Say goodbye to conservative GOP congressman Bob Inglis:
Six-term Republican Rep. Bob Inglis fell to prosecutor Trey Gowdy, making him the 5th incumbent member of the House or Senate to lose this year.
Apparently, Inglis -- a conservative who helped lead the GOP effort to remove President Clinton from office -- wasn't right-wing enough for today's Republican Party. Among the reasons that he lost was a piece of unwelcome advice he gave to his constituents at a town hall last August. His advice? "Turn off Glenn Beck," he said. Why? "He's trading on fear." Here's video, including the crowd's outraged reaction to the the anti-Beck commentary from Inglis:
The next day, Beck, naturally, thanked the crowd for booing Inglis. Now, less than a year later, Inglis is toast, and the lesson has been learned. If you're a Republican and you slam Glenn Beck, you lose your primary. The wingnuts are in charge, and they aren't letting go. To hell with Rush Limbaugh. It's Glenn Beck's party now.
Also worth noting: of the five incumbents to lose, three were Republicans and one was Arlen Specter, who had just quit the GOP -- and the one Democrat to lose, Alan Mollohan, lost primarily because of corruption, not because the Democratic base had rebelled.