Jim Terry
All aboooaard.....
By Jim Terry
I thought it ironic that I received a telephone solicitation from the National Republican Senatorial Committee ( NRSC) the very night Tea Party supported candidate Christine O'Donnell was whipping the Republican establishment's candidate, classless Mike Castle, in the Delaware Republican primary.
The caller stated the purpose of the call was a Republican issues poll. I have worked in politics the majority of my adult life; I know what these calls are about. I was first asked what I thought was the most important issue facing America with Barack Obama as president and congress in Democrats' hands.
"That, itself, is the most important issue facing America," I replied.
The caller went on to tell me how the committee needs my support to defeat Nancy Pelosi and the liberal agenda.
Wait a minute, I thought to myself. This is the Republican senatorial campaign committee; they are supposed to aid Republicans running for the U.S. Senate. What does Nancy Pelosi have to do with them?
My response was not what the caller wanted to hear. I told the caller that any financial support I give this year, as usual for me, will go directly to Republican candidates-specifically Sharon Angle, Ken Buck, John Boozman and now, although I didn't know at the time of the call, Christine O'Donnell- not to a committee.
Since Republican Party insiders are having indigestion because of Tea Party supported candidates' successes, I was pleasantly surprised to read a statement from Senator John Cornyn in this morning's news regarding O'Donnell's win. Cornyn is chairman of the NRSC and my senator. He said, "Let there be no mistake: The National Republican Senatorial Committee — and I personally as the committee's chairman — strongly stand by all of our Republican nominees, including Christine O'Donnell in Delaware." That is good news, if he is allowed to pursue that course.
O'Donnell's opponent, former Delaware governor and member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Castle said he would not support her in the general election.
Guzzling the juice of sour grapes seems to be a trend among Republicans of late: Charlie Crist quit the Florida Republican primary when he could not gain traction there and decided to run as the liberal he is, as an independent; Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, after her loss in the Republican Primary, threatened to run as an independent in the general election and is now considering a write-in campaign; and Senator Bob Bennett of Utah, when not selected as the Republican Party's nominee, also threatened a write-in campaign for November.
The actions by these defeated politicians affirm the voters of their respective states made the correct choices. These few politicians, and perhaps others I am not aware of, who do not have the class in defeat they expect from their opponents, show by their juvenile and less than professional actions their only interest is holding an elective office. Overestimated self worth by a politician often leads to his downfall.
Remember the sour faced senator from Pennsylvania who put his ego ahead of reality? He left the party- Republican- that had elected him to various offices since 1967 and became a Democrat in 2009 because he believed he could not win the 2010 Republican primary. The Republican and Democrat Pennsylvania primaries have come and gone. Senator Specter will be cleaning out his office at 711 Hart Building in Washington in a few weeks and will begin cashing his superlative congressional retirement checks early next year.
The so-called Tea Party is not a third party, and it should not evolve into one. Rather, it is a movement evoked by the same spirit that arose a few years ago when conservatives gained control of the Republican Party. Back then we called them Reaganites.
I wrote in this column in May 2006 why conservatives were frustrated. And while I did not predict the outcome of the elections that year, I believe the trend since the 2006 election, with Democrats taking control of the country, confirms what I wrote.
Politics is like a freight train- when it gains momentum you have to either get on or get out of the way. In my political career I have been a passenger and a left-behind.
This year conservatives are driving the train and have a chance to change or at least slow down the liberal agenda. Will the Republican Party jump on the train or be left standing in the station holding its own baggage?
© Jim Terry
September 16, 2010
I thought it ironic that I received a telephone solicitation from the National Republican Senatorial Committee ( NRSC) the very night Tea Party supported candidate Christine O'Donnell was whipping the Republican establishment's candidate, classless Mike Castle, in the Delaware Republican primary.
The caller stated the purpose of the call was a Republican issues poll. I have worked in politics the majority of my adult life; I know what these calls are about. I was first asked what I thought was the most important issue facing America with Barack Obama as president and congress in Democrats' hands.
"That, itself, is the most important issue facing America," I replied.
The caller went on to tell me how the committee needs my support to defeat Nancy Pelosi and the liberal agenda.
Wait a minute, I thought to myself. This is the Republican senatorial campaign committee; they are supposed to aid Republicans running for the U.S. Senate. What does Nancy Pelosi have to do with them?
My response was not what the caller wanted to hear. I told the caller that any financial support I give this year, as usual for me, will go directly to Republican candidates-specifically Sharon Angle, Ken Buck, John Boozman and now, although I didn't know at the time of the call, Christine O'Donnell- not to a committee.
Since Republican Party insiders are having indigestion because of Tea Party supported candidates' successes, I was pleasantly surprised to read a statement from Senator John Cornyn in this morning's news regarding O'Donnell's win. Cornyn is chairman of the NRSC and my senator. He said, "Let there be no mistake: The National Republican Senatorial Committee — and I personally as the committee's chairman — strongly stand by all of our Republican nominees, including Christine O'Donnell in Delaware." That is good news, if he is allowed to pursue that course.
O'Donnell's opponent, former Delaware governor and member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Castle said he would not support her in the general election.
Guzzling the juice of sour grapes seems to be a trend among Republicans of late: Charlie Crist quit the Florida Republican primary when he could not gain traction there and decided to run as the liberal he is, as an independent; Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, after her loss in the Republican Primary, threatened to run as an independent in the general election and is now considering a write-in campaign; and Senator Bob Bennett of Utah, when not selected as the Republican Party's nominee, also threatened a write-in campaign for November.
The actions by these defeated politicians affirm the voters of their respective states made the correct choices. These few politicians, and perhaps others I am not aware of, who do not have the class in defeat they expect from their opponents, show by their juvenile and less than professional actions their only interest is holding an elective office. Overestimated self worth by a politician often leads to his downfall.
Remember the sour faced senator from Pennsylvania who put his ego ahead of reality? He left the party- Republican- that had elected him to various offices since 1967 and became a Democrat in 2009 because he believed he could not win the 2010 Republican primary. The Republican and Democrat Pennsylvania primaries have come and gone. Senator Specter will be cleaning out his office at 711 Hart Building in Washington in a few weeks and will begin cashing his superlative congressional retirement checks early next year.
The so-called Tea Party is not a third party, and it should not evolve into one. Rather, it is a movement evoked by the same spirit that arose a few years ago when conservatives gained control of the Republican Party. Back then we called them Reaganites.
I wrote in this column in May 2006 why conservatives were frustrated. And while I did not predict the outcome of the elections that year, I believe the trend since the 2006 election, with Democrats taking control of the country, confirms what I wrote.
Politics is like a freight train- when it gains momentum you have to either get on or get out of the way. In my political career I have been a passenger and a left-behind.
This year conservatives are driving the train and have a chance to change or at least slow down the liberal agenda. Will the Republican Party jump on the train or be left standing in the station holding its own baggage?
© Jim Terry
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