True North

Rep. Paul Broun defeated his NRCC-supported primary challenger last night. Thrashed him is more accurate. Barry Fleming was the NRCC-endorsed candidate; Rep. Broun was the RedState endorsed candiate. Here's how Mr. Fleming attempted spinning his thrashing:

An NBC Augusta crew visited Fleming at his home in Harlem Tuesday night.

We asked if he thought the negative ads he ran during his campaign kept him from beating Broun.

"I think there were two things that were very decisive in this race. The first and most important is that there is a deep dissatisfaction, as I sensed, in the Republican base and that's who comes out to vote in primaries. Mr. Broun did a very good job tapping into that dissatisfaction. Votes that normally would raise eyebrows, he actually turned that into "At least I know what's going on in Washington," said Fleming.

Here's how RedState's Jeff Emanuel sees it:

RedState-endorsed Congressman Paul Broun, Jr. (R-GA), elected in 2007 to fill the rest of the late Rep. Charlie Norwood's term, faced an all-out assault from his own party this primary season in the form of business-as-usual, big-government Republican Barry Fleming.

Fleming has been attacking Broun from the left on fiscal policy, Constitutional authority, and social issues for months. Today, primary voters in Georgia's 10th Congressional District got to have their say in which brand of Republicanism they favored, the big-government kind that attacks conservatives and seeks to be little other than Democrat-lite, or the small-government, personal freedom-advocating kind that fights for the core conservative beliefs of freedom, choice, and limited government.

Fleming is right. There is a "deep dissatisfaction" within the GOP base. What Fleming didn't understand is that that dissatisfaction is with squishies like Fleming. We're sick and tired of go along, get along types. We want principled fighters.

Let's expand this to the RNC, the NRCC and the NRSC. If you're gonna ask us for campaign contributions, give us a reason to contribute beyond 'we don't suck as much as our opponent'. Money is tight, which means that we need a compelling reason to part with our money. I'll take it a step further. I've told members of the House GOP caucus that I love being sent out onto the battlefield. All I require is more ammunition than you think I'll need.

Metaphorically speaking, don't send me onto the battlefield with a box of shells and tell me to thin out their army. Give me lots of ammo and tell me to have fun and report back when I need more ammo or I've leveled their army. In short, if Washington politicians fight for me, I'll have their back.

It's my firm conviction that Washington, especially the RNC, doesn't have a clue that there's an army of conservative activists just waiting for someone to lead us into battle, that we're chomping on the bit, that all we need is a little motivation.

The RNC types are telling us that it's a difficult environment for Republicans this year. Meanwhile, the Paul Brouns of the world clobber squishies despite having the party work against them. It's time that Washington stopped with their elitism and started listening.

The minute that they start fighting with us is the day that the difficult times for the GOP are history.

Comments welcome at LFR.