In Battle For the Republican Party, It's Game On

By: Charles Cooper
Topics: In The News

(CBS)

Even before today's elections got underway, there's been non-stop gabbing about conservative activists gaining ground within the Republican Party. With Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin urging on their supporters, some are even suggesting this might be the moment where conservatives finally elbow aside-if not purge- the moderates from the party.

Rightly or not, it seems nearly everyone is taking their cue from the New York's 23rd congressional race where pollsters say Doug Hoffman now leads the race. David Keene, head of the American Conservative Union, told the Los Angeles Times that a Hoffman victory would be akin to "dropping a bomb into the center of the Republican caucus."

Hyperbole? Up to a point. As others have pointed out, the district in question has been reliably Republican since the middle of the 19th century. But if the party mandarins, who until this week had spurned Hoffman in favor of a more moderate candidate, don't know what his victory represents, former congressman and now MSNBC show host Joe Scarborough makes it plain.

In a blog post he says that Hoffman's rise testifies to pent-up frustration with "a decade of bloated and corrupt Republican leadership in Washington, D.C." Scarborough faults Republicans for a track record pockmarked by hypocrisy and duns them for failing to live up to promises to balance budgets in the 1990s. He says they were no better in foreign policy where Republicans criticized Bill Clinton as being unnecessarily activist, only to pull a 180 after assuming power. Suddenly, it was perfectly fine to script a foreign policy predicated on ending global tyranny and exporting democracy. (And we know how well that turned out.) That history now leaves the small party conservatives with no shortage of ammunition to fire away at the GOP establishment. Scarborough writes: "This race gave the same conservatives who helped drive Ronald Reagan's victory and the 1994 Republican Revolution something to cheer about for the first time in a long time."

Republican strategist Mary Matalin echoed a similar theme recently, when she said that Hoffman's endorsers "speak for all of us who came to the party in support of the fundamental/constitutional principles it represented."

In the meantime, activists are pledging to go hunting for RINOs (Republican In Name Only) in places like Florida where conservative former state house speaker Marco Rubio plans to challenge Governor Charlie Crist replace the retiring Mel Martinez in the Senate. Or out here in California, conservative Chuck DeVore is taking on the establishment candidate, former Hewlett Packard CEO, Carly Fiorina, in the race to challenge Barbara Boxer.

That's just the short list. After Tuesday's election, that roster doubtless will get a lot longer.

Charles Cooper is an executive editor at CNET News. He has covered technology and business for more than 25 years, working at CBSNews.com, the Associated Press, Computer & Software News, Computer Shopper, PC Week, and ZDNet. E-mail Charlie.

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by grey_eminence November 4, 2009 1:46 PM EST: Fiorina,

Yeh, ship another 150,000 jobs out of the country like you did
at HP.

Oh, you will create job.........in China / India.

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they are behind you.

Totally self serving person !

Don't Support Fiorina if you love our Country !; Reply to this comment


by PLS8395 November 4, 2009 1:06 PM EST: What kind of "conservative"? In California's 72nd Assembly District there are two candidates. One is a social conservative and a fiscal liberal. The other is a fiscal conservative who is on his second marriage making him what some consider to be a social liberal. I'm voting for the candidate who won't "give away the family store" in Sacramento. I really don't care what our elected folks do behind closed doors, off the clock, and on their own dime. The ONLY thing that matters with MY elected officials is that they VOTE RESPONSIBLY!; Reply to this comment


by rexrox2 November 4, 2009 12:36 PM EST: Go Mainstream Media,Go. Earn your money. Obama needs you NOW!! When was the last time a political party won elections and the media says their in trouble??? Only in America. I guess the HUGE GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER OF MEDICAL INSURANCE AND BIG TAX BILLS, IS NOT SPLITTING THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY??? That's the story. Did you EVER think; if the Dems could have HUGE MAJORITIES IN BOTH HOUSES, that they wouldn't be able to pass any significant legislation??? The repubicans just need to stand still and watch the OBAMA NATION collapse. The mainstream media cannot hide the fact that our new President is the most RADICAL president in our history. There's too much information out now. Main the lifeboats, the rats will get off first.; Reply to this comment


by babooph November 4, 2009 2:15 AM EST: Abe,Teddy R & IkE are rolling over in their graves-an x like me would vote for a commie ahead of what's left in the party now...; Reply to this comment


by doc_holliday76 November 4, 2009 1:28 AM EST: With Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin urging on their supporters, some are even suggesting this might be the moment where conservatives finally elbow aside-if not purge- the moderates from the party.

Rightly or not, it seems nearly everyone is taking their cue from the New York's 23rd congressional race where pollsters say Doug Hoffman now leads the race.
--------------------------------------------

Aaaaaaah......far-right conservitard hoffman lost to the Dem in NY's 23rd, after purging the moderate GOP candidate.

This district hasn't been held by a Dem for over 100 years!

Way to go caribou barbi and rushbo......purge away!!; Reply to this comment


by tmittelstaed November 3, 2009 10:34 PM EST: What this all is, is the ultra-conservatives using the disarray of the Republican party to try and push their agenda. The ultra-conservatives are now claiming that "we ran up a huge deficit because we wern't conservative enough" and ignoring the fact that they were at the forefront of the cheering section wanting to spend, spend, spend.; Reply to this comment


by ubrew12 November 3, 2009 10:01 PM EST: This is good to see and I hope it continues. The GOP made a bargain with the devil for 30 years by courting the religious right, and now that trade has come home to them. Hey GOP? How's that 'moral majority' looking right about now? (like Frankensteins Monster, I'll warrant).; Reply to this comment


by formrusmcsgt November 3, 2009 9:13 PM EST: "...this might be the moment where conservatives finally elbow aside-if not purge- the moderates from the party.'

Purge 'em!

Purge 'em!

Please, please.; Reply to this comment


by noloyalisti November 3, 2009 8:19 PM EST: The Republican Party and the conservative agenda has been exposed as a complete failure. They represent the big corporations. It is good to see them fighting with the conservative wing, even further to the right, represented by the idiot tea baggers.

You can't make this up: poor white trash protesting on behalf of the greedy, rich who would just as soon see them dead. Go figure.; Reply to this comment


by Henri_Rochard November 3, 2009 5:35 PM EST: Couldn't we get some ADULTS to run for office? Someone NORMAL? Someone neither a socialist, nor a bible-thumping holy-roller.

This is getting really depressing.; Reply to this comment