Mark Neumann to Ride the Tea Party Horse

Mark Neumann has announced his candidacy to replace Herb Kohl as Senator from Wisconsin.  Sure, we know Neumann is conservative, and that he posed as even more conservative than Scott Walker in the 2010 Republican Primary for Governor.  But this time it appears Neumann, despite the statewide reaction to Walker’s extremist policies, is going to try to ride the support of the most conservative factions in America to nomination for Senate. 

Neumann made his announcement on the notoriously conservative Charlie Sykes Show.  You remember Charlie was the one who promoted Paul Ryan for President.   Sykes is currently praising the New Berlin School District for the onerous work rules they’re imposing on their teachers.  (Jeff wrote about the New Berlin issue here)  Whackjob.  And supporting the Mark Neumann candidacy is just another whackjob move for Sykes.  I’m guessing that embracing the Charlie Sykes and Tea Partiers of the world is a bad move by Neumann.

Why?  Well, just the first conservative blog I turned to for reaction to Neumann’s candidacy already shows that Republicans who aren’t climate change deniers and who haven’t swallowed the tea bags line are luke warm at most to a Neumann candidacy.   The lemmings are not stepping up for Neumann.  Maybe they don’t want another disaster like Scott Walker to drive Republican disapprovals even further down.  But that’s the big problem with Neumann’s embracing of the Tea Party – Tea Party disapprovals are even higher than Republican disapprovals. 

Now it should be clear to all that Neumann is courting the Tea Party because he thinks that helps him in the GOP primary.  He’s also courting the Club for Growth to boost his financials.  But America is turning from both groups, and I suspect Wisconsin will also.