Associated Press
Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) isn't the first mainstream Republican to be driven from office by a right-wing primary challenger, but his primary defeat last night is arguably the most shocking -- and says the most about the radicalization of today's Republican Party.
When Utah Sen. Robert Bennett was rejected by his party, he could at least blame the process. When Florida Gov. Charlie Crist was discarded, we could point to his relative moderation by contemporary GOP standards.
With Dick Lugar, it's ... different.
Lugar is a giant -- a veritable legend -- of Indiana politics, having been a popular mayor of Indianapolis and a successful senator who never faced a serious challenge before this year. On Capitol Hill, Lugar developed a reputation as a consistent conservative, generally on the right on nearly every issue (lifetime American Conservative Union rating: 77%), but who nevertheless conducted himself with class and dignity -- a senator who enjoyed universal respect, especially on international affairs, where his stature is largely unrivaled.
The senator has been a quiet, understated leader. He lost by 20 points.
Lugar had been encouraged to do as Orrin Hatch had done -- abandon sensible positions, stop working with anyone with even slightly different positions, and pander shamelessly to the most extreme contingencies within his party. But Lugar didn't want to become a right-wing caricature, because after so many years of public service, he didn't feel like he had to. Hoosiers knew him and trusted him; his party and his state wouldn't cast him aside easily.
Did I mention he lost by 20 points?
Former Sen. John Danforth (R-Mo.) said a while back, "If Dick Lugar, having served five terms in the U.S. Senate and being the most respected person in the Senate and the leading authority on foreign policy, is seriously challenged by anybody in the Republican Party, we have gone so far overboard that we are beyond redemption."
Well, guess what. Lugar not only faced a serious challenger, he was also humiliated by his own party -- which suggests the Republican Party probably is "beyond redemption." The purity campaign, intended to drive independent thought and even hints of moderation from the GOP altogether, continues, and as of last night in Indiana, it's working.
Who beat him? State Treasurer Richard Mourdock, who, naturally, challenged Lugar from the right. Mourdock is a favorite of right-wing groups like Club for Growth, and has staked out extreme positions, including his recent boast that bipartisanship is "wrong" and that he wouldn't intend to work with Democrats on any issue.
GOP Hoosiers swooned, preferring Mourdock's hard-line inflexibility to Lugar's statesmanship. As Dana Milbank recently said of this primary:
On one side is a man who has made it his life's work to build a cross-aisle consensus for keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists and rogue states. On the other side is a man who mocks his opponent for such efforts and who talks more about fighting Democrats than fighting America's enemies.
For years Dick Lugar has been the leading Senate Republican on foreign policy, shaping post-Cold War strategy, securing sanctions to end South African apartheid and bringing democracy to the Philippines, among other things. His signature achievement, drafted with Democrat Sam Nunn, was the 1992 Nunn-Lugar Act, which has disarmed thousands of Soviet nuclear warheads once aimed at the United States.
Enter Richard Mourdock, a tea party hothead attempting to defeat Lugar in the GOP primary. A cornerstone of his effort to oust Lugar is the six-term senator's bad habit of bipartisanship -- never mind that Lugar's bipartisanship was in the service of protecting millions of Americans from nuclear, chemical and biological terrorism.
As Lugar himself said in a statement last night, "He and I share many positions, but his embrace of an unrelenting partisan mindset is irreconcilable with my philosophy of governance and my experience of what brings results for Hoosiers in the Senate. In effect, what he has promised in this campaign is reflexive votes for a rejectionist orthodoxy and rigid opposition to the actions and proposals of the other party. His answer to the inevitable roadblocks he will encounter in Congress is merely to campaign for more Republicans who embrace the same partisan outlook. He has pledged his support to groups whose prime mission is to cleanse the Republican party of those who stray from orthodoxy as they see it."
As for what happens now, Mourdock will face Rep. Joe Donnelly (D), a Blue Dog Democrat, who, all of a sudden, has a shot at winning a U.S. Senate seat. Opinions vary on Donnelly's chances, but one thing is for sure: had Lugar won yesterday, he'd be a lock to win re-election statewide. With Mourdock's primary success, what was an easy race for the GOP has become a more competitive contest.
As for what happens to the "beyond redemption" Republican Party, every incumbent on Capitol Hill has received the right-wing threat anew: toe a far-right line and refuse to compromise or prepare to be replaced. Full stop. The radicalized party won't quit until it's purged every hint of independence from its ranks.
The Mann/Ornstein thesis tells us the extremism that's come to define the contemporary GOP is principally responsible for the breakdown of American governance. Yesterday's primary sends an unmistakable signal: Republicans only intend to make matters worse.
