Prominent conservative activists Viguerie and Allen issued this call for the Tea Party to take over the GOP.
It's time for the Tea Party to take over the GOP
It's time to begin the hard work that will ensure that future Republican nominees, at all levels from constable to president, are supporters of Tea Party principles. It's time to flood GOP meetings, to seek party offices ranging from precinct committee member to national convention delegate, and to gently (or not) push aside the party's moribund, incompetent leadership.
How incompetent? Polls show that conservatives outnumber liberals by more than 2 to 1 nationally, and that conservatives outnumber liberals in 49 or 50 of the 50 states, yet the Left dominates our country's politics, media, academia, and, increasingly, big business.
Such is possible only because members of the Republican establishment are more concerned with the needs of K Street and Wall Street than the needs of Main Street. They worry more about their popularity down at the country club than about the concerns of working-class and small-business-class Americans.
They followed that up by threatening Republicans who complain that the Senator Jim DeMint by acting as the Pied Piper of the Tea Party and leading them into the Republican fold, DeMint pushed the Party to the Hard Right and squandered their opportunity for a GOP majority in the Senate as a result.
Conservative Leaders Threaten Critics Of Sen. Jim DeMint
"Conservatives will not only challenge and beat more Republican senators in Republican primaries, but conservatives will stop funding and volunteering for the NRSC and the RNC," Viguerie wrote in a letter addressed to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele. "Instead, conservatives will send their money to, and volunteer for, Senator DeMint’s Senate Conservative Fund and the candidates Senator DeMint supports."
And Viguerie and his counterparts didn’t stop there:
"It would be our goal for the Senate Conservatives Fund to raise more money than the NRSC," the letter continues. "Conservatives will also work to defeat in Republican primaries those Republicans who retain consultants who criticize or try to undermine Senator DeMint."
These far right leaders are trying to bully Republican Moderates into not making the case for nominating more moderate candidates who have broader appeal.
The Tea Party's Pied Piper Jim DeMint is trying to claim a mandate for the TeaParty (and himself).
Tea Party kingmaker DeMint sees 'war in Washington'
"Tea Party candidates were the energy behind all of the Republican victories," said DeMint, a kingmaker behind the loosely organized network of conservatives and libertarians that helped Republicans capture the U.S. House of Representatives in last week's midterm elections.
He insisted the Tea Party was a pivotal force in the growing public fight over government spending, taxes and deficits -- issues that helped Republicans win the House in the biggest power shift in Congress since 1948.
"In some ways, this is a war in Washington. This is a crossroads in a lot of ways," DeMint said. "There's a lot at stake. The government is clearly out of control on spending programs."
Of course the power shift probably would have included the Senate if the Tea Party hadn't been so successful in nominating their incompetent candidates in the primaries.
The fight inside the Republican Party over earmarks is heading for a major battle on Tuesday.
Coalition of senators challenges GOP on earmarks:
The vote, which appears likely to occur by secret ballot in a meeting Tuesday of GOP senators, is open to incoming senators and will be the first test of newly minted conservative senators's follow-through on their campaign pledges.
At least eight current senators are publicly supporting DeMint's moratorium, as well as five incoming Republican senators: Rand Paul (Ky.), Marco Rubio (Fla.), Mike Lee (Utah), Pat Toomey (Pa.) and Kelly Ayotte (N.H.).
Sarah Palin is getting into the fight.
Palin, Tea Party push for party overhaul
Competing Tea Party groups have set up alternative orientations for its candidates elected to congress. This was greeted with alarmed grumbling by party leaders, and you can bet all concerned are watching to see how many attend each. The Tea Party Patriots sent out this e-amail to try and get more newly elected Republicans to attend THEIR orientation, and not the Claremont Institute's with Freedom Works.
Here is where you come in.
Do you want the first event your incoming Freshman Congressmen attend to be an event hosted by the grassroots Local Coordinators of Tea Party Patriots and the Congressmen and Senators who are willing to support them in their drive to restore the US Constitution? Or would you rather they attend an indoctrination organized by DC insiders and lobbyists, members of The Ruling Class? Do you want your incoming Freshmen Congressmen to attend an event where they will get the support, encouragement, and knowledge they need to begin to restore our Constitution or do you want them to attend an event where DC insiders can begin to corrupt them?
The water in the Potomac is infected with the politics of the past and needs to be boiled to be cleansed and then steeped in fresh tea. You are the fresh tea. Today we need your help.
We need you to call & email these incoming Congressmen & tell them you want them to attend YOUR Tea Party PHere is where you come in.atriots event.
Explain the differences between the two events. We need to make sure they understand that the Claremont event is not an "official" event but one put on by lobbyists, for which they are being asked to skip the TPP and Constitutional Congress event. They need to know what you, their new constituents, think about their choice, and how you'll react if they choose to ignore the grassroots and immediately get in bed with DC lobbyists and RNC insiders.
The e-mail includes the e-mail addresses and phone numbers for the newly elected Republicans.
So not only are is the Tea Party declaring war on "DC insiders" inside the Republican Party but there is intense competition between the Tea Party groups as well.
I wish Jim DeMint, Sarah Palin and Dick Armey the best of luck in their plan to purge anyone with a shred of moderation from the Republican Party. That's exactly what Republicans need a good purge. Let them re-brand themselves as the extremist party they are rapidly becoming.
UPDATE: The Tea Party Patriots are in damage control mode after the overwhelmingly critical reaction to their e-mail featured in the diary above.
Tea Party Group Asks: Please Stop Calling Congress
Hundreds of calls were made to Reps, as well as to Brian Kennedy, president of the Claremont Institute. He told Roll Call in an e-mail that he's been getting harassing calls: "I have received many nasty and threatening calls saying we should 'stand down' and that 'they have my number,'" he wrote.
"We have had reports from Congressmen-Elect's staff that they have received 500+ phone calls in less than 24 hours. When the Tea Party decides to make its collective voice heard all at once it's a bit like dropping a nuclear bomb. The government fears us, which is good for freedom," they wrote.
"For the moment, we are asking you to stop making calls."
The group acknowledged that some of the contact numbers they had included personal cell phone numbers or fax numbers. "This list was the best information we had at the time. We also understand that sometimes members of Congress find it annoying to receive numerous calls from voters. But we encourage them to remember it is part of the job and they asked to be hired. This will not be the last time."
A back-handed apology with a threat. I'll bet all the newly elected Republicans will be rushing to change their cell phone numbers if they were included on the Tea Party Patriot's list.
This is hilarious!