Cool Conk theater. We knew this was coming.....
The recent elections underlined a growing tension in political money circles: Business people are increasingly fed up with the activist wing of the Republican Party. It's a trend that will have broad implications for next year's midterm elections and the presidential race in 2016, political experts say.
In Alabama on Nov. 5, Republican Bradley Byrne beat tea party favorite Dean Young for a U.S. House seat in part because the business community rallied around him. In Virginia, Democrat Terry McAuliffe bested tea party-backed Republican Ken Cuccinelli partially because some conservative business donors wouldn't give to the GOP campaign—or even switched sides. And in New Jersey, moderate Republican Chris Christie crushed tea party candidate Seth Grossman in the primary and then Democrat Barbara Buono in the general election because of strong business support.
"Both used to be aligned on lower taxes and smaller government. Now the business community isn't so sure anymore. More and more of the business community depends on government contracts, regulations or tax policy to keep them in business," Hull added. They "need allies who win, not ideologically pure candidates who lose."
The Virginia gubernatorial race is a prime example of that battle.
"If the Tea Party wants to be part of winning in 2016, they're going to need to be inclusive, they're going to need to stop challenging Republican incumbents in primaries," said Bobbie Kilberg, a longtime Republican operative and donor who is also president and chief executive officer of the Northern Virginia Technology Council.
"They can spend all the time they want in making their points based on principle, but if you cannot win an election and you cannot govern, what is the point?"
Any Teabaggers, Obstruct-o-Conks, or Cruz fellators (Z) care to comment?
