Recent Headlines: Palin apologizes; Rush/Hannity abandon local commercial radio [in January]; GOP Establishment censors the tea-party. Apparently, the fight is on and with far less conservative leadership than before the 2012 election. J Smithson summarizes the devoloping battle between the GOP and the TEA Party.

In an article found in the Marxist/Progressive publication,  Politico,  Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan,  write of the first reactions to the Boehner/Cantor/McCarthy purge of conservatives from various committees in the House of Representatives.   Blog Editor:  a 'biker" and carpenter speaks his mind Readers of this blog,  know of my angst for the GOP Establishment.  I am not opposed to the "Establishment" for the sake of opposition,  but because these status quo types function out of fear and stupidity,  not willing to stand on certain well defined principles.   Understand that much of what the GOP does is a compromise of values for me,  but a compromise that I can accept.  Understand that personal values and party principles are not the same collective opinions.  [My] Personal value system is much more involved than the three or four principles I see as critical to the unique contribution of the political party I chose to support.   This is not a party blog,  nor am I a "Republican."   Midknight Review is an opinion blog.  To be more precise,  it is a my opinion blog.  Because the GOP is not "my" party,  I expect its leadership to plan strategies that are not to my pleasure.  But,  if the GOP expects my support,  it has to stand on common ground with "me"  (as "representative conservative man").  When it tells me,  "Thanks for the victory (2010),  now,  get the hell out of town,"  well,  that is not going to work.   Values and principles aside,  what is not to be tolerated is the exclusion of those who share my values and,  especially,  my view of party principle.  Boehner is about to make a deal with the devil,  in which his "plan" is not uniquely different from that of Obama.  He is driven by polling data,  much of it from the same polls that told us Romney would win in November.  The Speaker has declared war on tea-party conservatives.  It all began in the weeks before the RNC,  a convention in which the tea-party was ignored and folks like Sarah Palin were not encouraged as members in good standing.  And her buddy,  John McCain,  is part of this RINO Cabal working against dedicated conservatives within the party.   I don't know the future,  but if you get the impression that the "tea-party" coalition has been invigorated,  know that this will be due to its determination to finish the fight with the RINO world  ("Republicans In Name Only").  If that means we don't vote in 2014,  fine.  Let the House return to the dictatorial stupidities of Nancy Pelosi.  If it is not going to be a conservative and united port in the storm,   I really do not care.  "We" lost a major battle, in November.  Time will tell if it was a "knock out" blow.  I do not know.   I only know that Limbaugh and Hannity are leaving independent and commercial,  local radio in the dust,  as their owner,  Clear Channel,  is pulling them from local radio stations, beginning in January.  Sarah Palin,  yesterday, apologized for calling party leadership "wusses,"  making it unclear as to who are the real wusses.  Dick Armey,  the well respected co-founder of Freedom Works, has left that group in a dispute over "direction."  And the RINO power structure has blamed the tea-party for its most recent losses  -  never might 2010  -  and is aggressively pursuing its revenge on that constituency.   Understand that John Boehner and his RINO buds have two problems on their hands,  one that is much more a problem than dealing with a know-nothing partisan president bent on revenge.   Freedom Works, most of conservative talk radio, The Tea Party Nation, Club for Growth,  Tea Party Patriots,  Heritage Action, dozens of local tea-party groups,  and a conservative population of no less than 20 million voters,  will be fully "up in arms"  before this week is finished.   The Politico article puts it this wise:  " . . . . top House leaders suddenly find themselves under fire from entities with enormous sway in GOP politics. And the groups are not mincing words."   Stay tuned all you tent people.  There is much more to this story.