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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

Steele Might Aid Primary Challengers

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  February 24th, 2009 at 11:52 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Wow. Well done, Michael Steele.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele says that he might support primary challengers against the three GOP senators who voted in favor of the stimulus package.

Asked if he was open to the move during an interview Monday on Fox News’ “Your World with Neil Cavuto,” Steele said, “Oh, yes, I’m always open to everything, baby, absolutely.”

Let’s be clear. This won’t actually happen. There are far too many institutional pressures and rules to make it possible. But signaling that he’d be open to it is enough to encourage a primary opponent and sends a strong message to Arlen Specter.

Specter is, after all, the only one of the three turncoats up for re-election in 2010.

We should, however, be mindful that as much as we don’t like Arlen Specter on 70% of issues, he is still a Republican vote for Republican leadership in the Senate and he knows how to slit Democrat throats with the best of them.

Arlen is in it for himself, not for the party or the voters. He does, however, line up with us on some of the big stuff. That’s to say he’d be worse than a Pat Toomey or most any other Republican, but he’s still better than any Democrat.

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COMMENTS

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  • JadedByPolitics

    …

  • Rod_Patrick

    It would be something like an “ounce of prevention”.

    But too late for that. The Bill was passed and signed and is now ready to create financial and economic havoc….. stagflation.

  • DavidSage

    The last time Arlen went through a tough primary, it scared him straight for a while. Every RINO needs to have the threat hanging over their head that they’ll be replaced.

    If there is a credible challenger out there, and the establishment gets behind him, Arlen’s career as a US Senator will be over. That fear will make him think twice before he makes deals with Obama and the Democrats. My guess is you won’t see Arlen so eager to give his support to future Obama stimilus and TARP -type bills from here on out.

    I’ll take my chances with a less “electable” Republican challenger than put up with Arlen’s antics.

  • http://conservative-and-proud.blogspot.com/ eschristian

    (Steele came up with Drill baby Drill) ; )

    that is fund the opponents against the RINO’s of course (but please make sure REAL conservatives run against the RINO’s)

  • RJD

    Arlen is in it for himself, not for the party or the voters. He does, however, line up with us on some of the big stuff. That?s to say he?d be worse than a Pat Toomey or most any other Republican, but he?s still better than any Democrat.

    – emphasis mine.

    then the quote above raises serious issues. Can Specter be trusted to back up Republican strategies and principals from here on out?
    If not, then he needs to go and the GOP establishment needs to help him out the door.

    Is Specter (and his ilk) the problem? Part of the problem? Or not important to the overall fundamental weakness being displayed by the Republican Party and brand at this moment.

    When is it not enough to just show up not be the other guy?

  • katesmith

    I recall when Specter was last running the Bush admin. campaigned hard for Specter and against the challenger.Unfortunate for the much more conservative candidate who eventually lost. I don’t know all the details on the guy who lost, but how bad could he be compared to Specter?

  • Spartan4Life

    Senator McCain apparently couldn’t stand the prosperity of his performance on the Porkulous. He and his buddy Susan Collins looked ptifully small yesterday raising there hands to get called on at the Obama revival meeting yesterday. If the GOP was smart, they’d sit out this dog and pony show tonight.

    At the poker table, if you do don’t know who is getting played then it is you. I wonder who Senator McCain thought was getting played.

  • itrytobenice

    Their argument at the time was that he was not as electable, as they believe PA is turning blue, but yes, he was a much more consistent and lucid Republican.

  • jimmuy8

    When that 30% is our brand that he’s going against? Sorry, it’s the “better than the Democrat” thinking that got us in the state we’re in.

    Name me a Democrat who is their Specter, Collins or Snowe. You can’t.

    There was one: Lieberman–and they kicked his butt out!

    That’s why they are in power and we are navel gazing telling ourselves some is better than none.

    And the mention of how there is too much stacked against him to ever make the threat realistic? That is why the GOP will get beaten like a drum in 2010. I don’t care if there are soup lines a mile long in every town–the GOP is not, will not, and cannot position itself to return to any sort of electoral success so long as we keep on keepin’ on, with the same turds that got us here, with the same crappy thinking.

