It’s no picnic leading a fractured Republican caucus pulled in opposite directions by moderates and political savvy strategists on the one hand and Tea Party-backed conservative hardliners on the other.
For many Republican insiders, the goal is to stay out of the way while Democrats continue losing.
“You don’t want to make this election about Republicans. That’s the key,” said former Republican Virginia Rep. Tom Davis. “Basically people are electing Republicans to balance government. They’re not voting because of their agenda.”
As House Minority Leader John Boehner learned, though, offering compromise on a politically charged subject may not be a productive route to staying out of the news. Boehner said Sunday he might vote for a tax increase vehemently opposed by conservatives and turned around Monday to find no one behind him.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell even appeared to publicly repudiate Boehner, offering a 1,200-word essay on why he could not support such a compromise.
Whether it’s shutting down musing about government shutdown or softening the rough edges of a zealous oversight official, key Republicans have been seeking to strategically eliminate flashpoints that may give President Obama footing to make the campaign about the GOP rather than Democrats. In another instances, even conservatives are backing a candidate they might otherwise loathe because of brutal political realities.
Shutdown fever
On Friday, Georgia Republican Rep. Lynn Westmoreland ventured into flashpoint territory in musing about whether a would-be standoff between President Obama and House Republicans could result in a government shutdown like the one that occurred in the 1990s when Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and President Bill Clinton couldn’t agree on spending levels.
“If the government shuts down, we want you with us,” he said, according to Politico.
That same evening, Obama spokesman Dan Pfeiffer slammed the comments, saying on the White House blog that while Obama is “offering a vision” to improve the economy, Republicans “are busy telling partisans and Republican party activists to get prepared for the same stalemate and gridlock they brought the last time they were in charge.”
Almost as quickly, Westmoreland was sprinting away from the comments. “I did not call for nor am I advocating shutting down the federal government.” he said, according to a written statement provided to The Daily Caller by Boehner’s office.
Privately, Republicans are more conflicted about the idea. There are concerns about politics of a shutdown, but spending issues are the key vehicle Republicans will have to stop Obama’s policies.
NEXT: Rep. Issa moderates rhetoric
Bypassing a Burton
Rep. Darrell Issa, California Republican, has basked in the glow as Obama’s chief congressional tormentor, appearing to fan the flames on news coverage about the threat he poses to Democrats.
For instance, his aides blasted out a New York Times profile that dubbed Issa Obama’s “Annoyer-in-Chief.” Issa claimed subpoena power, which he will obtain if Republicans win the House, “will make all the difference in the world,” and plans a giant staff of sleuthing investigators.
When Democrats started to use Issa’s potent oversight as a weapon of their own, however, Issa suddenly tacked.
When Democrat Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell attacked Issa, saying that the “first thing” Republicans will do with control of the House “is issue subpoenas and have on hearing after another,” Issa pushed back on the growing narrative. “Our job is not to shut down government or the administration, but rather to get it to work better for the American people so that we can better stewards of their tax-dollars,” Issa’s spokesman said.
Unlike in Boehner’s case, Issa’s moderate rhetoric is unlikely to inspire any pushback from conservatives. His remarkable success as ranking member of the Oversight committee has yielded deep support and admiration from the right.
Castle vs. O’Donnell
In a primary battle in Delaware, some conservative hardliners are backing a Tea Party candidate while political strategists warn she won’t be able to win in her relatively liberal state.
Even the very conservative FreedomWorks has declined to endorse Christine O’Donnell, saying it’s not sure she can win in Delaware.
At the same time, conservative activists loathe Rep. Mike Castle for his long-running moderate record. Recently, for instance, Castle backed Democratic campaign finance legislation that many Republicans, such as Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown, viewed as written primarily to hurt the GOP’s electoral prospects on Nov. 2.
Though the GOP establishment is working in overdrive to get Castle elected, O’Donnell is on the cusp of winning. It’s another instance of where conservatives are pulling in one direction and political strategists in the other.