itshappening
11-17-2012, 03:17 PM
Here we go. The GOP wants to hand pick Senate candidates. We must fight them !
-----
WASHINGTON—Republican leaders in the Senate, frustrated by losing seats they thought they could win, are preparing to play a more assertive role in primary races, in consultation with the tea party and other conservative activists.
The strategy reflects a change from the 2012 election, in which Senate GOP leaders took a relatively hands-off approach to party primaries. Now, Senate leadership is likely to back a favored candidate in certain cases, as it had done in 2010 and before, but to take the new step of bringing activists into the conversation about potential nominees early.
The tea party has been both a confounding force and source of energy for the GOP. It has lifted some of the GOP's top stars into power, among them Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, but also has helped nominate candidates who were not strong enough to survive the general election. Strategists in both parties cite five Senate races in the past two election cycles that Democrats won at least in part because the GOP primary elevated a candidate who struggled in the general election.
The Senate GOP this week chose Sen. Jerry Moran (R., Kan.) to coordinate their 2014 campaigns, with an assist from Texas Sen.-elect Ted Cruz, who has close ties to the tea party.
The two conservative lawmakers, with help on fundraising from Sen. Rob Portman (R., Ohio), are tasked with reaching out to tea party and other activists. They hope to avoid the nomination of candidates such as Missouri Rep. Todd Akin, who GOP leaders believe cost them a Senate seat with controversial comments about rape.
"You have to fix the problem and get better candidates," said a Senate GOP aide. "We need a clear discussion at the beginning on who are conservatives that can win and who are bad candidates.…You have to collaborate with conservatives on the front end."
Mr. Moran said in an interview that ending up with better candidates would be a big part of his job. "This is a significant issue, and we'll spend time as Republican senators talking about it," he said. "My view is, if we decide to engage in a primary, before we do that we need to have consensus and input and conversation from people back in the state we're talking about."
Strategists in both parties believe the GOP lost races in part because primary voters picked weak candidates in several cases in 2010 and 2012. In addition to Mr. Akin, they included Christine O'Donnell in Delaware, who had once said she "dabbled in witchcraft," and Sharron Angle in Nevada, who lost a 2010 race to Majority Leader Harry Reid. In Indiana this year, Richard Mourdock lost a Senate race after making his own controversial comments on rape.
After last week's election, GOP leaders initially asked Mr. Rubio to head the National Republican Senatorial Committee, given his role as a high-profile Hispanic and his ties to conservatives. They also asked Mr. Portman, who has experience winning in a swing state. Both declined, but Mr. Portman will be a deputy to Mr. Moran.
Mr. Cruz, who was elected Nov. 6 and has yet to take office, is a favorite of conservative activists, and he defeated an establishment-backed rival, Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, in a Republican primary.
Democrats dismiss the notion that politicians from Texas and Kansas can help Republicans win in swing states.
"It's music to my ears if they really believe that," said Matt Canter, spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "From what I know about the tea party, or the extreme of the Republican base, what makes them go crazy is the notion of the Washington establishment telling them who their nominee should be."
Democrats noted that even when GOP leaders got the more mainstream candidates they wanted this year, such as former Gov. Tommy Thompson in Wisconsin, they often lost, anyway. The GOP's deeper problem, Mr. Canter said, is that its positions on Medicare, immigration and other issues turn off many voters.
The Republicans' recruitment challenge in many ways originated with the 2010 election, when GOP leaders endorsed then-Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida, a centrist, over Mr. Rubio for a Senate seat. That backfired badly, as conservatives were furious, Mr. Rubio won the race, and Mr. Crist left the party.
GOP leaders now say they over-learned that lesson, taking a hands-off approach ever since that has yielded candidates such as Mr. Akin. Republicans were confident of defeating Sen. Claire McCaskill (D., Mo.) until Mr. Akin said women's bodies could reject unwanted pregnancies in cases of "legitimate rape," a comment that precipitated a plunge in the polls. Mr. Akin apologized for his comment, but never recovered from it.
In Missouri and other states, Democrats played a bigger role in choosing the Republican nominee than Senate GOP leaders did, by running ads in the GOP primary aimed at bolstering Mr. Akin, who they thought would be easier to defeat.
Republicans lost two Senate seats this year, giving Democrats a 55-45 majority. GOP leaders hope 2014 will be better, partly because the president's party often loses seats in his second midterm, and partly because several Democrats face re-election from GOP-leaning states, including Kay Hagan (D., N.C.) and Tim Johnson (D., S.D.).
