The tea party has named its top 2014 target in North Carolina: U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger.This week the conservative Charlotte Republican got a letter from the Virginia-based Tea Party Leadership Fund PAC expressing its dismay over his vote last month to end the government shutdown.
Pittenger was one of 87 House Republicans (including two others from North Carolina) who joined House Democrats in voting for the measure that ended the shutdown. Tea party allies in Congress opposed the measure, holding out for changes in Obamacare and concessions in exchange for raising the debt ceiling.
"You have failed to honor your commitment to your constituents and the values they entrusted you to uphold," wrote Dan Backer, the group's treasurer and general counsel. "All leaders must face and accept accountability for their choices. You chose to disregard your pledge to these American voters and now must be held accountable."
Pittenger included the message in a fund-raising letter to supporters.
"I understand and appreciate their concerns regarding Obamacare, I voted against it 15 times," Pittenger told the Observer. "The Democrats just didn't want to cooperate. I just didn't feel like what they (the tea party) were pursuing made sense. I'm fully committed to dismantling Obamacare ...
"What I think they didn't understand, maybe still don't, is the political process. They only had 14 votes in the Senate. There's no way it would pass."
But Pittenger said he's still concerned about a tea party challenge in an election when turnout is generally down. "Any off-year election is volatile," he said.
Though Pittenger is a first-term incumbent, any challenger would face an uphill battle. In 2012, Pittenger, a real estate investor, spent $2.3 million of his own money.
Barker said his organization could muster a national fund-raising base for the right candidate. But he said the election's not about money.
"At the end of the day, (Pittenger) voted to continue funding the government at these unsustainable current levels, to increase the debt limit without a single concession, and to fund Obamacare," Barker said.
"Pittenger and the surrender caucus folded like a cheap deck of cards."
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40 comments:
These tea-party nuts are truly insane. They are a threat to the economy and the country. The shutdown and other childish stupidity has hurt the economy by introducing uncertainty which has hurt the budget that will only get better with a growing economy. They are too dense to understand basic economics and basic political processes. Run these clowns out of the state and national offices.
Pittenger's constituents are in NC, not VA.
Right of Pittenger? Holy crap what does that look like?
Right of Pittenger? Holy crap what does that look like?
Tea Party on a suicide mission? Best news I've heard in months. We can only hope.
These Tea Party jihadists are the last straw. Their organization may have a right to free speech..but to intimidate and threaten a government official smacks of behavior of al quada or the Taliban.
And..these TEA party activists have it all wrong..if anything we're not taxed enough:
a. the unfunded wars were
fought..where did that $$ come from after "missiong accomplished"
b. The government products a product which are valualbe..
- clean environment
- educated citizen
- stable contract and legal system for contracts and safety
- national defense.
The real question is "Why isn't the TEA party up in arms about a company like General Electric earning billions in revenue.and paying 0 federal income tax. They benefited from the security, roads, educated population etc which the we, as taxpayers, pay for."
My hope is TEA party group goes the way of the Nazi party or KKK....they may have the legal right to exist..but they sure are an embarrassment.
ck out www.congressionalaudit.org to see what our legislators are really doing (and its free!!)
peace out..
I am an independent who is center left. I usually vote Democrat but not exclusively. In this particular primary, I WILL vote Republican and vote for Pittenger. If enough independents follow suit, then we can weaken these Tea Party fools.
the tea party is the only group of people still fighting for "we the people" in washington.. the rest of them are puppets.. i like the people who stand up for what they belive in.. the tea party is able to see this country is on the MAJOR decline and are fighting to prevent governement from completely controlling every aspect of our life.
I was a Republican until these Tea Party nuts came along. The Tea Party is insane, and I have come to realize that the "mainstream" GOP isn't much better. They might not miss me, but they'll sure miss my votes in the years to come.
In case you have not noticed the "tea party" committed suicide last week and is dead politically. The "tea party" choose to die by falling on their own swords rather than face the American People on election day - Nov. 2014.
The American People....
(elderly, disabled, young people, women, minorities, LGBT, Christains, Muslims & Jews, etc.)
In case you have not noticed the "tea party" committed suicide last week and is dead politically. The "tea party" choose to die by falling on their own swords rather than face the American People on election day - Nov. 2014.
The American People....
(elderly, disabled, young people, women, minorities, LGBT, Christains, Muslims & Jews, etc.)
Ahhhhhhhhhhh more liberal massaging from Jim. He is getting better every day. You liberals are lucky to have the observer handling you so well.
He only voted against Obamacare 15 out of the 40 times? Get that Socialist out of office!
To the right of Pittenger? Really? The Teepeer's have lost their ever- loving minds. The shutdown already cost the country billions of dollars and they want more? On the other hand, it is great to see the GOP at war with itself.
The Tea Party has its own agenda and it has nothing to do with what is best for the citizens or this country. The Tea Party
is demanding you think their way or your opinion does not count.
Mr. Pittenger voted to continue funding the NSA's domestic spying programs. he violated his oath of office in failing to defend 4th Amendment of the Constitution from domestic enemies. I will vote for whoever challenges him in the primary and again if he makes it the general election. he needs to be removed from office.
