Conservatives' Baskin-Robbins Problem

I've seen a lot of hemming and hawing about how the villainous Karl Rove and his band of toads flooded the zone and dragged "their guy" Tillis across the finish line in yesterday's North Carolina primary. Thom Tillis was the establishment's pick, and he won- just under 46% per the last county updates I've seen. However, the establishment is what it is, and how it has enjoyed wins in important primaries, both Senatorial and Presidential, isn't thanks to their spending or some deal in a smoke-filled room. It is far simpler than that.

How can I say this? Because over 54% of Republican primary voters did not vote for Tillis. Had these other voters consolidated behind a single candidate, as the establishment always does even if they have to switch gears to do so (see the maneuvering to push Christie out and test Bush), Brannon or Harris would be the one facing Senator Hagan.

Conservatives jump from candidate to candidate in a lot of these races, and the more who throw their hat into the ring, the further it dilutes their voice in the primary. When the wife and I go out for ice cream, she's pretty set in her ways. A salted caramel option will always get her eye. If that is unavailable, then butter pecan sounds good. But that's the limit for her.

I am terribly indecisive. I know I want something new, different, interesting, and unfortunately I'm left with almost three dozen choices to pick from. While I'm still trying to figure out what I want, she's already enjoying her ice cream. This isn't a conspiracy between her and the ice cream shop. It's my simple inability to focus on one enjoyable choice.

Part of the problem here is the ego of the various conservative/TP candidates, and I don't mean that in a maligning way. Many of them really believe they (and only they) can really shake things up. After all, you trust your own judgement over others, right? With so many admirably determined individuals vying for attention and desperate to break through, the boring, noxious establishment character sits back and waits for the inevitable: the verbal slip ups, the RINO circular firing squad, the shovels, and the vote splitting on election day.

When conservatives start treating primaries the way the establishment long has, their fortunes can and will change. But until then, they are left fighting over the best flavor while losing their say.

posted by CAC at 12:07 PM

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