The fall out from the purity wars launched by the far right in the GOP continues to rack up successes – for the Democrats.

In a major blow to national Republicans, a Mississippi congressional seat that once voted for President Bush by a twenty-five point margin elected a Democrat on Tuesday. Prentiss County Chancery Clerk Travis Childers beat out Republican candidate Greg Davis, the mayor of Southaven, by a 54%-46% margin, a spread that several Republican strategists on Capitol Hill characterized as a startling wake-up call for a party in dire straits.

I have been one of those staunch (yet ‘impure’) conservatives who has been completely repulsed by the far right on Harriet Miers, Dubai Ports World and immigration. The clammer from the one-time sirens of conservatism is all about purity, and how they are pure and those who disagree with them are traitors, quislings, RINOs, etc. If the GOP wants to lose elections listen to the caustic talk radio of Savage, Levin and Hannity and believe the crap they spew about Americans (not America, which they wrap around themselves like some cloak of correctness) is going to entice those same Americans to create a broad movement of support. It won’t. If you like losing keep going over that cliff.

Note I have not included all conservative talking heads – many are fine and respect the diversity of opinion that makes up the conservative right. But there is a segment of the party that decided it had to wage a war and move so far right they lost common ground with not just the country, but a majority of the conservative governing coalition. They are so far gone they think losing is winning, and letting liberal ideology creep back into our society will be good, it will teach us all a lesson. They want to remove the ‘dead wood’ from the GOP.

“…Viguerie’s stance is not new. It is, however, getting a lot more play than it did two years ago when, in an interview on PBS’s “Now” less than a week before the November 2004 election, Viguerie told then-co-host Bill Moyers that after Bush won, “somewhere around … the morning after the election … the war starts for the heart and soul” of the Republican Party. “It’s gonna be a war,” Viguerie said. A war “between the traditional conservatives, those who identify with Ronald Reagan, people like myself. And, the big government Republicans. And then also maybe the Neo-cons.”

While admitting that he was supporting Bush and would vote for him, Viguerie, the undisputed king of conservative direct mail, added: “When the voting is done and the ballots are counted, then we’re going to choose up sides and fight for the heart and souls of the Republican Party.”

“It would be on our side, the traditional conservatives [against] the other side, people like Rudy Giuliani, Governor of New York, Pataki, Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s going to be an interesting battle. Normally Bill, it wouldn’t be a fair fight,” Viguerie told Moyers. “Cause we’ve got the troops, we’ve got the organization…the resources, the issues. One thing we lack, a horse. We’ve got no horse. Hopefully, someone will come on the scene soon. But, but we had a lot of advantages when we came along.”

The war these nut jobs wanted has been waging since 2004. And since that time a lot of conservatives, good and not so good, have been outed from Office. The good ones are like Rick Santorum and George Allen, who allied too closely with these toxic and overbearing firebrands on the right. The one’s no one will miss are like Tancredo. I did not know exactly where Greg Davis stood on immigration, I went to his website and predicted he was from he must be a hardliner on illegal immigrants because he was having so much trouble. I only confirmed his status as an Amnesty Hypochondriac this morning, in the aftermath of his fateful loss. Here is Davis waging his purity war on immigration:

Here’s what Greg Davis’ new mud-bomb smear commercial says:

“He’s soft on illegal aliens and hard on us.” Davis Ad, WREG, Mar.
25, 2008

Here’s what the actual quote from Glenn McCullough that Davis cites
says:

Additionally, McCullough shared his thoughts on dealing with illegal immigrants. “We need to secure the borders,” he said. “Immigration is really a question of treating our hardworking tax payers fairly. We need to identify these people (who illegally cross the border) and deal with them in a way that’s compassionate and within the law. I want to work so people can become citizens of the United States, but in a way that protects your tax dollars,” he added. “We have to deal with the problem in a way that protects the taxpaying citizens. A bipartisan solution is needed and I’m a team builder.” – Columbus Dispatch, Jan. 26, 2008

And another quote from McCullough which has appeared in most of the state’s major newspapers:

“I believe the basic responsibility of government is to protect and provide security for all law-abiding citizens. It is clear that our nation’s borders are not secure, a failing of this basic responsibility.
Therefore, it should be the federal government’s immediate priority to secure our borders using a combination of traditional methods, more immigration agents, and the latest technology.” – Daily Journal, March 3,
2008

Don’t go speculating I support McCullough’s view people. I don’t think we need to work to make immigrants citizens. I liked the last bill because it allowed for short term immigrant workers to come, do a job, make some money and go home. I am just observing the factors that probably led to Davis’ demise.

More here on how Davis pummeled a moderate GOP candidate in the primary, simply to be promptly beaten in what should have been an easy special election for a Republican. The fact is when the GOP candidate goes “Tancredo” on immigration they get dumped. The poison spewed by the crowd who called President Bush “El Presidente Bustrada” and who called those who supported the comprehensive immigration bill traitors, quislings, anti-Americans (whatever, the list is endless and repulsive) sent a signal to everyone else in the party. You are with us or we stab you in the back.

Well, the good news is Americans know exactly how to deal with people like that – don’t elect them. I am not surprised to see a conservative democrat pick off the far right conservatives when a firebrand like Davis does his Malkin routine. It is poison! How many lost elections and seats will it take to get the message? I guess it depends on how wedded the zealots are to a bad cause. A cause that has ignored the fact the borders are very secure and 1.3 million potential illegal aliens were turned back and deported last year. Also ignoring the fact almost none were under Clinton.

The same cause that has let myths and lies risk our war effort in Iraq, and the cause over 4,000 brave men and women died for, by allowing a liberal defeatist into the White House. The same cause that destroyed the opportunity to protect all life, no matter how young, in order to chase down maids and landscapers who don’t have proper work papers. The immigration mythology has become an obsession for the far right, and the Americans aren’t buying it – so ALL conservative values are now being consumed and at risk over this BS.

The only way out is for the Amnesty Hypochondriacs to Mea Culpa or be painfully pruned from the GOP. Admitting a mistake and fighting for all the other good conservative causes seems like a no brainer for me. But then I know I will make mistakes and I don’t sacrifice the general goals over the minor battles. But it has become clear that for many, hung up on the fact we will find a way to absorb the long term immigrants who have been here for years, the only path for them is the exits from political power. Tom Tancredo learned that lesson, many of the GOP presidential contenders who tried to shore up their prospects by aligning with Tancredo learned that lesson, and now Greg Davis has learned that lesson.

Who wants to be next, the exits are always open for business?

More here