Mitch McConnell: No Tea Party Wacko Birds in 2016
“Nominate people who can win”
Having just won reelection to his Senate seat for a sixth term in 2014, Mitch McConnell is back to making comments such as the one he made last year about his plans for “crushing” the TEA Party.
This time, McConnell is announcing that he will ensure that no GOP candidate who “can’t win” will be allowed to run for the U. S. Senate.
“The way you have a good election year is to nominate people who can win,” he told reporters during his final Capitol Hill press conference of 2015.
He urged Republican primary voters to avoid the mistakes of the past, mentioning several Tea Party candidates who went down in flames in recent Senate elections.
“What we did in 2014 was we didn’t have more Christine O’Donnell’s, Sharron Angles, Richard Mourdocks or Todd Akins. The people that were nominated [last year] were electable,” he said of the last midterm cycle.
“That will happen again in 2016. We will not nominate anybody for the United States Senate on the Republican side who’s not appealing to a general-election audience,” he added.
While Christine O’Donnell and Todd Akin were certainly not ideal candidates, Sharron Angle was a much better candidate (not ideal, but better). Indeed, in the days leading up to the 2010 Nevada election, Angle was beating Reid in the polls by several points; imagine how well she might have done had the establishment backed her rather than attacked her (I prefer not to imagine what the past five years might have been like with no Reid in the Senate . . . it’s just too depressing to contemplate).
McConnell also fails to note the Tea Party candidates—or those supported by the Tea Party—who won Senate seats in 2010: Scott Brown, Mike Lee, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, and Tim Scott. And he fails to mention those who won Senate seats in 2012 and in 2014: Ted Cruz, Deb Fischer, Tom Cotton, Joni Ernst, Kelly Ayote., et al Granted, some of these have been all too happy to move away from their campaign promises and Tea Party principles, but their elections still “count.”
It’s also worth noting here that the Tea Party candidate McConnell defeated in the 2014 Kentucky Republican primary, Matt Bevin, is now the governor of Kentucky.
He also fails to note the establishment candidates who lost their Senate races in 2010, 2012, and 2014 (this isn’t counting the many who “retired”): John Raese, Scott Brown (by 2012 Brown was no longer supported by the Tea Party), Tommy Thompson, et al.
And it’s not just the Senate that McConnell wants to “protect” from the Tea Party (from a leadership position he wouldn’t have without them), he’s also interested in ensuring that only an “electable” Republican win the GOP presidential nomination.
The Hill continues:
McConnell said the same standard applies to the presidential race, reiterating a statement he made earlier in the week.
“We’d like to have a nominee who can carry purple states because unless the nominee for president can carry purple states, he’s not going to get elected,” he said.
It was a veiled shot at the GOP presidential front-runners: Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Ben Carson.
I’m certainly not surprised by this; he’s establishment, and this has been the GOPe strategy for (at least) the last two presidential election cycles.
Presidents McCain and Romney were unavailable for comment on McConnell’s iteration of the same strategy that propelled them into the Oval Office.
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
And Mitch is the one who decides who is “electable” and who is not.
That’s what really matters about this. Not the alleged criteria but the guy who decides.
He needs to be encouraged to retire.
McConnell needs to be given two choices: 1. Retire such that his replacement can be voted on in the 2016 election. Or, 2. be voted out as the GOP Senate leader.
This RINO needs to start thinking about escaping from DC with his reputation, such as it is, intact.
I would offer a third option, one that I lean towards, which would be s forcible removal involving tar and feathers…
McConnell will not leave voluntarily, and there’s nothing we can do about it directly. I don’t think KY has a recall option for US Senators. The only thing we can do is to kick his supporters out, cycle-by-cycle until Mitch decides to “spend more time with his family” in 2020.
Primary the GOP establishment candidates in every race, and if they still win, vote for the Democrat.
It’ll hurt a bit, but the redder the state the easier it will be to replace the incumbent Democrat next cycle.
Time to stop screwing around with these parasites.
Read the Founders. They were pretty explicit about the recall provision in the penumbra of the Second Amendment.
The Democrats had more respect for their segregationist Senators in the 1950’s and 1960’s than the Republicans do for the “Tea Party”.
I have never seen a US political party so dismissive and disrespectful of its own supporters.
People who can win Mitch. You man like McCain and Romney?
what’s he going to do when President Trump tells him to FOAD?
He will do what he always does vote with the democrats.
Honestly? He’ll vote with the Democrats and the other GOPe whores to remove Trump via impeachment. Same with Cruz.
Here’s a better idea, Vichy Mitchy: you STFU and we don’t decide any candidate who doesn’t denounce you is a prime candidate for tarring and feathering.
Todd Akin, for the sake of truthfulness, was NOT EVER a TEA party guy.
But ALSO for the sake of truthfulness, MoooConnell himself and Cornyn in Texas RAN like they were. So did McAnus.
I remember voting for Cornyn only to vote against his Dem opponent David Alameel. I keep telling myself that it would be even worse if Alameel had won. I keep telling myself because it is hard sell and getting harder. I knew Cornyn was a liar then but he is also a traitor now. Primaries are sooo important.
It is going to all work out. Mitch McConnell says that he will make sure no candidate supported by the TEA Party gets elected. Fine.
We [the TEA Party plus those Republicans who finally realize how badly the “Government’s Other Party” has screwed us and will continue to screw us] will make sure that no candidate supported by you and the “Government’s Other Party” gets elected.
