Target Dems, Not "rinos"

Listening to talk radio while driving to and from work last night and this morning, and reviewing some of the conservative blogs this morning, one could not help but be struck by the level of anger at three Republican Senators - Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania - who agreed to a deal with congressional Democrats on the stimulus plan.

The reasons for anger are not hard to discern or understand. If two of these three had stood with the other 38 Republican Senators and 178 House members, the stimulus bill would be dead, and most Republicans - including me - think we'd be better off if the bill were dead. I don't want to debate the bill, however, but rather the reaction of Republicans to these three moderates.

The rage is palpable, and the call is for revenge, ousting them from the party. Not only callers and blog commentators, but also the talk hosts and bloggers, are demanding that these three be challenged and "real Republicans" put in their places.

Of course, people tend to reserve their hottest anger for "traitors," but would it not be more constructive to devote this rage over the stimulus bill to ousting Democratic senators, who voted unanimously for passage? Surely there are many juicy targets out there, if not in 2010 (when, of the "traitorous three," only Specter is up for re-election) then down the road. Why do Max Baucus, Byron Dorgan, Tim Johnson, Kent Conrad, and Mark Begich hold seats in what are generally reliable Republican states at every level? Is it not possible to defeat Harry Reid in Nevada, Mary Landrieu in Louisiana, Robert Byrd in West Virginia, or Sherrod Brown in Ohio? How is it that Democrats control both of Virginia's senate seats? Not that long ago, Republicans controlled seats in Washington, Oregon, Minnesota, Delaware, New Mexico and Michigan. Is it really impossible to elect a second Republican Senator to join Chuck Grassley from Iowa or Dick Lugar from Indiana? Is there no way to defeat appointed Senators Roland Burris of Illinois or Mike Bennett of Colorado in 2010?

For a forward looking party that is prepared to tolerate some ideological diversity in favor of a more conservative Congress overall, there is no end to Democratic targets, each of whom voted for the stimulus, and each of whom has a more liberal voting record than Collins, Snowe, or Specter. So where, if talk radio and the blogs are any indication, are conservatives focusing their rage and preparing to focus a great deal of time and money? On primary challenges to Specter (in 2010), Snowe (in 2012), and Collins (in 2014). Are these seats really more winnable for "true conservatives" (whatever that means to you) than the seats listed above?

Those outraged by RINOs have had some success, if you can call it that. Linc Chafee no longer serves in the Senate, replaced by the more liberal Sheldon Whitehouse. The RINO hunters no longer have to complain about Gordon Smith, who has been replaced by the far more liberal Jeff Merkley. RINO Norm Coleman sits on the critical list, apparently to be replaced by the ridiculous and far more liberal Al Franken. The GOP is indeed becoming a small, disciplined minority, with the emphasis on "small" and "minority."

I don't mean to suggest that incumbents should never be challenged in party primaries. Of course they should. And there assuredly are times when a state or district would elect a more conservative Republican than the one holding office. But care needs to be taken in identifying those situations, separating them out from situations where a RINO might be the best available option, or even more, where it is better to let the RINO be and use our resources to unseat Democrats. RINOs - the dreaded "Republicans in Name Only - are almost always more conservative than their Democratic successors. A Republican in Name Only meets with other Republicans, gets info from the Republican staff, feels the pull of the caucus and party loyalty. This effort of the last decade to rid the party of RINOs has done just that - and perhaps also rid us of Congressional majorities as well. People join the party for a reason, for some sense of affinity. We should encourage that, not push them away as RINOs.

The solution to regaining congressional majorities may not be easy, but it is simple. Target liberal Democrats, not RINOs.