Washington State Tea Party: We Have the Power to Destroy the GOP by Gregory Hilton

Libertarian isolationists have cost the GOP three seats in the U.S. Senate, and this year they want to increase that number to four. According to the survey data, Republicans have an excellent chance of defeating liberal Sen. Patty Murray (WA). If Murray is re-elected she is hoping to become the Senate Democratic Whip in the next Congress. On Tuesday, President Obama visited Seattle on her behalf and later that night she was renominated for a fourth term. All the polls are close, and in a bad sign for the incumbent, she was held under the half way mark on Tuesday when she received 46% of the vote.
Murray received 46% of the vote but the combined GOP total was 49%. This is the first time in many years that the Republicans have led in the so-called “jungle primary” (all candidates from both parties on one ballot). This could be one of the best Republican pick up opportunities of this election cycle, but Libertarians once again want to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Their threat should not be ignored and they have already inflicted serious damage in Washington State.
In 2000, Senator Slade Gorton (R-WA) was defeated by 2,229 votes, while a Libertarian candidate received 64,734 votes. In 2004, Republican Dino Rossi lost the governorship by 129 votes while a Libertarian received 63,500 votes. On Tuesday it was the same Dino Rossi who received the GOP Senate nomination.
Former NFL tight end Clint Didier was supported by Ron Paul and Sarah Palin, and received 12 percent of the primary vote. Didier claims to be a anti-government “solid conservative,” but accepted $275,000 in federal farm subsidies to do nothing with his land. Didier claims to support our troops, but is totally against their mission. He wants the United States to pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan, and he believes America should give up its veto power in the UN Security Council.
Didier says the Republican Party is “a large part of the problem with the economic turmoil we face today.” While they strongly disagreed on foreign policy, Rossi and Didier were in agreement on most domestic issues. Didier said Rossi: “is part of the Republican establishment – all you have to do is look at those he surrounds himself with. I don’t believe he’s the conservative people think he is. If people want more of the same, the McCain or Bush type of governing, then they can support Dino.”
Radphord-Leon Howard, 68, of West Richland, Washington is was one of Didier’s biggest boosters. Howard is a self described “Goldwater Libertarian,” and is Coordinator of the TriCities Tea Party, and can not be ignored because libertarians and tea party members composed one third of the delegates to the Republican state convention. During the primary he repeatedly said “We need to destroy Rossi.”
Howard also wants to destroy neo-conservatives whu support the U.S. missions in Iraq and Afghanistan and believes:

Rossi against Patty Murray is a win for the “Party Bosses” on both sides of the aisle. Rossi is a has-been: No matter how it happened, he lost both elections against Gregoire (that makes him a “loser” not a “winner”). Rossi is a political hack and will do whatever the party wants. He cares nothing about what the people want! Rossi isn’t committed to anything but himself and his political future. The D.C. “party bosses” don’t like Clint Didier because he was endorsed by Ron Paul and Sarah Palin . . . that scares the neo-cons! Rossi is what the “establishment GOP” wants and sending Rossi to D.C. is the same as re-electing Murray.

Howard was furious when Rossi told the GOP state convention that he will not agree to pull America out of the United Nations, and he was thrilled when Didier repeated the John Birch Society motto, “We need to get the U.S. out of the U.N. and get the U.N. out of the U.S.! Some say we need to stay engaged because of our ‘veto’ vote, I ask why!?”
Now Howard and his ally Ross Burton of Kennewick want Didier to run as a write-in campaign for Didier in the general election. They know Didier can not win, but that is not their goal. They want Senator Murray to be re-elected. Burton says “We have the power to destroy the Republican party. We have to show them we are willing to do it or they won’t get the message.” In a message to Tea Party members today, Howard said:

Those of us who endorsed and campaigned for Clint Didier and Paul Akers, did so for many reasons but the biggest reason for me is because Dino Rossi is a RINO! It looks as though the GOP Party Bosses are still in charge and they would rather send a “business as usual” political hack to D.C., so the corruption will continue. Washington state voters will have the choice of a Patty Murray in Tennis Shoes or a Patty Murray in Wing Tips! For myself, I no longer vote “for the lesser of two evils” because evil still wins. I choose to vote for a person of principle; a person who speaks with passion; a man who will not back down when he is right; a man who will not be intimidated! I will write-in Clint Didier on November 2nd! I invite you to join me because it matters not which Patty Murray goes to D.C.; neither of them represent me, my family, my state, or my nation.