Ben Sasse Unites Conservatives, But Runs Afoul of Mitch McConnell

[Rapunzel]

http://www.redstate.com/2014/01/16/ben-sasse-unites-conservatives-but-runs-afoul-of-mitch-mcconnell/

Ben Sasse Unites Conservatives, But Runs Afoul of Mitch McConnell

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  January 16th, 2014 at 10:56 AM


Ben Sasse may be the most unique candidate running for the Senate this year.

This candidate in Nebraska has united parts of the conservative movement that often, these days, find themselves on opposite sides. The Senate Conservative Fund supports him. RedState supports him. The Club for Growth supports him. Paul Ryan supports him. He has the National Review cover profile, joining both Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio in that honor.

But it is the support of the Senate Conservatives Fund, the Club for Growth, and other conservatives that has Ben Sasse on the wrong side of Mitch McConnell and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

This week, several people noticed the Sasse’s opponent would be raising money at the NRSC’s offices. Washington lobbyists with McConnell ties, including McConnell’s old Chief of Staff, are in it to win it with Sasse’s opponent. I have a copy of the invitation.

Sasse, caught on YouTube last year, had demanded every Republican in Washington, starting with Mitch McConnell, show some actual leadership. This made McConnell very upset. Compounding that, Sasse got the support of the Senate Conservatives Fund. Jonathan Strong, at National Review, reported Sasse is collateral damage in McConnell’s war against the Senate Conservatives Fund.

In December, Jonathan Strong reported that Sasse’s opponent is getting help behind the scenes from Mitch McConnell.

At the start of 2014, we find McConnell’s former Chief of Staff, his lobbying friends, and the NRSC helping Ben Sasse’s opponent — all because conservative groups McConnell does not like are supporting Ben Sasse.

So now we have two candidates — one who has united conservatives across the center-right coalition in part because of his intelligent opposition to Obamacare and one who has united Mitch McConnell and his lobbyists against conservatives.

Pick one.

[Rapunzel]

http://www.redstate.com/2014/01/17/connecting-more-dots/

Connecting More Dots

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  January 17th, 2014 at 04:30 AM

As I mentioned yesterday, Ben Sasse of Nebraska is running for the Senate against a guy who has Mitch McConnell’s backing. Some of McConnell’s friends are holding a fundraiser for Sasse’s opponent at the NRSC. One name stands out pretty significantly on the invitation: Billy Piper.

Mr. Piper is not just Mitch McConnell’s former Chief of Staff. He’s now a well paid lobbyist working on behalf of companies implementing Obamacare. The Lexington Herald-Leader had a report on this just a couple of months ago.

Senator Mitch McConnell has received $75,000.00 from UnitedHealth Group. UnitedHealth owns the company that built Healthcare.gov. It also “retains former McConnell chief of staff Billy Piper as a Washington lobbyist to work on its behalf in Congress on implementation of the Affordable Care Act, Senate records show.”

That’s not the only Obamacare related client retaining Billy Piper. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports

   

Senate records show that Piper has several other clients who pay him for his assistance in implementing the Affordable Care Act, including the Federation of American Hospitals. The FAH has praised the health care law for making life easier for patients. The group’s political action committee has given a total of $15,000 since 2011 to McConnell’s campaign and to his Bluegrass Committee.

While Billy Piper is sending contributions to Mitch McConnell from entities profiting from Obamacare, McConnell’s current Chief of Staff, Josh Holmes, is working out of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, where Ben Sasse’s opponent is holding a fundraiser with Billy Piper on the host committee.

Just connect the dots. The Chamber of Commerce says it is going to work to fix, not repeal, Obamacare. A top policy wonk who has Mitch McConnell’s ear is starting a think tank to fix, not repeal, Obamacare. The Chamber of Commerce is going to attack conservatives in Republican Primaries. The Republican Main Street Partnership is getting Democrat money to join them. McConnell sends his current Chief to the NRSC, which in turn black balls a political shop helping conservatives. The NRCC joins in the black balling.

Folks, you may want to sit it out. You may think all Republicans will advance in your direction. But all the talk about the GOP just fighting over tactics is crap. This is a fight over the direction of the party and whether it will repeal Obamacare or work with Democrats to fix it.

Mitch McConnell and his ilk no longer believe the problem with government is government. They believe the problem with government is Democrats in charge of it. If you want to clean up the mess in Washington, you can no longer just vote Republican. You have to vote against Mitch McConnell and his preferred candidates inside Republican primaries.

If you want to clean up Washington, the singularly most significant thing you can do is replace Mitch McConnell and those who benefit from the Washington status quo.

[Rapunzel]

The entire repeal OCare thing has been a smoke screen from the GOPe.....   remember Bill Frist?   Frist is a big proponent O’care; his family owns the hospital chain HCA, one of the biggest members of FAH.  It was Republican Billy Tauzin that was running PhRMA when it cut its deal with Obama.  Establishment Republicans have no problem whatsoever with corporate welfare. They depend on it, as a matter of fact, a top policy "wonk" connected to McConnell is starting a think tank to fix, not repeal, Obamacare…”

“Fixing” = more crony capitalism to shuffle taxpayer dollars into the coffers of the politically connected. It has nothing to do with anyone’s healthcare.  The Republicans want big government every bit as much as the Democrats.

[truth_seeker]

Contrary to the claim above, CGI Group, a Canadian company, built the website, NOT United Health Group.

http://www.cgi.com/en

http://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/Businesses/Default.aspx

[Formerly Once-Ler]

I understand how Tea Partiers think it's great to primary safe GOP incumbents, but how in hell do they think they should just be awarded the GOP slot in an open seat?

There are 5 Republicans running for that seat.
The last poll I can find is a internal poll provided by Nebraska state Treasurer Shane Osborn from Oct 27-28.  It shows Osborn, http://hoh.rollcall.com/nebraska-senate-contender-one-of-people-magazines-2001-50-most-beautiful/ , with 39 percent.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/188887-internal-poll-shows-osborn-leading-nebraska-senate-gop-primary#ixzz2qviC8UNf

Midland University President Ben Sasse, a Tea Party favorite who last week received the endorsement of the Senate Conservatives Fund, ties banker Sid Dinsdale with 7 percent support. Attorney Bart McLeay takes 1 percent support.

Osborn takes an early lead because he has significant name recognition in the state, with 83 percent of GOP primary voters saying they've heard of him, and a majority, 55 percent, having a favorable impression of him.

This is just the kind of ploy the GOPe uses.  They take a well known and respected candidate and prop him up against pure conservatives of principle.  Men and women willing to ignore reality when reality is wrong.

Candidates release internal polls to direct the flow of money to themselves.  In fact the release by Osborn was in response to Sasse's first quarter fundraising $800,000. Wow!!!  Someone's got a suger daddy.

http://www.conservativeintel.com/2014/01/08/nesen-move-the-capital-to-nebraska/

SCF gave him $118,000 1st quarter. In the last paragraph you find this nugget..."Yet Sasse, whose contributions were nearly all large-dollar in that last report"


Primary is May 13

We'll know in a few days when the next quarter fundraising totals come in how the outsider candidate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6TzKs2FRp4 and former Asst US Secretary of Health and Human Services under President George W. Bush Ben Sasse is doing.  Judging from the whining it must not be good.