With the 2014 midterm elections looming, the fight between moderate establishment GOP candidates and the socially conservative Tea Party for control of the Republican Party is growing fiercer by the day.
One such battle is now raging in Mississippi, where Tea Party candidate Chris McDaniel is challenging GOP incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran.
Cochran has created a super PAC, backed by lobbying groups, in an attempt to distance himself from McDaniel, whose grassroots campaign has been gaining traction.
This strategy is not limited just to Mississippi, however. Across the country, establishment GOP candidates are creating super PACs to combat the populist campaigns of Tea Party candidates.
There was a time when the Tea Party was embraced by the GOP. A reactionary movement in response to President Barack Obama’s unconstitutional style of government, the Tea Party can be credited with handing Republicans control of the House in the 2010 midterms.
Over the past couple of years however, the Tea Party and the GOP have butted heads frequently on issues, and it is quickly becoming clear that the chasm between the two is an ideological one.
The most recent example was the raising of the nation’s debt limit in December. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and other GOP members of Congress drew the ire of the Tea Party when they voted to raise the debt limit again, without any conditions. The Tea Party viewed this as a capitulation to the Democrats, and a betrayal of Republican principles. Boehner was quick to reply, calling the Tea Party “misleading” and “without credibility.”
It’s clear the honeymoon is over now.
The differences go even deeper. The establishment GOP runs on a platform that protects family values, opposing same-sex marriage and abortion. This viewpoint was popular during the Reagan era, especially with the many evangelicals who held sway with the White House during that era. The GOP also favors maintaining a well-funded military.
The Tea Party runs on a platform of constitutionalism, emphasizing individual liberties over social issues. It also focus on budget, mainly on cutting government spending, which includes the military. It is Goldwater to the GOP’s Reagan.
Then there is the age issue. The Tea Party appeals to younger conservatives, who often support same-sex marriage and marijuana decriminalization. The GOP is often seen as the party of old men. Think Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) vs. Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
There is also a popular trend rising in the Tea Party of candidates putting term limits on themselves. They don’t like the notion of career politicians. McDaniel has stated that he will only serve two terms if elected. If Cochran is elected, it will be his seventh term.
Ultimately, there doesn’t seem to be much common ground between the two factions of the party anymore. The GOP argues that the Tea Party is draining support from the GOP, allowing the Democrats to gain leverage in elections. The Tea Party, meanwhile, argues that if the establishment GOP continues to betray its conservative roots, there might as well be a Democrat in the office.
Whichever route the Republican Party decides to take, both groups agree on one thing: the party needs to find its soul, and quickly.