Democrats have asked Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado to head their 2014 campaign efforts, though he has not yet accepted. He is a more traditional choice than Mr. Moran, coming from a swing state where he won a hard-fought election in 2010.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324595904578123381062641370.html?m od=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories
-
-----
WASHINGTON—Republican leaders in the Senate, frustrated by losing seats they thought they could win, are preparing to play a more assertive role in primary races, in consultation with the tea party and other conservative activists.
The strategy reflects a change from the 2012 election, in which Senate GOP leaders took a relatively hands-off approach to party primaries. Now, Senate leadership is likely to back a favored candidate in certain cases, as it had done in 2010 and before, but to take the new step of bringing activists into the conversation about potential nominees early.
The tea party has been both a confounding force and source of energy for the GOP. It has lifted some of the GOP's top stars into power, among them Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, but also has helped nominate candidates who were not strong enough to survive the general election. Strategists in both parties cite five Senate races in the past two election cycles that Democrats won at least in part because the GOP primary elevated a candidate who struggled in the general election.
The Senate GOP this week chose Sen. Jerry Moran (R., Kan.) to coordinate their 2014 campaigns, with an assist from Texas Sen.-elect Ted Cruz, who has close ties to the tea party.
The two conservative lawmakers, with help on fundraising from Sen. Rob Portman (R., Ohio), are tasked with reaching out to tea party and other activists. They hope to avoid the nomination of candidates such as Missouri Rep. Todd Akin, who GOP leaders believe cost them a Senate seat with controversial comments about rape.
"You have to fix the problem and get better candidates," said a Senate GOP aide. "We need a clear discussion at the beginning on who are conservatives that can win and who are bad candidates.…You have to collaborate with conservatives on the front end."
Mr. Moran said in an interview that ending up with better candidates would be a big part of his job. "This is a significant issue, and we'll spend time as Republican senators talking about it," he said. "My view is, if we decide to engage in a primary, before we do that we need to have consensus and input and conversation from people back in the state we're talking about."
Strategists in both parties believe the GOP lost races in part because primary voters picked weak candidates in several cases in 2010 and 2012. In addition to Mr. Akin, they included Christine O'Donnell in Delaware, who had once said she "dabbled in witchcraft," and Sharron Angle in Nevada, who lost a 2010 race to Majority Leader Harry Reid. In Indiana this year, Richard Mourdock lost a Senate race after making his own controversial comments on rape.
After last week's election, GOP leaders initially asked Mr. Rubio to head the National Republican Senatorial Committee, given his role as a high-profile Hispanic and his ties to conservatives. They also asked Mr. Portman, who has experience winning in a swing state. Both declined, but Mr. Portman will be a deputy to Mr. Moran.
Mr. Cruz, who was elected Nov. 6 and has yet to take office, is a favorite of conservative activists, and he defeated an establishment-backed rival, Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, in a Republican primary.
Democrats dismiss the notion that politicians from Texas and Kansas can help Republicans win in swing states.
"It's music to my ears if they really believe that," said Matt Canter, spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "From what I know about the tea party, or the extreme of the Republican base, what makes them go crazy is the notion of the Washington establishment telling them who their nominee should be."
Democrats noted that even when GOP leaders got the more mainstream candidates they wanted this year, such as former Gov. Tommy Thompson in Wisconsin, they often lost, anyway. The GOP's deeper problem, Mr. Canter said, is that its positions on Medicare, immigration and other issues turn off many voters.
The Republicans' recruitment challenge in many ways originated with the 2010 election, when GOP leaders endorsed then-Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida, a centrist, over Mr. Rubio for a Senate seat. That backfired badly, as conservatives were furious, Mr. Rubio won the race, and Mr. Crist left the party.
GOP leaders now say they over-learned that lesson, taking a hands-off approach ever since that has yielded candidates such as Mr. Akin. Republicans were confident of defeating Sen. Claire McCaskill (D., Mo.) until Mr. Akin said women's bodies could reject unwanted pregnancies in cases of "legitimate rape," a comment that precipitated a plunge in the polls. Mr. Akin apologized for his comment, but never recovered from it.
In Missouri and other states, Democrats played a bigger role in choosing the Republican nominee than Senate GOP leaders did, by running ads in the GOP primary aimed at bolstering Mr. Akin, who they thought would be easier to defeat.
Republicans lost two Senate seats this year, giving Democrats a 55-45 majority. GOP leaders hope 2014 will be better, partly because the president's party often loses seats in his second midterm, and partly because several Democrats face re-election from GOP-leaning states, including Kay Hagan (D., N.C.) and Tim Johnson (D., S.D.).
Democrats have asked Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado to head their 2014 campaign efforts, though he has not yet accepted. He is a more traditional choice than Mr. Moran, coming from a swing state where he won a hard-fought election in 2010.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324595904578123381062641370.html?m od=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories
-