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Let's not forget his decades of work on nuclear disarmament!
Lugar's mistake was forgetting to say, "I am not a witch!"
(Because right wing Republicans specialize in Witch Hunts- cf McCarthy, Eugene. . .)
...and West
So they ousted on GOP member for another who believes exactly the same thing the one they threw out does...?? HOW does this Help them??
That was Joe McCarthy, not Gene McCarthy. The two were polar opposites and not related.
Thank you truly, I was about to start typing really fast here. Eugene McCarthy was a strong moderate Democrat that I volunteered for in the '68 elections. Joe and Eugene are not related.
The only thing standing between Mourdock and a senate seat is an "I am not a witch" moment. Republicans are big on party loyalty, not nuance.
Democrats should see this as an opportunity. The kind they missed in Alaksa in 2010. Indianans aren't stupid (though when I listen to people like Mike Pence, Dan Burton, and Mitch Daniels, it makes me wonder). Somewhere within the state's borders, there should be enough moderate Republicans and independents to win the seat this fall.
Democrats need to put time and money into this race. Joe Donnelly is a sensible, moderate candidate. He can win this race if Indiana Dems work hard for him and he gets sufficient support for the DSC and outside groups.
You also have to remember these are the same idiots who elected a secretary of state who had no right being on the ballot and was convicted of voter fraud.. the same state where conviently our lovely governor appointed the person of his choice instead of letting the democrat who followed the rules have the seat... Every day when I go over poll sheets I just shake my head out of embarassment.. People have proven that they will vote anyone (no matter what they have done) that has a R next to their name.....
Let's also not forget that when a pol hasn't a valid in state voting address, folks might view this as a problem. Hope the Dems can pick up this seat! Send checks.
He does -- it's his farm rather than the place in town that he sold, but he certainly has one.
Yes, they are saying that he lost because he didn't own a home in IN. But they discounted the fact that his son runs the family farm and Mr. Lugar lived there too when he was in the state.
It's just wasteful spending to keep a house he doesn't live in most of the time. I thought Republicans were against wasteful spending?
We should also remember that he was a close ally of Ronaldus Magnus; this is another indication that the so-called "party of Reagan" has left its figurehead.
"Blessed are the peacemakers" unless they work with POB.
This is the monster that has been created. The GOP now has to live with it. It will probably cost them the seat. Quite possibly, the state could turn for Obama.
Indiana went blue in 2008. Barely, but Obama won it. Blew my mind.
Not going to happen. Indiana will not elect a Democrat.
This state is going to go full Teabagger this fall.
I only wish I could afford to move.
It is even worse that Mike Pence is going to buy the next governorship in The Mississippi of the Midwest. Mike Pence - 2nd stupidest person on the face of this earth & we are still looking for number 1.
Agreed. Why would throwing out a respected party leader for a fringe member make anyone see that there is a chance for Obama in Indiana now? I am fearful, it is even worse than I thought. Hoosiers have moved even farther to the right. Those who cast a vote for Mourdock have shown that they are unwilling to view compromise as a good thing and we are sure to see more of the same inaction. Hoosier Repubs evidently want responsibility to a party and not to the people. I've already said it but it's worth repeating, this is the saddest I will ever be to see a Republican loss.
Why? Not every conservative is insane. When given the choice between an hard right candidate that they do not agree with and a democrat, there is a very good chance they will stay home to protest. Even if they do not stay home, they can hold their nose and vote democratic.
That's not Hoosier conservatives though. My local city voted out every Democrat last year, ostensibly because of "jobs" and a garbage fee. Problem with that is locally, unemployment is really low and as the mayor is discovering, garbage doesn't automatically disappear, someone has to pay for it.
This bodes ill for the future. If Romney loses the mantra is going to be "We weren't conservative enough " I don't know how you take that party any further right , but it is going to end up with a 30-40% block of rabid Ideologues who will bring governance in this country to a complete standstill . We need to concentrate the resources on the House and Senate to stop the crazy.
You're right. Anyone can say that the stock market rose or fell because a cow burped in Nebraska, but if you say it on TV enough times, it becomes conventional wisdom. In order to keep these goofs out of Congress, the nation needs an education, and Brian Williams, Wolf Blitzer, George Stephanopolis, etc. are part of the problem, not the solution.
That group are multimillionaire news readers , whose mission is to sell pharmaceuticals and Cheerios.
Did we mention that they work for large corporations whose CEO's and Boards are members of the 1%
They are told what to read and what sort of spin , not really different than the prime directives given by Ailes to his minions at Faux
Truth dare not speak it's name .
