John McCain took to the Senate floor yesterday and blasted Tea Party purists. Oh sure, he took shots at Harry Reid too. But the media predictably highlighted only the slap down of the Tea Party folks.
How did that help the cause, senator?
A Tea Party leader spoke at a rally on Capitol Hill yesterday and demanded that Speaker Boehner step down from his leadership post. Really? And be replaced by whom? No Speaker -- not even "Captain America" -- could perform miracles and run the U.S. government from the House of Representatives.
How did firing at Boehner help the cause?
Conservative websites like the Free Republic (which I love) were filled with postings from grassroots activists, many demanding cuts of $6 trillion this fiscal year. Many posters threatened never to vote Republican again. Talk of a third party filled the blogosphere.
How would permanently splitting the conservative movement help the cause? Is it realistic to think that conservatives could in two years, with control of just the House of Representatives, repeal 40 years of big government liberalism?
Reality check for John McCain, my Tea Party friends and fellow conservatives: The mess we are in is not the fault of John Boehner and Mitch McConnell. America is not headed toward a cliff because of the Tea Party movement. We are in this position because the man in the Oval Office is willing to do virtually anything to get his way -- even when it deeply damages our constitutional republic.
He has ignored federal court rulings (the drilling ban). His lawyers argue that our Constitution requires us to buy what he wants us to buy (the insurance mandate). He and his attorney general have "decided" that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional -- a call only the Supreme Court can make.
He routinely uses raw class warfare in an attempt to divide our country. He has alienated our allies while apologizing to our enemies. He has accumulated more debt in less time than any president before him, and he demands more spending now. While jobs evaporate, he demands higher taxes on job creators. The list goes on.
Conservatives do not run Washington, D.C. Obama does. The media carry his water, and countless bureaucrats rush to work every day excited to impose his regulations on our economy and our families. As each day passes, there are more federal judges willing to do his bidding because he appointed them.
Disagreements on strategy are inevitable. But there should be no disagreement on our most important goal -- ending the Obama presidency, taking control of the Senate and maintaining control of the House. Only then can we do the things that we desperately need to do.
Disband the circular firing squad. Tone down the family feud and aim your ire where it belongs -- at Obama and his big government army.
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Gary Bauer is is a conservative family values advocate and serves as president of American Values and chairman of the Campaign for Working Families
Tags: Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families, politics, republicans To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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