Pat Toomey has an excellent op-ed in today's WSJ, defending The Club for Growth's strategy of targeting liberal Republicans. Here's an excerpt:
... Newt Gingrich, the man who ushered in a conservative Republican majority in 1994, once denounced the Club. "Their strategy is explicitly wrong," he said. "The key is to elect more Republicans and have a bigger majority and be more inclusive."
Now comes Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole, the man charged with rebuilding the GOP majority in the House. In a New York Times Magazine article, he denounced the Club for Growth's involvement in a special election in Ohio's fifth congressional district.
"The problem I have with the Club is I think they're stupid," Mr. Cole said. "They spend more money beating Republicans than Democrats."
Ultimately, this dichotomy is perfectly understandable -- and, in fact, healthy. Both serve a purpose. For example, the purpose of Republican committees and Republican Party-types is to elect Republicans. The purpose of the conservative movement is something else, altogether. We can't forget that. But don't let the Party folks convince you they are really movement-oriented, either ...
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