The Daily Caller reports that ‘several GOP centrists are undecided about whether to donate to Sharron Angle, who told Senate Republicans on Tuesday that she represents a chance to get rid of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).’
Angle won the Republican Party’s nomination recently. She is a darling of the Tea Party, who calls for the replacement of Medicare and Social Security with “free-market alternatives.” She also ‘favors big cuts in federal spending and endorsed getting rid of the Department of Education and giving more control to state and local governments.’
Although these views are perfectly defensible – even authentically conservative – more moderate members of the GOP feel a little bit queasy about Angle. Sen. Scott Brown – yeah, that Massachusetts Republican who was only to represent his state in the U.S. Senate because the Tea Party supported him – for instance, has already said he “doesn’t plan to get involved in that race.”
It’s never ceases to amaze me that those who always call for a “Big Tent” are seldom willing to put up with people who hold slightly different beliefs. Centrists are in many respects worse than ideological progressives, conservatives and / or libertarians in that regard. They always talk about how they want to be accepted in both parties, how they too should be supported, endorsed and funded, but when a more ideological and idealistic person wins the nomination of their party, they suddenly disappear from the scene and quickly focus on “doing my job here” (as Brown put it).
With all due respect, but if these individuals can’t get themselves to support their own party’s nominee because she’s too libertarian / conservative for their tastes, they shouldn’t complain when conservative activists actively work to oust them in their from office. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Simple.
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