No Country For Moderate Republicans

from Salon.com:


Conservatives already pouncing on moderate GOP senate candidate
A West Virginia senate candidate is already facing criticism from the right

By Jillian Rayfield


The conservative strategy of forcing out moderate candidates in favor of party purists has had limited success over the last two election cycles. But there are some early signs the right flank of the party has not learned its lesson.

Rep. Shelly Moore Capito , R-W.V., is a moderate Republican who announced her candidacy on Monday, and could be a strong challenger to Dem incumbent Jay Rockefellar, who will face reelection in 2014. But Capito is facing an early onslaught of criticism from the right for being “too liberal.”

“Congresswoman Capito has a long record of support of bailouts, pork, and bigger government,” Club For Growth president Chris Chocola wrote in a press release. “She voted to bail out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, for massive expansions of government-run health insurance, giveaways to big labor, and repeatedly voted to continue funding for wasteful earmarks like an Exploratorium in San Francisco and an Aquarium in South Carolina. That’s not the formula for GOP success in U.S. Senate races.”

“Congresswoman Capito is not someone we can endorse because her spending record in the House is too liberal,” said Matt Hoskins, the Executive Director of the Senate Conservatives Fund, which was founded by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. ....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.salon.com/2012/11/27/conservatives_already_pouncing_on_moderate_gop_senate_candidate/