As most Republicans were taking a victory lap the morning after the elections, a group of conservatives huddled anxiously in a conference room not far from Capitol Hill and agreed that now is the time for confrontation, not compromise and conciliation.
Despite Republicans’ ascension to Senate control and an expanded House majority, many conservatives from the party’s activist wing fear that congressional leaders are already being too timid with President Obama.
They do not want to hear that government shutdowns are off the table or that repealing the Affordable Care Act is impossible — two things Republican leaders have said in recent days.
“If the new Republican leadership in the Senate is only talking about what they can’t do, that’s going to be very demoralizing,” said Thomas J. Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, a conservative advocacy group that convenes a regular gathering called Groundswell. Any sense of triumph at its meeting last week was fleeting.
“I think the members of the leadership need to decide what they’re willing to shut down the government over,” Mr. Fitton said.
The positive thing to take away form this is that the GOP may be so distracted by infighting that they are unable to get anything done. And they will certainly have a difficult time getting the votes together in order to pass legislation.
However on the negative side this means that establishment Republicans will be wary of making any deals which might indicate weakness in the eyes of the rabid Right Wing and ensure primary challengers when they come up for reelection.
Ultimately this stand off may simply indicate that even with significantly higher numbers, and the Senate on their side, that the conservatives will be just as ineffectual at leading as they have been in the four years since John Boehner first picked up the Speaker's gavel.
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