Did Tea Party cost the GOP the Senate.

Long-simmering tensions within the Republican Party spilled into public view Wednesday as the pragmatic and conservative wings of the GOP blamed each other in blunt terms for the party’s failure to capture the Senate.

With tea party-backed candidates going down in Delaware, Colorado and Nevada, depriving Republicans of what would have been a 50-50 Senate, a bloc of prominent senators and operatives said party purists like Sarah Palin and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) had foolishly pushed nominees too conservative to win in politically competitive states.

Read more: GOP senators fight over failure - Jonathan Martin and Manu Raju - POLITICO.com

I don't know about that. But I do know the people I voted for didn't win.

tomato1236 said:

I don't know about that. But I do know the people I voted for didn't win.

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What is your conjecture on why they didn't win?

Engyo said:

What is your conjecture on why they didn't win?

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Because they weren't republicans or democrats, probably.

I hope the only thing the teabaggers do is make sure Obama gets re-elected when their craziness is actually highlighted to the public. I would even vote for real republicans if there was any chance the teabaggers would take over, just to stop them and that's saying something for me.

Too bad they got elected in the first place but seeing what states they come from it dosen't surprise me, you get the government you deserve.

Considering that they were all republicans, I'd have to say no.

If they had ran as a separate party, then the republicans might be able to claim the others cost them the election. But as it actually unfolded, the republicans cost the republicans the elections.

Wannabe Yogi said:

Long-simmering tensions within the Republican Party spilled into public view Wednesday as the pragmatic and conservative wings of the GOP blamed each other in blunt terms for the party’s failure to capture the Senate.

With tea party-backed candidates going down in Delaware, Colorado and Nevada, depriving Republicans of what would have been a 50-50 Senate, a bloc of prominent senators and operatives said party purists like Sarah Palin and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) had foolishly pushed nominees too conservative to win in politically competitive states.

Read more: GOP senators fight over failure - Jonathan Martin and Manu Raju - POLITICO.com

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Yes. Without question.

The Republicans would have won three more races with their mainstream candidates in place of the Tea-Partiers: Delaware, Nevada, and Colorado. Fortunately, Nevada and Colorado are not the conservative powerhouses that the South is, and voters there understood that Sharon Angle and Ken Buck were just too extreme to be qualified Senators. And Christine O'Donnell turned what have could have been a Republican pickup in Delaware into an easy Democratic win.

I'd say YES, but with qualification. Yes, it's almost certain that choosing Tea Party candidates cost them at least a couple of vital senate seats that they should have won. I really don't think there's much of a question in that.

At the same time however, it also helped energise the party base and push them to get out and vote Republican. (We can see in the House results for example; where incumbency and individual character are less of a factor, the GOP actually did better than expected) Let's not forget that it was only two years ago when the GOP was being written off as a spent force for a political generation. Obama and the Democrats can only take so much of the blame for the turnaround.

So, a mixed bag then. They hurt the GOP a little when it came to the Senate and gubernatorial elections, but helped when it came to the House and state legislatures. The real fun is going to begin when all these fire-breathing politically purist types actually start having to get their hands dirty, and maybe find that junking compromise and party unity is often more difficult in Washington then on the campaign trail. It's gonna be an interesting two years.

Mr. Hair said:

The real fun is going to begin when all these fire-breathing politically purist types actually start having to get their hands dirty, and maybe find that junking compromise and party unity is often more difficult in Washington then on the campaign trail. It's gonna be an interesting two years.

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I'm gettin' ready for the show......can't wait.opcorn: