The GOP Establishment and Ann Coulter

When Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich combined to get twice as many votes and delegates as Mitt Romney did in the Alabama and Mississippi primaries on Tuesday, it sent a message to the establishment which wishes to control the Republican party against the wishes of its rank and file. Despite what the polls say, conservatives combined continue to win more of the popular vote than Mitt Romney. Yes, Romney is picking up more delegates. His strategy is based more on math than it is about producing and providing a grand message that can capture the enthusiasm of the GOP base. His nomination is something only the Republican establishment and conservative turncoats like Ann Coulter can hope for.

What they forget is how the Tea Party and the conservative base poured out en masse in 2010 to take back the House of Representatives in an overwhelming way and bring us closer to victory in the Senate. “We won despite the establishment,” according to Mark Levin on his radio show Wednesday night 3/14/12.

As I write this, Mark Levin is talking about how Romney supporters have to explain away Obamacare. Ann Coulter a few days ago decided that she would take a swipe at Palin (most likely because Palin’s brand of conservatism is too pure to convince others to vote for Romney). Coulter was quoted on the Daily Caller as saying:

“One of the ones promoting that [a brokered convention] is Sarah Palin, who has suggested herself as the choice…”
…
“And just a more corporate problem is I think our party and particularly our movement, the conservative movement, does have more of a problem with con men and charlatans than the Democratic Party,” she said. “I mean, the incentives seem to be set up to allow people — as long as you have a band of a few million fanatical followers, you can make money. The Democrats have managed to figure out how not to do that.”

So it’s okay for attorneys who have never run for public office to become celebrities because of their ability to be provocative, but it’s not okay for anyone who has run to use their name recognition to speak out on issues of the day? The Democratic Party doesn’t have con men and charlatans? Come on, Ann. Give me a break.

Mark Levin gives his response on his radio show show 03/14/12 at the 33:30 mark.

Mitt Romney would not have been a bad candidate in past elections. In fact, he was the best candidate in 2008. However, the party membership has become fed up with nominating establishment candidates and moderates. The rank and file have been revived by the Tea Party and the attention which was drawn to the conservative philosophy as a result of Sarah Palin’s nomination for VP despite how badly Ann Coulter wants to sell us on Romney.

Mitt Romney, rightly or wrongly, represents the establishment. Despite Ann Coulter’s previous arguments that even our moderates today are more conservative than they were in the past, we must take issue with a woman who calls herself a conservative when she so blatantly agitates 2/3 of the rank and file with her inflammatory remarks about the vice presidential candidate who saved the GOP from pure ruin in 2008 and who brought millions of people who were never politically inclined before into the realm of knowledge about Reagan conservatism. Coulter’s remarks to the Indian River County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner in Vero Beach, FL while being a surrogate for today’s symbol of the establishment is a slap in the face to the Tea Party and a slap in the face to the “few million fanatical followers” of Palin who so deeply abhor the direction that Barack Obama has taken this country.

We not only need to defeat Obama. We need to beat the GOP establishment. Yes, beating Obama is prime directive number one. If we have to do that first and then deal with the GOP establishment later, so be it. But, wouldn’t it have been nice to get a 2 for 1 special in nominating Sarah Palin had she run?

All dreaming aside, the reality is what it is. We have a candidate in Newt Gingrich who is the best articulator of the conservative philosophy in the field. Yes, he comes with baggage. But, he’s the most representative of what today’s conservatives believe of those in the field (despite his glitches). Why do you think Sarah Palin voted for him in the Alaska primary? The Republican Party that nominated Gerald Ford, Bob Dole and John McCain continues to ignore the lessons that come with Ronald Reagan’s nomination. We win when we nominate true conservatives.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again. Here we go again as we head toward a possible Romney nomination. The GOP establishment didn’t take all their support and their bags of money and get behind Sarah Palin. Now they won’t do the same for Newt or even Santorum for that matter. Instead (as usual), they’re throwing it all to Romney! It makes you wonder if the party is trying to commit suicide.

Conservatives are in a battle for our country. We can’t be in a foxhole with someone like Coulter who would so easily stick the knife in our backs for the sake of political expediency on behalf of her candidate. Ann has a right to her opinion and to choose whoever she wants to support. But, she makes a mistake that alienates the very movement which she supposedly supported while making her millions. Charlatan? You betcha.