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FARRON COUSINS: The Republican Party is suffering from a very severe identity crisis. The internal
struggle between the old guard and the Tea Party has reached a fevered pitch, and that's
leaving the funders in a tough position. Joining me now to talk about this is Attorney Howard
Nations. Howard, thanks for joining us again. NATIONS:Hello, Farron. This is quite a fascinating
battle internecine struggle within the Republican Party. It's the battle for the GOP's soul.
It's gonna be very interesting to watch over the next few months.
COUSINS: Well, so you know right now we basically we've got this little faction that's called the
Tea Party. They came out very late 2008 early 2009 completely funded by groups like the
Coke Brothers. And so right now basically the fight is kind of between the Tea Party
and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, right? NATIONS: Right, the Chamber Commerce and the
establishment Republicans are very fearful of losing the House of Representatives this
year, which is a real possibility. But they're also fearful of not gaining the senate. There
are six Democrats running for reelection in states where Romney carried those states in
the last election. They would normally be thought to be pretty vulnerable. But they're
getting a lot of help from the kamikaze winning of the Republican Party. So the Chamber of
Commerce is financing primaries against the evangelicals.
COUSINS: So Karl Rove played a very big role in mobilizing these evangelicals in the 2000
election, 2004 election certainly. So now he has created this monster that can't be
stopped. And he is having to go out there and try to fight back against them.
NATIONS: Yes. Karl Rove is very concerned and he should be, because this is the monster
he created as you said. He's now formed American Crossroads and as President Steven Law says
that there's a broad base concern about having blown a significant number of races, because
the wrong candidates were selected. So you've got Rove versus the evangelical theocrats.
It's a fight over a base that consists of neo-confederates, white supremacists, know‑nothing
libertarians and they're nothing if not noisy. They can but they can also raise funds. They
can't be underestimated, because that group is very useful to numerous billionaires such
as the Koch Brothers. The Koch Brothers backed that far rad agenda not because they believe
in any principles that may exist there, but because it supports their business agenda.
But if you look aside from the Koch Brothers the political said that in 2011, 2012 there
are 25 social conservative groups raised an excess of $280 million. So they have the ability
to raise funds. COUSINS: They've got very big money there.
So the Christian Right, they themselves have a bit of a problem, because anybody in the
past who wanted to latch onto that, they could wear the banner of the Christian Right but
still when it came down to getting work done they would be able to comprise with Democrats
if they needed to. But that's not case today, is it?
NATIONS: No, it's not. The Family Research Council President, Tony Perkins who is the
darling of the Christian Right says that we have to dump moderates to save religious liberty.
And their biggest target is the House of Representatives. You know this whole business about the religious
right and social conservatives they're totally obsessed with controlling everything related
to sex, religion and race. And they're religious extremists and they can't help themselves.
If they could comprise they wouldn't be extremists. So by definition religious extremists can't
comprise. But they're so preoccupied with religion and race, sex, militarism, guns and
their other demigods exaggerations that meaningful communication with anyone outside of their
own little bubble is a virtual impossibility. COUSINS: And I think the best example of what's
happening right now where this is playing itself out is in Kentucky with Mitch McConnell,
the Tea Party has come out they've put up their own candidate, haven't they?
NATIONS: They have. The Madison Project, which is headed by Drew Ryun says that the Tea Party
has now professionalizing their approach to politics and we're getting a game plan. And
their opening shot is at Mitch McConnell. Before we talk their candidate, let's look
at the man they think is too moderate. Mitch McConnell is a strong believer in corporations
are people. He's in favor unlimited corporate campaign money. He defends oil subsidies.
He defends job outsourcing. He's the absolute mouthpiece for corporate America. He was in
favor of cutting $40 billion in aid to needy families. And he wasted four years as a minority
leader of the senate attacking Obama and he lost that battle. And he was the leader of
the Republicans in the senate in the worst congress in history. So he's a perfect conservative
for Rove, but the right wing says he's out of touch, because he's a Washington conservative
and he doesn't fit their agenda. So they're running a gentleman by the name of Matt Bevin,
and Freedom Works is backing him. They say he's more fiscally sound. And also they are
opposed to McConnell because he helps fund Obamacare. And McConnell opposed Cruz's plan
to shut down the government if they voted on anything to support Obamacare. And the
Cruz's government shutdown was ended by McConnell making a deal with Harry Reed. So the real
reason for supporting Bevin he's not Mitch McConnell.
COUSINS: That's it's very sad to take a little character like Mitch McConnell who as you
pointed out, he hates unions. He hates trial lawyers. He hates anybody who funds democrats.
He hates making comprises. He favored the government shutdown. He ended it because he's
not an idiot. He understands that it's hurting the country. It's hurting the economy, but
still he's not conservative enough. And that's where these groups Freedom Works, the Coke
Brothers, all these other massive right wing think tanks that's where they are wanting
to take the country, yes? NATIONS: Absolutely. I did like McConnell's
response to Freedom Works though. He says Freedom Works has gone from being conservative
reformers to conservative cannibals. COUSINS: That's certainly what we're seeing
within the parties. So it has become cannibalistic if you're not as further to the right than
the guy next to you, than that guy next to you becomes a moderate and a moderate unfortunately
for them is a target. And that's we need some republican moderates in there. We cannot
continue to have this Michele Bachmann types trying to call the shots, because they don't
get it. Unfortunately they're not smart enough to understand that you have to put politics
aside and actually attempt to run a country from time to time.
NATIONS: Well, don't estimate McConnell though, because he's heavily funded by corporate America
and by the Chamber of Commerce. He's been the long time lap dog of the Chamber of Commerce.
And he also has the National Republican Apparatus behind him. But it's got to be much more interesting
is the race that he's gonna have in the fall with Alison Grimes. She says that Bevin is
a self-funded billionaire who took taxpayer bailouts for his uninsured businesses. And
he falsely claims to have attended MIT. So she started the attack on Bevin already just
in case. But the other guy it's not just Madison Fund it's you've also and Freedom Works,
she's also got the senate conservative fund backing Bevin and they are they've spent
$2 million already in senate races and they have four races against incumbent republicans
that they're backing. So this cannibalism is spreading.
COUSINS: It's quite a freak show that's gonna play itself out this year.
NATIONS: It is indeed. Don't forget the religious right. American Principles and Actions says
its suppressing the Christian right will likely consign the GOP to permanent minority status,
which is actually a pretty good place for them. But they say that they can rally people
on the social issues and bring in Hispanics and as Romney would say binders full of women.
So basically we're looking at a battle for the heart and soul of the base. With the future
of the GOP hanging in the balance. And they're trying to achieve that, by targeting some
of the highest profile republicans. For example Lindsey Graham who has always been aligned
with McCain and has been targeted by the kamikaze wing of the Republican Party. And they're
backing a state senator. And this becomes a pattern. This idea of getting states senators
to run against United States Senators. They're backing the state senator named Lee Bright
who says FIMA is a scam. And he favors abolishing the IRS because they're Obama's brown shirts
for enforcement of Obamacare. So there's yet another mind out of the right.
COUSINS: Well, I think it's gonna be very interesting when the GOP has to find out that
running a guy for a state house is a lot different than running a guy for a federal office where
you have national attention paid. NATIONS: The sum total at the moment is that
there are 12 republican senate incumbents and 7 of those 12 are being primaried by the
far right wing. And 25 house seats which is enough to switch the control back to the democrats
are also being targeted by the right wing. So the freak show continues and the Democrats
are delighted.