Republicans Self Destruct as Conservative Group Tries to Overthrow Boehner and McConnell

With months to go until the 2014 election, Republicans are already attacking each other as a conservative group is running ads against John Boehner, Mitch McConnell and Republican congressional leaders for not repealing Obamacare.

The group For America is the latest concoction of right winger Brent Bozell, and he is out to overthrow the entire Republican congressional leadership. He is are irate that the Republican leadership has not been able to stop the “liberal agenda” from advancing.

In a statement to CNN Bozell said, “Time and again, year after year, the Republican leadership in the House and Senate has come to grassroots conservatives, and Tea Party supporters pleading for our money, our volunteers, our time, our energy and our votes. In return they have repeatedly promised not just to stop the liberal assault on our freedoms and our national treasury, but to advance our conservative agenda. It’s been years. There is not a single conservative accomplishment this so-called ‘leadership’ can point to.”

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The group’s website goes further, by calling the leadership chickens who are afraid to repeal Obamacare, “Conservatives are sick and tired of politicians who promise to fight for conservative principles like repealing ObamaCare during election season, but forget them once they get to Washington! Congressional Republicans are on the record opposing ObamaCare, but now, when presented with the opportunity to take meaningful action against it, they chicken out.” (I suspect they are referring to the government shutdown that nearly destroyed the Republican Party.)

Bozell is correct in the respect that Republicans continually make promises to their base that they know they will never be able to deliver on. Republicans knew full well in 2010 that if they even if they took control of the House, they couldn’t stop the ACA. Reality didn’t stop them from lying and promising to repeal Obamacare if they had control of the House. Republicans have done nothing, but only a true sucker would expect success when Democrats control the both the Senate and the presidency.

Reality is not a hurdle for Bozell, who announced a digital ad campaign who announced an ad campaign against the entire House and Senate Republican leadership. Boehner, Cantor, McCarthy, McConnell, Cornyn, and others are all being targeted by ads from the right that will attack them for failing to accomplish anything.

For most of the leadership, these ads are meaningless. They are in safe Republican districts and states, but this kind of agitation is serious trouble for Mitch McConnell. The Senate Republican leader is deadlocked with Democrat Alison Grimes in a tight race for his seat. The last thing he needs is agitation from the right that could turn depress Republican turnout in November.

2014 is the last best chance that Republicans are going to have to take control of the Senate for a long time. After 2014, Republicans will be defending more seats than Democrats. With so much on the line one would think that the GOP could get it together and unify around at least one goal, but Republicans are self destructing yet again.

The leadership of the Party of No is reaping what it has sown, and the more the GOP squabbles, the better things will look for Democrats in November.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association