I don't believe there is a rabid ideologue block of 30-40%. Keep in mind that this was a primary, in a very conservative state. Of people likely to vote in national elections there is probably a 20% block. Hopefully progressives and moderates will be motivated by the results in IN, NC, UT and elsewhere. The Republicans are veering towards dangerous extremism but I refuse to lose hope, yet, in Americans.
You refuse to loose hope in Americans yet? I have new for you-you should lose hope, and lose it quickly. Why-because if we do no lose hope in the voting right wing American we will sit at home and hope they do the right thing. And that is how they win. Lose Hope, Fight Back with everything you got. The soul of America is in the wrong hands.
Speaking from central Indiana-the belly of the Extremist's latest beast-I hope thinking Americans everywhere hear your urgent plea, wake up, and go to the polls en masse, as we did in '08. As this primary race/disgrace proves, the right wing is beginning to eat itself. They certainly won't stop in November. Since the Republicans are protected by Congress, the enormous wealth of the 1%, as well as the US Supreme Court, it's going to take the vote of every reasonable, rational, logical American. God save us from ourselves!
The TP along with other hard right factions, particularly the religious right, are going keep moving the party further right until voters turn the Republicans out of office on a large scale. If the far right is willing to destroy the Republican party, then the far right is willing to destroy the country if they get the reins of power. The question is whether voters are going to willingly give the far right control of the country.
I fear they will.
If so then we will never know democracy ever again... We really will be living in interment camps and the poor houses will spring up and those that are sick will die and those that are poor will put out to work the fields - or whatever the right finds right... And also, good-bye to individualizm, homosexuality, mixed race marriages and hello to border stops for your citizenship papers and religion being taught in PUBLIC schools - if they still exist...
Public schools? No. You'll be home schooling if you can't afford private school. You say you have to go to work? Then see if you can pay some stay at home parent to teach your kid for you or just let the little bugger get to work earning their keep.
I disagree with you about Bennett of Utah...when they threw HIM over for not being 'conservative enough'...
I knew the inmates had taken over.
More proof, if it was needed, that the GOP has become totally "Party First, Country... ah, a distant second."
"Bipartisanship is wrong"? Doesn't that translate as "My way or the Highway"?
One can only hope this pendulum doesn't swing too far rightward before it comes, or can, come back to sanity.
I hope the dems turn out in huge numbers this election cycle...these teabaggers are scary in every way...they seem to want to destroy our government...tryin for a rapture moment? We have to show up, and vote for people who will work together for us, not seek to divide us further!
Even those that vote Republican should vote with the Dems - cause their rights are just as much in danger too... Their rights meaning they forget we all live by a constitution, rules and laws...
Lugar lost through his own mistakes probably due to age. I have gone to T party meetings and they are comical at points. Their opposition to science (global warming and evolution) are based in largely, superstitious arguments. Their opposition to abortion is fragmented. Some believe its murder in the 1st degree but have no plans of how to enforce it. The libertarian wing believes it should be left up to the states which just makes it more expensive. However, their non social issues are all over the map and not all irrational.
Ignorant people will elect politicians who will use that ignorance for their benefit. The right wing is now populated with people who not only believe but are convinced beyond scientific proof that the world was created in 6 day. They also believe in demons, hell and a heavily afterlife for those who agree with their beliefs. That is not a reality base thought system and is open fertile ground for opportunistic scoundrels to take advantage of those who practice those beliefs. Demonism is NOT a belief system that founded the Constitution of the United States.
Demonism is a sickness that has overrun the United States and must be cured if Democracy and Liberty are to survive at all.
For the Republicans, this is their chance to implement "Corporate 1984."
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
Do you mean "Dominionism", George-936605?
As someone who lives in Indiana and was raised here, I can tell you that we are often right at the end of progressive change. So, hopefully, this may just be a tail end aspect of the Tea Party effect. I thought we might have turned a corner when we voted for Obama in 2008 (that's right: for a brief shining moment, IN was a blue state). Polls show, though, that Romney is significantly ahead here. I heard someone on MSNBC call IN voters "idiots," yesterday, and I laughed. As a free-and-well-thinking liberal, I'm able to separate myself from state identity. They ARE idiots, as are the anti-gay voters in NC, and 40-60% of any state's voters. I saw a bumper sticker yesterday with a picture of Obama that said "100% Fact Free," of course, on a giant, gas-guzzling pickup. I have my Obama sticker on the back of my Volt, but how do you hear my message over such loud stupidity? Can we just give them their own place to exercise their immoral stupidity? They can call it Christiana, and enact all their socially restrictive laws and laissez-faire (sp?) idiocy. Hell, give them IN; I'll move somewhere else.
