I realize that we are all independent minded and I respect everyone's right to disagree on issues and strategy, however, some in the movement have resorted to the same name-calling and hostile rhetoric that the left uses against us. It simply is not helpful.
I've heard some conservatives label other conservatives as "traitors", "RINOs", "sell-outs" and worse, just because we do not agree with their position on the debt deal. I do not agree with those who supported the deal, but I do not challenge the motives of those tried and true conservatives who supported it. Are we really ready to throw Allen West under the bus? Has Laura Ingraham lost our respect simply because we disagree with her on this plan? Should we turn our backs on Mike Pence, a conservative champion, ignoring his years of taking arrows for us? Is Paul Ryan now the enemy, even though he is the only one in Washington who put forward a bold and real plan to cut the budget?
Those who would invest their time in trying to defeat or trash good conservatives when that energy should be directed at liberals and Obama are playing right into the hands of the progressives. Can we have a moment of clear thinking here? It reminds me of the vicious attacks leveled at Ronald Reagan by his "conservative friends" because he didn't always tow the "purist" line - whatever that is at any given moment. Never mind that he had to deal with Tip O'Neil as Speaker of the House. Reagan was blasted by Buckley, Feulner, Phillips, Viguerie and other conservative leaders as a "traitor" and there was even talk of trying to find a "real conservative" to run against him in the 1984 primary.
Of course, now Reagan is held up as a conservative icon by many of the same people who criticized him when he was at the governing table.
My advice to my fellow Tea Party members is to step back and look at the big picture. As Erick Erickson, one of the most vocal opponents of the debt deal said in a recent posting at Redstate, "anyone who calls Pence a RINO is deserving of a 'mental ward'. Even though Erickson was very much opposed to the deal, in talking about West and Pence, he pointed out what most sensible friends in the Tea Party recognize: “These guys aren’t RINOs in one vote. Mike Pence is a profoundly decent guy I’m proud to support for Governor… Friends are allowed to disagree. Friends are expected to forgive. It’s all part of friendship.” Part of being part of a winning team is knowing the difference between friends and enemies.
My advice to my fellow Tea Party members is to step back and look at the big picture. As Erick Erickson, one of the most vocal opponents of the debt deal said in a recent posting at Redstate, "anyone who calls Pence a RINO is deserving of a 'mental ward'. Even though Erickson was very much opposed to the deal, in talking about West and Pence, he pointed out what most sensible friends in the Tea Party recognize: “These guys aren’t RINOs in one vote. Mike Pence is a profoundly decent guy I’m proud to support for Governor… Friends are allowed to disagree. Friends are expected to forgive. It’s all part of friendship.” Part of being part of a winning team is knowing the difference between friends and enemies.
There are real RINOs out there. They are the ones who consistently oppose conservative principles. They are not those who now and then will disagree with us on strategy. After all, you know who cheers on the sidelines when we engage in a circular firing squad? I think a moment of sanity helps us figure that out.
