Columnist Kathleen Parker once again is speaking truths that will not be well received by the lunatic Christofascist/Tea Party elements of the GOP base. The GOP base continues to push for candidates who openly support a Christofascist theocracy and the kicking of the curb of those who are poor and in need, especially, of course, if those poor individuals are non-white. Meanwhile, come the general election, sane and rational people - and those who actual put the Gospel message into practice rather than thumping on their Bibles and then ignoring the message in practice - will view the GOP base's preferred candidates with revulsion. As argued many times on this blog, the Christofascists/Tea Party will be the death of the GOP. Here are excerpts from Parker's column:
If you happen to be one of those who enjoy politics as a blood sport, 2014’s midterm election promises to be a carnival of gore. And that’s just in the Republican Party. Democrats must be giddy.
After ending 2013 with tails tucked, thanks to a series of errors, blunders, glitches and misstatements of true-ish-ness, Democrats were poised to lose control of the Senate. Instead, tea party Republicans seem bent on helping Democrats win.
The formula is familiar by now: Republicans who aren’t conservative enough, meaning they might deign to work with Democrats, are targeted for primary challenges by folks who often couldn’t win a staring contest, much less a statewide election.
One need think back only to Delaware’s Christine O’Donnell, who is not a witch (because she said so) and who in 2010 defeated the primary favorite, then-Rep. Mike Castle, and handed the Senate seat to Democrat Chris Coons, a relatively unknown county executive.
And then there are the 20 or so House members who, applying the brakes to any tactic considered winnable, cover their ears whenever Speaker John Boehner speaks and sing, “La-la-la-la-la-la . . . we can’t hear you!”
This year presents a rare — undeserved, some would say — opportunity for Republicans. It is a make-or-break moment in the crucial debate about where this country is heading and who is going to lead it. Let’s just say, the fat lady is tuning up.
What smart Republicans are aiming for are candidates who can win both a primary and a general election, actual human beings who can appeal to a wide swath of the electorate, not just the purity-proof hard-liners on the right.
But recruiting and training good candidates may not be enough for a Republican Party still dogged by the purity plank. Tea party organizers have vowed to take on more-mainstream candidates, including seven of the 12 Republican incumbents. If a Republican failed to support Cruz’s procedural motion to defund Obamacare (beware, John Cornyn), it’s outsville.
Capito could be Exhibit A when it comes to a winning candidate undermined by her own party. . . . She is a strong advocate for the coal industry and should have no trouble securing her party’s nomination. She is also favored to win the general election against Secretary of State Natalie Tennant.Except. Guess who doesn’t like Capito?
The conservative Club for Growth and the Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC), which calls itself the “conscience of the Republican Party.”
Despite having tailwinds at their back, Republicans stand to lose to proud purists while Democrats, feet up, admire the shine on their shoes. To put it kindly, pride in losing does little to contradict Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s observation that the GOP needs to “stop being the stupid party.”
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