You're welcome in Massachusetts, Paul!
Lugar also said last night he wants a Republican president and a Senate controlled by his "good friend" Mitch McConnell.
Puts a little damper on the quantity of tears you're willing to shed for the now-sainted Lugar, doesn't it?
I finally understand why Republican seem like their caught in a never-ending opposite day when it comes to reality. They do not understand what their job description is. Murdock just said on the daily rundown that he believes it's his job to get people to believe why the conservative policies are "better". Last time I checked, the job of an elected official was to put forth legislation that is based on what the people believe and want, not what you want them to want. I think that Republican really do understand that they are out of touch. They just don't care that people see them that way because they are hoping they can change everyones minds!
So it is only a problem if you will lose your Senate seat? Where was your objection to this during the 2008 and 2010 elections - where a lot of your colleagues lost their jobs to these same idealogues?
The news acts like the loss of Lugar is something unfortunate, but really it is good riddens. We don’t need anymore of those politicians that just favor the rich few. The more the Republicans are kicked out the better for everybody and I certainly hope when elections come around as many as possible are removed. The GOP/Republicans have become as worthless as they can get and benefit no one, except themselves and a few corrupt rich people.
You basically sound as bad as the wackadoodles who voted Lugar out.
Lugar obviously doesn't have a matching record with liberals and progressives, but at least he was willing to work across the aisle and was one of the only Republicans I genuinely respected and admired.
PAST TENSE!!! I also used to respect Lugar. That ended after Obama was elected and he went wack-job and became a voting clone of Mitch McConnell.
While I may be a wackadoodle, I am not a repuknican wackadoodle & I voted in the repuke primary yesterday to help "diselect" Lugar.
Not a good chance for the DLC/DINO put up by the state dumbocrap party leadership, but better against Mourdock than against Lugar.
The Republican Party..... they love eating their own!
Situations like this lend to even more thoughts of (Australia looks pretty good) fleeing this communistic type attitude that is growing ever so large here. I have become more determined to fight the Republicans in every arena that presents itself because of these types of people and when I have had the thoughts of departing. I am becoming scared for mine and my grandsons existence here in this country.
I have been saying for two years, and it was confirmed just yesterday by Carville - It ain't over till it's over! The Treacherous Egotistical Activist(TEA) have scored numerous inroads across America with subtle, yet power grabs to infuse their people into positions of control. Control at the local level and party have allowed the few control the masses much like radical Islam has taken over the Muslim religion skewering fringe ideas and ideals. It has been well documented the Troubling Economic Antagonist(TEA) party would field contestants around the nation to further their skewed, narrow-minded fringe beliefs and effect local and state controls while moving towards national prominence. Get involved locally. That's where the real power lies. Vote straight Democratic Ticket! Effect a change! Make your voices heard! Get active locally - Get active at the state level - Get registered to vote - Vote - Get out the vote!
Ah yes. The old TeaTard argument. The Corporately Owned Media seem to actually believe that the TeaTards are something new, when all they really are is the same wacked out repukes who rebranded themselves so they could claim they did not support Little Georgie Bush.
What a great f*cking country! You know that the Teabaggers are a real grassroots populist movement because nothing says grassroots and populist than funding by billionaires.
The beauty of Lugar was NOT that he was a 'moderate' because he was certainly conservative but that on ISSUES he was willing to compromise. He knew there was good ideas on both sides and he was willing to listen.
Again, let me point out that all of this is past tense and ended when Obama was elected.
All it takes for election fraud to work is a close race.
We can only hope Joe Donnelly can beat the TEA Party crazy come November.
We hope. Which is why I voted in the repuke primary yesterday. Joe DLC/DINO Donnelly is an almost completely useless POC, but way better than Sourdock.
I am curious as to how the government is expected to function if there is no compromise? Will it be far right for 4 to 8 years then far left for the next 4 to 8 years? Judging from the cultural trends, if this is the way the Conservatives want to play, they will soon find themselves out of the game, or marginalized to that extreme edge they are scrambling to line up on. The edge that is becoming more brittle, less flexible, and crumbling little by little, is a dangerous place to stand.
Government can function quite well with no compromise, as long as the dumbocraps go along with everything the repukes want. That worked for Little Georgie Bush and see how well that turned out for our country!
If this keeps on much longer, we should all form a third party, called the US people's party. And everything will be done for the betterment of the middle and poor class. Because when the middle class is doing well, everybody else does well too.