For Koch group, winning is rising as priority over purity

[DonViejo]

Source: ASSOCIATED PRESS

By THOMAS BEAUMONT
Aug. 23, 2015 7:50 AM EDT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The head of the Koch brothers' flagship political organization says a Republican winning the presidency is becoming a higher priority for more of its members, suggesting a rift between pragmatists and ideologues.

Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips said conservative fatigue after George W. Bush's presidency in 2008 and overconfidence in efforts to beat President Barack Obama in 2012 have focused more members on winning back the White House than he's seen since the group formed a decade ago. "I do think there is a sense of urgency about the future," he said, "that you owe it to your principles to win for those principles."

It's hard to tell how deep the divide between pragmatists and more ideologues runs, although reactions were mixed at the group's annual conference in Ohio Friday and Saturday. Five presidential candidates addressed the roughly 3,600 conservative activists from around the country, from tea party star Ted Cruz to Jeb Bush, a relative newcomer to the group's events.

"I think people are coming to the conclusion that there is no perfect candidate," Americans for Prosperity Iowa Director Drew Klein said.

-snip-

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/urn:publicid:ap.org:460df31517094c6eb86e3380b4bbc84f

[Botany]

1. It is gonna be Kasich

Chisel it into stone.

[Android3.14]

2. It's cute how they think there are differences

Between their ideologues and the pragmatists.

They are all awful, closet fascists, and crazy.

[mountain grammy]

3. No perfect candidate? What do they expect?

They've attracted the worst of the worst.. religious fanatics, racists, xenophobes, anti intellectuals, anti science crazies, and they are, to a great degree, already running the country. It'd be a horror show to put them back into complete power.

[Betty Karlson]

4. Translate as: Jeb(!) cannot win against Trump, Fiorina is hopeless; who can win against Trump? n/t

[dawnie51]

5. I am in Ohio....

Kasich was not invited to the soiree in Columbus....the town he lives and works in. This Phillips guy was asked about that, and he said that Mr. Kasich did not have sufficient same values as AFP and Kochs. He was very dismissive of Kasich. Truly, I don't think Kasich is crazy enough for Republicans, and God knows, he has more than sufficient crazy as far as I'm concerned. I would be very surprised if it's Kasich.

[ericson00]

6. I'm calling it: Rafael "Ted" Cruz will be the GOP nominee in 2016

because he's more establishment than Trump and more tamed, not lame and boring like Walker, not inexperienced like Carson, not a failed CEO like Fiorina, and not the brother of a failed Presidential dynasty, Jeb Bush.

He'll also be their Tío Tomás, "we don't really hate Hispanics." It'll flop mis tho since he looks white and doesn't speak Spanish.

[ericson00]

7. this reminds me of the Simpsons episode Rosebud, when Mr. Burns has a party

and Nixon and Reagan bring gifts and get let into Monty Burns' party, but Bush Sr. is shut out, and told "no one termers," and Jimmy Carter shows up behind him, tries to talk to him, and Bush says "get away from me, loser." The episode was from 1993, when Bush had just left that January 20.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

8. ... and I expect to vote for HRC in the general election.

While holding my nose.

Pragmatism.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

9. "I think people are coming to the conclusion that there is no perfect candidate,"

I thought they were still just working on getting a sane candidate. Perfect?