Media Stepping Up Attacks On Conservative Republicans

October 17th, 2009 1:45 PM

On Friday, NewsBusters reported the recent piece in the Wall Street Journal that lambasted TEA party protestors for demanding conservative Republicans to run in 2010.

An article from the NY Times on October 15 echoed that sentiment, claiming that opposition to ObamaCare was "demanded" by the "narrowed conservative base."

You see, Republicans don't oppose President Obama's agenda because they truly believe he is wrong. They're doing it to pander to rabid right-wingers.

The Times went on to explain how this could cost the GOP valuable moderates in the next election:

After recent defeats, Republicans are down to 40 members in the Senate and 177 in the House, or 40 percent in each chamber. They are largely reduced to the party's base of mostly Southern and rural states and beholden both to the conservative activists there and to the cable television celebrities those activists follow.

Few centrists remain. And since many centrists have been defeated by conservatives in party primaries, the survivors - or any Republicans considering compromise - operate in fear of similar challenges.

Politicians afraid of being voted out if they anger their constituents? To most people, that's the way democracy is supposed to work.

Yet apparently when those constituents are conservative, it's a bad thing.

Just as TEA party activities are starting to shape public opinion and give Republicans hope in 2010, the media are here to stymie the movement. As a result, as the next election draws closer, we can expect more of these "come to the center" pieces.

The only question is, will Republicans fall for it?