The Moore situation
"Determined to keep a Freedom Caucus member out of the Senate, McConnell and SLF swung into action with a little over a month to go, spending over four million dollars carpet-bombing Mo Brooks. They told everyone who would listen that they were going to destroy Brooks. They even hired consultants for a potential primary challenger in his house seat, just to intimidate him.
Why did they do all this?
Because they decided early that it would be easy to beat Roy Moore in a runoff. Unfortunately for them, Alabama voters didn’t really like the meddling by DC. "
"McConnell and his team at SLF often make a few basic arguments defending their actions in Alabama. They are worth examining.
1. “If we don’t intervene, we’ll end up with Christine O’Donnells and Todd Akins who will lose vital seats that we need to keep our majority.”
A couple things are important to note here:
A) The argument is essentially that voters must be saved from themselves."
"C) Yes, the conservative movement has backed some bad candidates before. But let’s also remember: If Mitch McConnell and SLF had their way, Marco Rubio, Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, Pat Toomey, and Rand Paul never would have been Senators.
Furthermore, it’s not like McConnell and his team exactly have a sterling record of picking general election winners either. Tommy Thompson, Rick Berg and Connie Mack all come to mind."
"In Murkowski’s case, after she lost the GOP primary in 2010, and ran a write in bid, McConnell promised publicly that she could keep her seniority if she won. McConnell’s promise was a key reason she was re-elected."
So it's a flat out lie.
Mitch McConnell Is The Reason Doug Jones Is A Senator
http://thefederalist.com/2017/12/12/mitch-mcconnell-is-the-reason-doug-jones-is-a-senator/
"McConnell Senate Leadership Fund ultimately spent $8 million on the primary, and the NRSC kicked in $400,000."
"Team McConnell blamed Bannon for backing Moore.
“He’s proven beyond a shadow of a doubt he has no capability to run a U.S. Senate race,” Holmes said of Bannon"
There are two problems with this argument. (Keep in mind, I detest Bannon, and Moore is a kook and walking stereotype)
1) Bannon jumped on the Moore train late. He didn't pick him. 2) Even with accusations of molesting a teenager Moore lost by the amount of write in votes encouraged by GOP.
Inside McConnell’s slow-motion Alabama train wreck
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/13/alabama-special-senate-election-mitch-mcconnell-222569
"Moore lost because Republicans including Alabama Senator Richard Shelby dumped on their own seat just to rightfully oppose Moore rather than saying “Moore is bad but vote on the GOP line to keep the seat in GOP hands and then we will remove him later.”"
I disagree with this point. Republicans wanted to lose the seat to attack Bannon and teach the serfs a lesson. It's not as if they are doing anything in Congress anyway. They could have elected him, vetted the accusers under oath, then expelled him. That never entered their minds.
5 Reasons Why It’s Disingenuous for GOPers to Blame Bannon
https://medium.com/@YossiGestetner/5-reasons-why-its-disingenuous-for-gopers-to-blame-banno-166983f1d96c
Why did they do all this?
Because they decided early that it would be easy to beat Roy Moore in a runoff. Unfortunately for them, Alabama voters didn’t really like the meddling by DC. "
"McConnell and his team at SLF often make a few basic arguments defending their actions in Alabama. They are worth examining.
1. “If we don’t intervene, we’ll end up with Christine O’Donnells and Todd Akins who will lose vital seats that we need to keep our majority.”
A couple things are important to note here:
A) The argument is essentially that voters must be saved from themselves."
"C) Yes, the conservative movement has backed some bad candidates before. But let’s also remember: If Mitch McConnell and SLF had their way, Marco Rubio, Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, Pat Toomey, and Rand Paul never would have been Senators.
Furthermore, it’s not like McConnell and his team exactly have a sterling record of picking general election winners either. Tommy Thompson, Rick Berg and Connie Mack all come to mind."
"In Murkowski’s case, after she lost the GOP primary in 2010, and ran a write in bid, McConnell promised publicly that she could keep her seniority if she won. McConnell’s promise was a key reason she was re-elected."
So it's a flat out lie.
Mitch McConnell Is The Reason Doug Jones Is A Senator
http://thefederalist.com/2017/12/12/mitch-mcconnell-is-the-reason-doug-jones-is-a-senator/
"McConnell Senate Leadership Fund ultimately spent $8 million on the primary, and the NRSC kicked in $400,000."
"Team McConnell blamed Bannon for backing Moore.
“He’s proven beyond a shadow of a doubt he has no capability to run a U.S. Senate race,” Holmes said of Bannon"
There are two problems with this argument. (Keep in mind, I detest Bannon, and Moore is a kook and walking stereotype)
1) Bannon jumped on the Moore train late. He didn't pick him. 2) Even with accusations of molesting a teenager Moore lost by the amount of write in votes encouraged by GOP.
Inside McConnell’s slow-motion Alabama train wreck
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/13/alabama-special-senate-election-mitch-mcconnell-222569
"Moore lost because Republicans including Alabama Senator Richard Shelby dumped on their own seat just to rightfully oppose Moore rather than saying “Moore is bad but vote on the GOP line to keep the seat in GOP hands and then we will remove him later.”"
I disagree with this point. Republicans wanted to lose the seat to attack Bannon and teach the serfs a lesson. It's not as if they are doing anything in Congress anyway. They could have elected him, vetted the accusers under oath, then expelled him. That never entered their minds.
5 Reasons Why It’s Disingenuous for GOPers to Blame Bannon
https://medium.com/@YossiGestetner/5-reasons-why-its-disingenuous-for-gopers-to-blame-banno-166983f1d96c