Pittenger voted to keep funding the NSA's domestic spying programs. he violated his oath of office in failing to defend the 4th Amendment of the Constitution. I will vote for whoever challenges him in the primary and again in November if he makes it that far. He needs to be removed from office.
Anon 3:10 says the Tea Party is the only group still fighting for "we the people" in Washington and "stand up for what they believe in".
Awww, that's so cute. Regurgitating what he hears from Fox News as if it were actually true. Want the truth about them? Here it is:
According to a review of records compiled by Citizens Against Government Waste, the anti-spending Tea Party caucus used the 111th Congress to request hundreds of earmarks that, taken cumulatively, added more than $1 billion to the federal budget. That was in 2010. They've just gotten worse since then, empowered by their big victory in the 2012 midterms.
Gee, wonder why Fox News never mentions that?
Now the Tea Party is resorting to canabalism. If they can't support Pittinger they really have lost their collective minds.
Almost all the comments on this thread are indicative of why this country needs to crash into a lenghty Depression. You are totally clueless of the national debt and ridiculous deficits incurred by the Obama Admin. in reckless pursuit of marxist ideals which WILL lead to economic distress.
I say BRING IT ON and let this sorry generation of Americans learn what sacrifice and discipline are all about!
Pittenger is just another politician out for himself, why else would someone spend 2.3 million of their own money for a job that pays 174K. He stands for nothing. Sure he voted 15 times to defund the ACA, he knew the vote was meaningless. When the vote came along that did mean something (shutdown), he folded and threw in his cards to keep his "bosses" happy. He needs to be replaced with someone who takes a stand, and is willing to swim against the current of status quo.
We should all be asking ourselves these quesitons. How will it feel when we are all on Medicaid from cradle to grave? Does it appear, in all of the "chaos" of Obamacare, that maybe this was the plan all along? If we have a single payer system and open borders with amnesty for illegals, then the two party system will cease to exist. Is that the country we want? It seems that is where our "elected officials wish to take us.
Anonymous 5:18. Wake up!!! The huge growth in the deficit was largely the result of the previous administration leading us into two unpaid wars. I f something is worth going to war over, the American people ought to pay for it. Check your facts and quit hyper ventilating...the deficit is actually coming down, albeit all too slowly.
Anonymous 5:18. Wake up!!! The huge growth in the deficit was largely the result of the previous administration leading us into two unpaid wars. I f something is worth going to war over, the American people ought to pay for it. Check your facts and quit hyper ventilating...the deficit is actually coming down, albeit all too slowly.
I am an independent who did not support Pittenger during his prior run. He would get my vote and my campaign contributions over any Tea Party prop that chose to challenge him over his vote to end the shutdown. Tea Party suicide, indeed.
There's no such thing as "The Tea Party."
Q: How does a Tea Party Republican measure success?
A: Standing for Principles, even when that requires losing elections.
And you wonder why they are a shrinking minority?
Chicken Little @ 5:18 : Go outside. The sky isn't actually falling.
I wish I lived in the same bubble that these Obama supporters live in. Just parroting the Media Matters everything that is wrong with this country is Bush and the GOP's fault.
I wouldn't call their comments a threat as Anon 3:01 but the demagoguery in your entire comment. And the old tried and true when in doubt call them racist.
I honestly never thought I would see the day when the Observer would right a positive article about Pittenger.
Wow. I am a Republican, but these Tea Party guys & gals are continuing to prove they are as unintelligent as claimed by the media! Maybe we can get the Dems, out of a desire to become more diverse, to adopt the whole crew!
As the right is so fond of parroting: "The government doesn't have enough money to pay it's debts" And then they pass yet another giant tax cut for the top 1%.
I wonder if they ever thought we could save a LOT of money if we closed a few of the 700 military bases we have in other countries.
5:18,
do you mean the deficits that are declining at the fastest rate in more than 60 years?
Look, the ONLY reason Pittenger bought himself a congressional seat is to further enrich himself at taxpayer expense. That $2.3 million was a business investment.
With the government shut down, Pittenger couldn't sneak through any legislation to, say, have the federal government (we the taxpayers) site some facility on some of his "investment" property, or have the federal government (we the taxpayers) dump some funding into a road such as the Pittenger Porkway (where he "coincidentally" bought prime investment property at future interchanges).
Government Shutdown = "No Pork to Pittenger". We can't be having that, now, y'hear?
5:47,
Wars are paid for in the year they occur, its part of the budget process, so why has the debt gone up so much under Obama? Now tr to get off your knees before answering.
Tea Party Suicide Mission.
I see nothing wrong with that.
When you see your enemy is attempting
suicide just get out of their way.
As one of Pittinger's constituents -- though not one of his supporters -- I appreciate his pragmatism and putting progress ahead of platitudes.
Jim, if you would be so kind, I'd like to respond. As President of the Charlotte Tea Party, I find this hilarious.
Free me from the political drama
Mr. Pittinger's reasoning makes no sense. He claims to have voted the way he did because the measure was destined to fail in the Senate. Why, then, did he vote against Obamacare 15 times, when the same fate was assured each time?
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