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AmSpecBlog
Texas, Florida Rumbling About Cornyn's NRSC Move
Key Republicans in Texas are alarmed by Sen. John Cornyn's decision, as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, to endorse Florida Gov. Charlie Crist in a contested Senate race 15 months before the GOP primary.
"If they're going to do it in Florida, what's to stop them from doing it everywhere?" a Texas Republican source told me late Wednesday. "It's absurd that the NRSC is doing this. It's an insult to the base."
Texas GOP chairwoman Tina Benkiser has not yet commented on the NRSC controversy. However, heat from conservatives in Florida -- including bloggers Doug Hagin and Andrea Shea King -- has caused that state's Republican Party chairman to rescind his previous endorsement of Crist, the St. Petersburg Times reported Wednesday night:
Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer, facing intense and growing backlash over meddling in the U.S. Senate primary, is backing off.
In a letter to party supporters tonight, Greer defends his actions but said the party is now "neutral" in the contest between Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio.
John Mercurio of NewsMax reports that Rubio "plans to run an anti-establishment, low-dollar primary campaign":
Minutes after Crist announced his bid, Rubio released a Web ad highlighting Crist’s support for President Obama's economic stimulus package, a position that doesn’t sit well with many GOP primary voters. "True bipartisanship is not 'if you can't beat them, join them,'" the candidate told more than 150 people last week at the Republican Club of South Sarasota. But while Rubio offers a contrast to Crist politically, he said he doesn't plan to run a negative campaign. "I don't have anything against him personally. I don't believe in order for me to win the debate I have to convince you the other guy is a bad person," he said.
Meanwhile, the Broward-Palm Beach New Times reports, the NRSC's endorsement "may have galvanized the party's conservative wing against Crist," sparking an online backlash led by Erick Erickson and John Hawkins. The stakes in this battle between the grassroots and the "Republican Establishment" are clear, as The American Spectator's Larry Thornberry reported from Tampa:
You'll never hear an encouraging word from Crist on any conservative social issue. He's pro-abortion and thinks marriage-like legal arrangements between homosexuals are fine. He recently put a liberal Democrat on the Florida Supreme Court. In Crist's speeches, conservatives will wait in vain to hear any of their principles promoted. What they hear are endless lullabies about "bipartisanship," "diversity," and other warm-sounding, non-sequiturs from the Democratic hymn book. These are just the most actionable of Crist's sins against conservative principles.
Further developments are likely today. Stay tuned.
UPDATE 5:20 a.m.: Things are happening so fast it's hard to keep up, and the Lakeland (Fla.) Ledger missed the news about Crist rescinding the state GOP's endorsement of Crist. But the Ledger does capture the essence of the grassroots complaint:
"I thought the idea is for real Republicans to vote on primary day, not for so-called party leaders to tell people who to vote for," said Sid Dinerstein, chairman of the Palm Beach Republican Party, one of several local clubs asking the state party to stay out of primaries.
The question at stake, according to Republican activist Aaron Marks of The Next Right, is "Who ultimately controls the GOP, the grassroots or the machine?"
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Pingback| 5.21.09 @ 1:00AM
Texas, Florida Rumbling About Cornyn’s NRSC Move — ButAsForMe links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Richard Baker| 5.21.09 @ 1:38AM
Senator Cornyn has, unfortunately, fallen victim to the DC flu. What's that? It's a virus rampant throughout Washington where Republicans/Conservatives believe, after a period of time, that being accepted in DC is more important than standing on principle because it's SO difficult to be disliked where one lives and works. Senator Helms was one of the few who really didn't care whether the DC crowd liked him. Rare indeed in Washington.
Maybe it's time to move the seat of the National government somewhere else.
Pingback| 5.21.09 @ 2:02AM
The Greenroom » Forum Archive » EXCLUSIVE: Cornyn Gets Texas Heat Over Crist; Florida links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
liping| 5.21.09 @ 4:47AM
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Deborah D| 5.21.09 @ 7:26AM
I suggest to the AmSpec moderator to eliminate the posts of liping. What is this bizarre stuff he/she is putting out there?
On topic...good for the grassroots of Florida that they are fighting this abomination by the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee. I think it's a contagious disease...they've watched Obama dictate to the masses, so they think they can too.
Come on, Republicans, your biggest asset is that you seem reasonable compared to the radical Obama Administration and radical Congressional Democrats. Don't blow it by rigging things in advance or you will just alienate those of us out here who want to get behind you if you'd only stand for principles rather than Me-tooism.
Help us help you...no Democrat lite, no redo of John McCain, no Charlie Crist. We want principled conservatives, not someone who puts their finger to the wind to see which way to jump.
Big J| 5.21.09 @ 9:03AM
I read about the endorsement right here at TAS. Outraged, I immediately sent a letter to Cornyn's office asking him to rescind his endorsement. I am sure that I wasn't the only one.
Hutchison will be running for Governor here in Texas, and I will be campaigning against her (never did that before, but I am going to enjoy every minute of it, especially if it keeps another RINO out of office).
Cornyn has fallen victim to the DC flu. He ought to thing about getting a vaccine and taking a right turn, or he will be looking for a new gig, if I have anything to say about it.
Big J| 5.21.09 @ 9:04AM
Richard: meant to tell ya that I like "DC flu". I'm stealing it, kay?
John G.| 5.21.09 @ 9:51AM
Unfortunately, at this very moment, the establishment still controls the party.
There's a foundation for a formidable grassroots movement for conservatives, but I don't think it's effective enough as of yet.
But I have a feeling the grassroots will win out in Florida, that is to say, the NRSC will back off and see the writing on the wall (ie Rubio is the better Republican).
Look, this is about these establishment GOP just hoping for the status quo---comfortable in their minority status, just waiting to get their Senate assignments and chairmanships. The waste needs to be flushed---McConnell, Grassley, Cornyn, etc....all of it needs to be flushed from the system.
MikeyZ| 5.21.09 @ 10:25AM
Looks like the "liping" posts are just a spam-attack…
Kevin Hanley| 5.21.09 @ 11:04AM
If Texans can find a good conservative candidate to oppose Cornyn, I, as a conservative Floridian, would be happy to make a contribution.
brutus| 5.21.09 @ 12:31PM
What baffles me is that until this Crist thing, Cornyn was very consistently outspoken against Oh-bummer's policies. It's all over the news and blogs (those linked to Drudge, anyway..) that the libtards hate Cornyn with a passion. Endorsing a liberal in Republican's clothing, like Crist, almost seems out of character for the Cornyn of late.
Richard Baker| 5.21.09 @ 1:55PM
Brutus:
Cornyn has a bad case of the DC flu. Prognosis: Terminal. How long has he been in Washington? As Casey Stengel said, "You could look it up".
Pingback| 5.21.09 @ 2:28PM
Texas, Florida Rumbling About Cornyn's NRSC Move - American Spectator - FFXI News Bl links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Sam Cutbirth| 5.22.09 @ 11:35AM
It is time to turn out all incumbents, professional politicians etc. and the easiest way that I can think of doing it is to vote a straight ticket Libertarian. I am not a Libertarian but I don't think I'm Republican anymore either.
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The American Spectator AmSpecBlog Texas Florida Rumbling | Toe Nail Fungus links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
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Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer, facing intense and growing backlash over meddling in the U.S. Senate primary, is backing off.
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