Sen. DeMint relishes role as kingmaker

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) helped create the anti-Washington wave that has damaged his party’s chances of retaking the Senate this fall, and his GOP colleagues aren’t happy about it. While no one will confront DeMint directly about his role, Republican aides warn that the first-term senator could be punished if his involvement in GOP primaries is seen as a factor in Democrats retaining control of the upper chamber. “If on Nov. 3 there are two or three seats in Democratic control that otherwise would have been Republican victories, then that anger will come back up to the surface and there will be consequences,” said one aide, declining to cite specific punishments DeMint might face. Anger toward DeMint boiled over after the GOP establishment learned that Christine O’Donnell, a controversial conservative backed by DeMint, upset the party’s favored candidate, Rep. Mike Castle, in Delaware’s Republican Senate primary. DeMint’s critics acknowledge that he has become a force to be reckoned with in Republican politics. “The feeling is definitely that DeMint is not helping,” said a Senate Republican aide. “Were people angry last night and this morning? Yes. Does DeMint have a lot to answer for? Absolutely. But the general consensus is ‘Let’s move forward.’...

The rest of the article from The Hill is about DeMint, but these first few paragraphs give you a window into how the Senate Republicans and their staff think. It's all about the majority, i.e. power.

In his piece Don’t Repeat the Mistakes of the Past Ben Domenech writes:

Conservatives should not tolerate the likes of Mike Castle because of the simple fact that a 51 member Senate with Mike Castle is a Senate where Mike Castle is the most important vote in the room. As Specter and others before him, that Senator will set the terms of policy debates, determining in advance what can succeed and fail. Those who advance the argument that a majority with Castle is better than being in the minority tend to place priorities on Senate committee chairmanships and staff ratios and lobbyist cash… a list which pales in comparison to the power they would wield as the broker for both sides. Again and again I saw this play out during my time as a Senate staffer, and anyone who tells you contrary is incredibly naive about the way legislative decisions are made. As a friend of mine in the business of campaigns and elections has said, electing moderates simply to secure a majority for Republicans is a self-defeating proposition. We’ve seen this play out time and again. Career politicians abhor principle, and adore power and fecklessness. Their presence in Washington provides constant aid and comfort to the Left. They dilute the brand, confuse voters and sell out conservatives just at the moment they are needed most...

Ben's got it right.