You will do your bit by decree and control of the Party. We will do ours by never again contributing to your party, never again working in a campaign for your party and candidates, and never again voting for your party and candidates.
That last Omnibus Surrender Bill was the Temporary Restraining Order until we can make the divorce final.
Unless the Republican Party wants to consider itself “Democrat-light”, folks such as McConnell, Ryan, etc, must be dispensed with. Jeff Sessions a couple of days ago referred to voters as “in open rebellion”.
Unfortunately, voters are not in open rebellion, as Ryan, McConnell, and their ilk are still alive. They should be given the opportunity to resign or else. Until “voters” come to Washington and deal out consequences, little will change. Criminals need to die.
The GOPe is well past “Democrat lite”; they’re full-bore Democrats in all but name.
Mitch McConnell can kiss the wacko bird’s ass. And I’m not even a Republican. Sadly, neither is McConnell.
It sure would be a shame if this prick suffered an ‘exercise accident’ like Harry Reid did.
I’m glad Tommy Thompson was mentioned. He is so totally establishment Republican. He and another fellow of the establishment type crowded a TEA party type out in the primary, and then he lost the only openly lesbian in the House, now Senator Tammy Baldwin. This is in the state of Wisconsin, which elected Scott Walker Governor. How did that work out for us?
Let’s see, this decrepit dinosaur called us “wacko birds”. Is this the guy Ted Cruz called a liar? Keep going Senator Cruz, keep going.
I know God promised no more Great Floods, but DC needs a good douching in the worst way.
I’m sorry that I cannot be kinder here but, Suck it, Turtle boy!
Perhaps I missed it but did Mitch say why we should elect GOPe type republicans? I ask because it appears to me that the Dems are running D.C. and to do that, they would have to be the majority. Oh, maybe they are since we have D-Dems and R-Dems.
First job, primary Ryan. Failing that, vote for his opponent. Same for every other GOPe type.
… because voting for Democrats is a surefire way to put the country on the path of sound conservative governance.
Mostly likely you imagine you’d be “sending a message” to someone. But the only clear “message” to be found in a vote for Democrats is that you prefer their policies. Nobody’s going to care whether you might have intended it to mean the opposite.
OK, then find a third party candidate you can support and vote for him/her/or it.
“Mostly likely you imagine you’d be “sending a message” to someone.”
I don’t imagine anything you GOPe bootlicker.
Voting for the GOPe put us where we are. The GOPe policy and the D policy are the same. They are two factions of the same ruling class party, nothing more.
The only way to break that stranglehold is to throw them out of office, burn it down.
Scares you doesn’t it.
Absolutely. The GOP will never change until all these GOPe morons are gone one way or another. Even if that means vot8bg for their democrat opponents.
“The way you have a good election year is to nominate people who can win,” he says.
And by “win” I guess McConnell means “fit in with our exclusive club of world-class grifters inside the Beltway.”
Whatever. The GOP jumped the shark once and for all yesterday. What conservative could vote Republican now, unless he knows that the candidate really is one of the few who is conservative?
Poor McConnell. He has no idea what’s coming.
“they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind”
Really beginning to tick me off.
Advice from the least popular senator in the United States – in his own state!
What a POS.
And here’s how I respond to Mr. McConnell: Fuck you. You’ve learned nothing.
I pity the NRSCC guy that calls me again.
I’ve never had a call from an NRSCC guy.
Of course, it’s been almost 40 years since I was dumb enough to give money to the Republican Party.
Well since Mitch hasn’t posted a win in years does that mean we can get rid of him first?
I think someone has earned himself a big stocking full of reindeer poo covered coal for Christmas! Let’s hope Kentucky rejects him next time he’s up for election!
McConnell is the poster boy for the necessity to repeal the 17th amendment
Very sound advice, Mr. Senate Majority Leader. Let’s elect more budget busting, amnesty lovin’, treasury printing, reach across the aisle, RINO squishes who have a tin ear when it comes to what the great majority of American voters want.
Say, Mitch. You’re not afraid of the Tea Party, are ya?
Mitch’s buddy McCain is up for re-election in 2016. If he wins the primary I will be voting for the democrat. There really will be no difference anyway and McCain would be just like sending Harry Reid back to the senate.
Some of the party insiders are trying to get an “anybody but McCain” resolution passed by the state or Maricopa county GOP, but the establishment is using procedural rules to thwart it. The work is still ongoing though.
I’m with you there. Dr. Ward from LHC may be our best hope – she’s announced. And you hit the nail on the head – the GOPe needs to get the message that if they’re going to be nothing but Democrats in elephant hats there is no reason whatsoever to vote for them. Doing so does nothing but frustrate us. Much as I despise them, at least the Dems do what they say they’re gonna do. Republicans, not so much.
Exactly correct. I have never voted democrat in my life and think they are horrible for the country but Mitch McConnell and tge GOPe are also terrible for the country. I will be voting democrat against McConnell’s assistant Cornyn next chance I get. If the republican party treats Trump unfairly I will vote straight democrat in every election until either I or the republican party cease to exist. If Trump or Cruz win nomination and the GOP fails to provude full enthusiastic emotional support I will split my vote. I will vote for Trump/Cruz and straight democrat for all other races.
I’ve been wishing McConnell, McCain, Graham et al dead since 2005/2006, now I am just a hair from wishing the entire republican party dead.
After giving away the store in the omnibus spending bill, McConnell needs to tell us what would have been different if the Democrats controlled the Senate? Hint: Nothing.