November 17, 2010

Conservatives Put GOP Leadership On Notice

Thomas Lifson
22 Comments

A large number of conservative leaders are laying their cards on the table for the establishment GOP to see. They will not sit still for co-optation, and are backing Senator DeMint to the hilt. The following letter has been drafted and signed, and is being delivered to the GOP leadership today. American Thinker has received an advance copy, and it is below:

TO: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele

FROM: The Undersigned Conservatives

Declaration of Conservative Leaders in Support Of Senator Jim DeMint

Senator Jim DeMint has been blamed directly or indirectly for the failure to capture a majority in the Senate by named and/or unnamed Republican senators, staffers and consultants.

Such false and unfair attacks aid and abet President Obama, the Democratic Party and the liberal media. We consider such attacks on Senator Jim DeMint an attack on us and all conservatives, and especially the conservative movement that is the successor to Ronald Reagan, William F. Buckley, Jr., and other great progenitors of the conservative movement.

Perhaps more than any other Republican, Senator Jim DeMint is not only responsible for the net Republican gains in the Senate in the 2010 election, but has helped restore faith in the Republican Party as the party of constitutionally limited government. He greatly energized the base of the Party, and therefore contributed to historic wins in the House, governorships and state legislatures across the country.

In fact, Senator Jim DeMint's unilateral efforts to bring constitutional small government conservatives into the Senate has encouraged many conservatives to stay within the Republican Party, vote for Republican candidates, and even may have staved off formation of a third party and the demise of the Republican Party.

We do not expect or advocate for ideological purity in the Republican Party, but we do expect the Party's leadership to rein in those who unfairly attack Senator DeMint, who instead should be given credit for what he has done, and done with such class, honor, humility, dignity and patriotism.

Since Republicans in and affiliated with the Senate who have attacked Senator Jim DeMint have an agenda, and may not heed calls to reason from the Republican leadership, let it be known that continued attacks, whether indirectly or anonymously, will result in conservatives' responding in word and deed.

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. Instead, conservatives will send their money to, and volunteer for, Senator DeMint's Senate Conservative Fund and the candidates Senator DeMint supports. In fact, it would be our goal for the Senate Conservatives Fund to raise more money than the NRSC.

Conservatives will also work to defeat in Republican primaries those Republicans who retain consultants who criticize or try to undermine Senator DeMint.

Respectfully,

(organizations named for identification purposes only)

Ted Baehr Christian Film and Television Commission

Gary Bauer President, American Values

Lee Beaman Businessman

Joel Belz World Magazine

Jerry Black Legacy Planning Group, Inc.

Brent Bozell Media Research Center

John Bradburne Bradburne Consulting

Joe R. Calvert Rabon-Calvert Interests

Angelo Codevilla Professor Emeritus Boston University

David Y Denholm President, Public Service Research Council

Donald Devine Editor, Conservative Battleline

Miles M. Dewhirst Dewhirst & Dolven, LLC

John Dodd President, Jesse Helms Center Foundation

H. Paul Einarsson Conflict Free Energy

Karen England Capitol Resource Institute

Erick Erickson Red State.com

Tricia Erickson Angel Pictures & Publicity, Crisis Management, Inc., The Conservative Pundit

Michael Farris

Mark Fitzgibbons American Target Advertising, Inc.

Bob Fischer Fischer Furniture, Inc.

Jeffrey M. Frederick Former Chairman, Republican Party of Virginia

Colin A. Hanna

Donna Hearne The Constitutional Coalition

Micah Hobart Paperless Transaction Corporation

Gary A. Hofmeister The Steamboat Institute

Dee Hodges Chairman, Maryland Taxpayers Association

Jason Jones The Human Rights Education and Relief Organization (HERO)

Suhail A. Khan Chairman, Conservative Inclusion Coalition Board Member, ACU

Michael Patrick Leahy Co-founder, Nationwide Tea Party Coalition

Jordan Marks Young Americans for Freedom

Bradley Mattes Life Issues Institute

Troy Newman Operation Rescue

David Noebel President, Summit Ministries; President, Christian Anti-Communism Crusade

Richard Norman The Richard Norman Company

Randy Page South Carolinians for Responsible Government

Judson Phillips Tea Party Nation

Larry Pratt Executive Director, Gun Owners of America

Penny Pullen Illinois State Representative 1977-1993; State President, Eagle Forum of Illinois

Ann Quest

Jamie Radtke Chairwoman, Virginia Tea Party Patriot Federation; President, Richmond Tea Party

Dr. Don Racheter Founder and Moderator, Iowa Wednesday Group

Robert E. Reccord

Alfred S. Regnery Publisher, The American Spectator

Daniel Riehl RiehlWorldView

Ron Robinson Young America's Foundation

Drew Ryun President, American Majority Action

Kelly Shackelford Liberty Institute

Craig Shirley Author and President, Shirley & Banister Public Affairs

Arthur Thompson

John and Teresa Trulio

Lois Verleur

Richard Viguerie ConservativeHQ.com

Bill Walton Rappahannock Ventures

Mark West The Chattanooga Tea Party

Somers H. White Former Arizona State Senator

Wendy Wright Concerned Women for America

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