The GOP Primaries: Grassroots fiscal conservatives have altered the political landscape

The remarkable political phenomenon that is sweeping the country right now should be apparent to anyone with a brain. It is true that there is general anger and resentment toward Washington in the general population, and that some of that anger is also coming from liberal voters. However, the bulk of the frustration – the most upset voters – are grassroots conservatives who are increasingly frustrated with the Federal Government’s growing interference with the economy and the burden of the federal fiscal policies on American citizens. Simply put, people are tired of the wasteful spending, the bailouts, and the creation of costly new entitlement programs.

This week’s primary election results show the impact had by organized grassroots fiscal conservatives who value limited government. Senate races are in the spotlight. The creation of Tea Party groups across the nation since late 2008 is evidence of a level of conservative grassroots organization not seen since the Moral Majority helped get Ronald Reagan elected in 1980. With the advent and utilization of online social networking and internet blogging, the impact of the Tea Parties is arguably greater and more widespread.

We first started seeing the political impact of angry grassroots conservatives in early 2009, when Arlen Specter put his index finger up into the political winds and determined that he must become a Democrat to keep his Senate seat. In switching sides, he showed his middle finger to the Republican Party and bolted. Even before 2009, Arlen Specter had long been a thorn in the side of the GOP and conservative voters. He was a loser then, and he is a loser now, as Pennsylvania’s liberal Democratic voters chose the Moveon.org candidate over Specter in the Pennsylvania primary. To the delight of many in the GOP, Pennsylvania Republicans now have a reliable conservative in Pat Toomey to support.

Florida ex-Governor Charlie Crist’s recent stunt does not appear to be as ugly as Specter’s predictable switch to the Democratic Party. Tea Partiers and other grassroots conservatives scored a major victory when Florida State Rep. Marco Rubio took a double-digit lead in the polls and forced Charlie Crist out of the Republican Primary. Crist’s decision to run as an independent arguably doesn’t seem to make him as much of a political opportunist as Specter, as Crist will still be a registered Republican. Where it gets ugly is on the topic of campaign fundraising and contributions: Crist has refused to return campaign contributions to Republican voters who requested refunds following Crist’s departure on April 28.

The effect of grassroots conservative voters was also apparent in other state primaries. In Kentucky we saw the defeat of a right of center candidate in Trey Grayson by the liberty-minded Rand Paul. The son of libertarian-Republican Ron Paul, Rand was immensely popular with Kentucky’s conservative voters and heavily backed by the Tea Party organizations. He beat Trey Grayson, who was largely perceived as the GOP establishment candidate, by 23.4 percent. Grayson was a solid candidate (in some ways) who expressed support for Israel and for waging the War on Terror, but the fact that he was a Democrat prior to 1993 was not lost on Kentucky voters. Kentucky’s Republican voters simply didn’t trust him to fight for the conservative cause on fiscal issues and limited government.

To win, Rand Paul needs to deflect any criticism of him being an “extreme candidate” who caters only to the passions of the most conservative voters in Kentucky. He has taken unique positions on some issues, such as banning lobbying and campaign contributions by anyone holding a federal contract exceeding $1 million. Rand Paul needs to continue to harness the energy of grassroots conservatives on fiscal and other economic issues. If he stays on message and avoids any awkward moments on the Glenn Beck show and other similar venues, Paul will be a U.S. Senator. Toomey is deadlocked in the polls with Democrat Joe Sestak, but the energy coming from grassroots conservatives in Pennsylvania is tremendous and should push Toomey through in the general election. Marco Rubio faces a more complicated picture in the 3-way race in Florida, but a combination of ample financial backing from GOP donors in the coming months and grassroots support should be enough to marginalize any Republican support that will still go the way of Crist.

2010 is shaping up to being one of the most fascinating midterm elections in recent decades.