Opinion by AAABTonto:
I recently wrote “The Trick of Disaster” and in that article was a letter I received from Sen. Dan Coats explaining his vote to fund the government through Jan. 15th, 2014. A few short days after I posted that article, Senator Coats visited the Garrison Show to explain his position and his vote to end the Government shutdown. In this interview Coats complains about the criticism being pointed at Republicans and himself stating that he takes offense that anyone would accuse him of not “fighting” against ObamaCare:
Interview: Garrison with Sen. Coats10-24 (audio)
Alright, Senator Coats, you made your case, but I think you have misunderstood the response that you received. Now, I have some questions for you. You took umbrage at the accusations made against you and the Republicans you voted with, so how do you think the Tea Party feels when the GOP belittles them?
“Why are we tearing Republicans apart?”
Good question, Senator Coats; that is exactly what I and other conservatives—Tea Party persons, would like to know. The Tea Party did all of the heavy lifting and carried the water for the Republican Party in 2010. As a reward we were denied a platform at the RNC and then blamed for Mitt Romney’s loss in the 2012 election—it was Karl Rove’s failure. You see, he continues to claim that Republicans cannot win without the precious votes of the moderate independents–the undecided, but he has forgotten his base!
Republicans aren’t going to win elections by patronizing a select portion of the electorate—moderates. Moderates don’t even have any core principles on which to base their opinions. The middle is not some lofty perch from which one finds some superior perspective; in fact it is a good place to get run over.
Meanwhile, Karl Rove and the ruling class Republicans are ignoring and insulting their base! Karl Rove has either lost his mind or, more likely, he doesn’t really want to implement any meaningful change. I think he would rather preserve his beltway buffet of privilege and to hell with the little people in fly-over-country!
The Tea Party is on your side, Senator!
Are you on their side or do you throw in with the beltway, establishment Republicans in the Karl Rove club?
You claim the “public was against you” after because of the shutdown, but it wasn’t the public against you—it was the main stream media(MSM). The MSM, et al., are not your constituents. The people of Indiana are who you need to be responding to—not the damnable propagandist machine of the Obama administration. The MSM is never going to say or report anything positive or objective about Republicans. They are complicit in the fraud that is the Obama administration.
You made the assertion that the strategy to “de-fund” ObamaCare was a failure and that your strategy was now working, but I never understood exactly what that strategy was? Except that you were going to “place more pressure on the Democrats that would cause them to lose reelection in 2014”; I don’t think that is much of a strategy. How can you pressure them if the MSM isn’t going to report their misconduct and your notations of it?
You said we needed a different tactic and made the connection that because you voted to end the shutdown, “Now the Democrats are coming our way.” They are? Why; because a few of them are now calling for a one year delay in the individual mandate? That was the House’ original proposal, but the Obama administration claimed that terrorist Tea Party sect of the Republican Party was holding the President’s signature legislation hostage—NOW, it’s a reasonable idea?
Letting ObamaCare fail or collapse under its own weight does not seem like much of a strategy to me. Whereas the House does, in fact, have the power of the purse and it is within John Boehner’s power to deny said funding. Originally, the House had asked for a one year delay in the individual mandate—but alas, boneless Johnny Boehner crumbled again and we are right back where we started.
The fact is that you didn’t need to vote to end the shutdown. You had a chance to tell Obama “no” and you didn’t take it. That bill didn’t need your support to pass, but you were afraid that if you didn’t endorse it the MSM would heap more derision upon you. Obama has assumed authorities he does not lawfully possess and the Republican Party has said almost nothing against him. Obama has divided the Republican Party with effortless ease and you have played right into his hand. We may need a new strategy, Senator, but first, you need to realize just who your enemy is and who your allies are.
“I resent anybody saying that Dan Coats doesn’t have the courage to stand up and support this kind of thing and he’s waved the white towel and surrendered.” I understand that completely, Senator; I resent the Republican Party’s dismissal of its conservative base.
“Why are Republicans attacking Republicans?” Conservatives want to know …
