The Tea Party Matters: Ask Scott Brown
In a previous article I wrote that I was happy that Scott Brown lost. He wasn’t needed for the republican majority takeover of the Senate, and the GOP did not need a liberal advocate in its ranks.
Who targeted Brown to keep him from winning? The Tea Party. “Marginalize us, and you will continue to lose.” The Tea Party didn’t get their candidates elected in every race, but the presence of the Tea Party as well as Evangelical Christians made a huge election difference.
The GOP Establishment better take notice.
The election in New Hampshire is a case in point.
“The tea party movement in New Hampshire is claiming two scalps in a battle with the Republican establishment that reflects a broader civil war poised to escalate if GOP leaders of the House and Senate compromise with President Obama on key legislative issues, including immigration and Obamacare.
“In the wake of Tuesday’s midterm elections, the New Hampshire tea party is drawing attention to the defeat of two GOP candidates the Republican Party establishment had backed heavily. In a wave election in which the GOP enjoyed historic gains, Walt Havenstein ran unsuccessfully against Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan, and Scott Brown lost to sitting Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.
Josh Youssef, who won the GOP nomination for a New Hampshire state Senate seat in 2012 but lost in the general election, perhaps said it best in a Twitter comment posted at 12:07 am ET on Nov. 5.
“‘Tea Party to Scott Brown, Walt Havenstein, and NHGOP: YOU LOSE. Marginalize us, and you will continue to lose – it is that simple!’
“A flashpoint for New Hampshire tea party supporters was a 2010 video clip showing Havenstein, a private businessman at the time, dismissing tea party members by the derogatory term ‘teabaggers’ in a speech he gave to business students at the University of New Hampshire.”
That’s right, Walt, you are out of touch. Let’s hope those who won because of the work of the Tea Party and other conservative groups get the message that was sent in New Hampshire.
