White House political advisor David Plouffe claimed that even after a string of tea party defeats in last week’s primaries, the Republican Party is still dominated by extremists — mocking the exuberance of the GOP establishment by noting “so maybe they don’t pledge allegiance to ALL the crazy.”
Plouffe made the remarks Sunday during ABC’s “This Week,” interrupting an argument between Republican strategist Ana Navarro and ABC contributor Matthew Dowd on whether the tea party’s poor showing last week means the fiscally conservative movement has co-opted the GOP.
“I think the Republican Party — because of the tea party — the GOP in general has moved more to the right and has adopted the principles,” Dowd claimed. “There’s not much difference anymore between tea party people and the establishment people. They have almost become one.”
“Oh Matt, tell that to the tea party,” Navarro interrupted. “This has been two very different factions going at each other. And for a very long time, the mainstream Republicans just sat there and took the pummeling. What we saw this week, they woke up finally and they fought back. And when they fought back, they won.”
Plouffe — who frequently bolsters the president and his party by painting the GOP as tea party extremists — seemed unwilling to let his favorite punching bag go so easily.
“I don’t get the celebration,” he began. “Maybe it’s a low bar. So they’re not witches and defenders of rape? Ok, so maybe they don’t pledge allegiance to ALL the crazy?”
“Let’s look at these candidates,” he continued. “And let’s look at 2016. Different electorate, battle ground states. All against immigration reform, all denying climate change, all against gay marriage, all against funding things like education and transportation to help jobs.”
“This [sic] is not people that are not going to win the middle part of the electorate or the emerging part of the electorate,” he declared. “I think Matt makes a very good point.”
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