    I’ll say it again: The GOP is positioning themselves to be beaten like a drum–again–in 2010.

  • E Pluribus Unum

    Both George W Bush and then-Senator Rick Santorum endorsed the Great Sphincter. I don’t know that they, per se, otherwise campaigned against Toomey, but endorse Specter they did indeed.

  • E Pluribus Unum

    No. Uh uh.

  • Spartan4Life

    Sit there with blank looks on their faces? Polite applause? Derision?

    I think they should boo. I think the mood in the country right now is very hostile towards everything the Democrat party is doing.

  • Brian Hibbert

    I’m generally of the opinion that the RNC should stay out of primaries, but in this case I wholly support the idea.

  • ZootSuit

    Endorse Specter over Toomey?

    A bit of a rhetorical question because I do understand the politics of the situation but still we must question when conservative politicians like Rick Santorum (and believe it or not, I am not questioning Santorum’s conservatism here) support liberals/moderates like Arlen Specter over other solid conservatives like Pat Toomey.

    Michael Steele is looking good at the moment!

  • jwebb

    I called Specter’s office after the cloture vote and told them that a further vote for the Porkulus bill would result in my time and money going to anyone running against Specter. Another R in the primary (hopefully) and if that didn’t work, his Democrat opponent in the general.
    Specter needs to lose his job. Period.

  • RJD

    Ultimately, to answer the Specter question, we need to ask and answer the following:
    What does it mean to be a Republican? What does it mean to be a Conservative? What does it mean to be a Conservative in the Republican Party?

    Finding candidates that can campaign as a Conservative isn’t enough. We need candidates that will govern as Conservatives. The whole “actions speak louder than words” philosophy.

  • E Pluribus Unum

    was that the Bushies leaned on Santorum very hard to do so. The Rovian strategy, just win the seat. And it’s true, Specter was an absolute lock to win the general election, where polls had Toomey trailing the Dem guy. My guess is that they strong-armed Santorum with that logic – “you’ll cost us that seat if you endorse Toomey or sit it out”.

    At the time we were down 49-51, and we ended up getting a net 6 to go 55-45, although in Jan-Feb-March 2004 that was hardly something to bank on.

  • AceInTX

    He does, however, line up with us on some of the big stuff. That?s to say he?d be worse than a Pat Toomey or most any other Republican, but he?s still better than any Democrat.

    We need to stop settling for “he’s better than the Democrats”…that’s what we got from McCain! Where did that get us?

    Specter isn’t any better than the Democrats…in fact there are several Democrats that have higher ACU ratings than he does! Yeah he is a reliable Republican Vote for leadership in the Senate…but what purpose does that serve except to make sure that those in Senate Republican leadership are moderate to left leaning…

    No more settling and so long Arlen if I have anything to say about it!

  • AceInTX

    there is more bailout and stimulus money to come and Snarlen Arlen will be there to work his magic.

    The sooner he’s gone the better…I don’t care at this point if he does end up being replaced by a Democrat!

  • olsmithie

    That must be some rusty knife!

    I can’t remember the last time it was used.

    Respectfully Eric, Specter is not better than nothing. The damage he has done to the party transcends his seat.

    He has no honor.

    Specter must go regardless, even if it loses a seat. (And it may not.)

    Does really matter if it is Specter voting against us, or some Demoncrat? He can never be counted on, some cancer research money was enough to buy his vote this time. (And I’m sorry for his health problems, but even that is no excuse for betraying principle.)

    Regards

  • AceInTX

    His ACU Rating is a whopping 40% Conservative voting record for 2007, 43% in 2006 and a 44.56% lifetime rating! To say he is a RINO is to be charitable!

    Snowe and Collins are even worse…

    Collins had a 36%% ACU Rating in 2007, 48% in 2006 and a lifetime rating of 52.25%…I guess she voted a tad more conservative for her first term in office to have herself above 50 % after voting in the 30s and 40s over the last two years!

