came from inside the perimeter."
6. Nevada 2nd District House race
Introduction: "Since 1789, the U.S. House of Representatives, the Peoples' House, has been elected directly by the citizens. In Nevada, that's no longer true. In September 2011, the party elite of the Nevada State GOP Central Committee changed We the People to We the Party, and set a dangerous precedent by appointing its own chairman to represent the 2nd Congressional District of Nevada.
Suitably, the story of how it happened begins with infidelity."
Conclusion:
"1. There was no legal requirement for Governor Sandoval to call a special election. That suggests a political motive as the reason for applying an election law in a situation that did not match the law's intent.
2. The people of the 2nd Congressional District of Nevada did not select their representative in the special election of September 13, 2011. The privilege of that selection was exercised by the apparatchiks of the Nevada State GOP Central Committee.
3. A significant percentage of the voting "central committee" did not live in the 2nd CD. That represented the disenfranchisement of the voting rights of all those who did live within the 2nd CD.
4. What happened is not how the Framers of the Constitution of the United States of America intended for representatives to the Peoples' House to be chosen.
In short, the deck was stacked."
7. Illinois G.O.P. Central Committee - The "Illinois Combine"
Introduction: "On June 1, 2013, the Illinois State Republican Central Committee (IRCC) elected John 'Jack' Dorgan as its Chair and showed how 'The Combine' works.
In Illinois, there's only one political party. It's The Combine -- the collaborative combination of Democrat and Republican politicians and party officials who work together to harvest the taxpayers' money.
The Tea Party organizations in Illinois are up against The Combine. Understanding what that means requires understanding what The Combine is, and how it operates."
Conclusion: "In Illinois there are not really two political parties. There's just one - The Combine. There are, of course, individual exceptions - Senator Peter Fitzgerald was one. Bucking The Combine, though, is not a career enhancement move for any politician, regardless of party branding.
After he was elected as the new Chair of the Illinois Republican State Central Committee, John 'Jack' Dorgan said he wanted the GOP to be a 'big tent' party.
The real big tent is The Combine. And the question that Tea Party organizations face in Illinois is this: Where in Dorgan's big tent is there room for them?"
Summary: The G.O.P. establishment's unwillingness to aggressively back the candidacy of Ken Cuccinelli is just the latest example of the party's attempt to purge its more conservative wing by undercutting the candidacy of conservatives - before they're even elected.
