It Turns Out

Gathering the ignorant, paranoid, hateful dregs of society into one political party and then giving them real power has some downsides:

RINO Hunting Season Opens in Earnest With End of Shutdown Drama

by David Freedlander Oct 23, 2013 5:45 AM EDT

Forget defending their House majority—some Republicans who angered the Tea Party during the shutdown must first beat back primary challenges. Even Boehner isn’t immune, reports David Freedlander.

Republicans in the House of Representatives have such low approval ratings, according to recent polls, that a Democratic takeover looks possible. But before Republicans can defend their majority, they first must stave off a slew of primary challengers who are targeting incumbent members of Congress.

The new spate of primaries mostly target those Republicans who failed to toe the Tea Party line during the recent budget standoff, voting to open up the government and raise the debt ceiling. But the challenges are by no means limited to the crew of moderates. Even House Speaker John Boehner is not immune.

On the day the government shutdown began, J.D. Winteregg, a high school French teacher and founder of a group called The Ohio Accountability Project, announced a primary run against Boehner. The campaign will, at the very least, give a place for grassroots Republicans to vent their outrage against the GOP leadership while waiting for polls to open.

In an interview, Winteregg said his campaign sends a message “that no one is safe.”

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If only there had been some kind of warning that this might happen.