    Snowe? What a Republican Stalwart she is…and a reliable vote for the caucus…28% in 2007 and 36% in 2006. Her lifetime is 49.12%…I guess she really turns on the conservative charm every 6 years given the fact that she’s still near 50% despite voting in the 20s and 30s the last two years?

    Seriously…what do they bring to the table for us?

  • mbecker908

    That would be, like, ahhh, maybe, let’s see… Oh yeah. Stuff like reducing the size and scope of government. And he’s always with us on issues relating to life. And traditional marriage. And he did a great job working with President Bush getting judicial nominees out of committee and on the floor for votes. And let’s not forget the stand up job he did on the Bush tax cuts.

  • AceInTX

    Specter made a half assed show of supporting Santorum in 2006 during his losing run by way of thanks…what a guy aye?

  • AceInTX

    the Great Sphincter!!!

    Classic EPU!!!

  • AceInTX

    Michael Steele is looking good at the moment!

    I was an early critic and Steele doubter because of past affiliations and debates…but I like what I see no!

    Go Mike Go!!!

  • AceInTX
  • JustLeaveMeAlone

    Yanno what — I really don’t want to hear about “institutional pressures and rules”, etc. Toss the dang rulebook out!

    I want someone to grow a friggin’ pair and say ENOUGH.

    If we had something remotely resembling leadership, we’d follow. We WANT a leader. I’m tired of people telling me why it won’t work (nothing personal, Erick — I’m not shooting the messenger, just the message).

    News Flash: what we’ve been doing didn’t work, has never worked, isn’t working now, and won’t work in the future.

    For God’s sake — for the Constitution’s sake — for the people’s sake — will someone please just try something different????

  • David123

    I think Gov Rendell has positioned himself to attack Specter from the right. he has said some critical things about stimulus/porkulus/C.R.A.P. If people in PA don’t like C.R.A.P. in 2010 Specter won’t win.

    I would expect the Republican base to be more depressed than the economy if Specter’s the nominee.

    I’d say Toomey or Santorum would have a better chance of beating the dem than Specter would – at least the base would be energized.

  • http://www.erickerickson.org Erick Erickson

    Hey, primary him. But if he wins. Support him. We can’t win with a minority of votes.

  • AceInTX

    I’ve never sent him money..and I’m not from PA so I can’t vote for him…but I can send money to his opponents be the Ds or Rs…and I will if he’s the nominee…We have to send a message that Republicans who vote 60% of the time with the Democrats don’t belong in the Republican Party!

    I’m announcing right now the members of the under 50 club…they are the Republicans who voted below 50% on the ACU scale in 2007…All Conservatives need to take note of their names and watche them for the next 2, 4, or 6 years and make an accounting when they are up again…

    For the life of me I can’t figure out what’s so hard to understand about the simple concept that if we can’t depend you you…then don’t you dare depend on us!

    40% ACU for Specter in 2007
    28% ACU rating for Snowe
    36% ACU Rating for Collins
    48% ACU for Voinovich
    48% for Gordon Smith before he lost!

    Why do we need them…We lose with them as much as we lose without them…I’d say they’re of more value to us if they all lose their seats either being primarried or by electing their Dem opponents by the message it would send to the party. The message would ring far more loudly than continuing to turn a blind eye to their treachery and taking one for the team and continuing to support them could ever send!

  • AceInTX

    Can we at least agree on these vermin?

  • Rod_Patrick

    “I don?t care at this point if he does end up being replaced by a Democrat!”

    It won’t make any difference at all except in terms of numbers. At least, it will be obvious to the non-thinking public that it’s the Democrats who have been running the show since 2006.

  • Scope

    he isn’t interested in running for Senate again.

  • Scope

    For 2009 the only 2 big races are in NJ and VA for Governor. Steele siad he is focusing on those 2 races first. McDonnell is unchallenged for the Republicans, and is being touted as the best Republican we have had to run in years. I think that may change some when more of the Conservative voters in VA get the fact that he is not a strong 2nd amendment advocate. He voted “for” the one gun per month law, and, he voted “for” banning certain types of weapons. That news is already starting to circulate here in VA.