Dave Brat’s Path to Victory is a Model for Conservatives to Follow:

By:  Dale Weckbacher   

Matthew 19:26

But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." 

NKJV

Much as we would like to think we could figure everything out in life, there are always things we see as impossible.  Thankfully, with God all things are possible so we can go forward with confidence as long as we are following God’s will in our lives. 

As we look at what has happened in our country since 2009, we are often tempted to just throw up our hands and give up.  Our great nation, founded upon the principles of individual liberty and small government has made a sharp left turn and now embraces socialism.  No longer do people seem to desire turning to their own individual abilities in solving their problems and instead turn to government seeking some new program to deal with their problems. 

As a conservative believing in the founding principles of our nation, it often seems impossible for our nation to return to its position of greatness.  However, just when it seems there is no hope, the impossible becomes possible and we begin to see light at the end of the dark tunnel this nation appears to be going down.  That is exactly what occurred this past Tuesday in Virginia.  (1)

If we could measure election results on the Richter scale, the political earthquake of Tuesday June 10 in Virginia would be a 10 or maybe even an 11 if that were possible.  Prior to this victory, political pundits were claiming the Tea Party was dead.  In fact, on March 18, 2014, Josh Kraushaar wrote the Tea Party's eulogy.  (2)  If the Tea party had died, the victory of this past Tuesday must have been a resurrection. 

The reason what happened Tuesday is a huge political earthquake is that the Tea Party was able to defeat one of the leaders of the Republican establishment that has vowed to destroy them.  (3)  Let us now look at how the Tea Party was able to resurrect itself from apparent death and how they can move forward to victory in 2014 and 2016 using the model of Dave Brat’s victory. 

The victory by Dave Brat is a classic David versus Goliath story.  Canto ran a sophisticated well-funded campaign against a relatively unknown economics professor from Randolph-Macon College.  Brat’s staff consisted of two paid people running the campaign from a flip phone.  (4)  Using conventional wisdom, it would have appeared there was little chance Brat could win over an established political icon like Eric Cantor.  However, just as David was able to do the impossible, with God’s help, and slay Goliath, Brat was able to defeat Cantor. 

Even Dave Brat admitted that his victory was a miracle from God.  (5)  I believe divine intervention is critical in any political victory but I believe Brat’s victory also demonstrates what Conservatives must do not only to win elections, but also to take over control of the Republican Party.  These are the lessons I see from Brat’s victory.

1)      Brat directly confronted Cantor on the issue of immigration – Even though many believe that Brat won solely because he opposes amnesty for illegals, this stance has not led to victory in other primaries (i.e. Renee Ellmers who supports amnesty won in North Carolina by nearly 18 points).  (6) Conservative commentator Erick Erickson weighed in on Cantor’s defeat claiming immigration reform was not responsible but that the media will spin it that way.  (7)

2)      Grossly underfunded when compared to his opponent, Brat developed a strong grassroots effort that turned out in great numbers – With only two paid staffers, the Brat campaign required volunteers and a solid grassroots effort.  Pundits claiming the death of the Tea Party underestimated the grassroots enthusiasm that formed the Tea Party movement in the first place.  Brat’s victory demonstrates that this enthusiasm is still alive in spite of attacks by the IRS, moderate republicans, and the media.  The Tea Party movement is an issue driven movement and as long as the DC establishment ignores the public’s views on these issues, movements like the Tea Party will continue to enthusiastically take a stand at the ballot box.  (8)  Brat’s campaign proves that an enthusiastic issue driven campaign that is in touch with the grassroots wins.

3)      Brat and his people ignored polls and pundits and worked to turn out the vote right up to election day – In a poll conducted on June 2, Cantor held on to a 13 point lead.  (9)  Granted, this is not a huge lead for an incumbent in a primary but if Brat’s staff and volunteers had been paying attention to the polls, they could have become discouraged and given up on their chances to win.  The only poll that matters is the official one on Election Day.  In the upcoming primaries, and the general election in November, it is imperative for people working on elections to keep working to turn out the vote and ignore the polls.

4)      Brat was unafraid to run for office as a conservative – Eric Cantor tried to paint Dave Brat as a liberal college professor but in reality Dave Brat is an Ayn Rand proselytizer who received a $500,000 grant from BB&T bank to bring Ayn Rand’s principles to college students at Randolph-Macon College.  (10)  His fearless sticking to the issue of border security and opposition to amnesty when others had lost their primaries sticking to the same issues demonstrates his fearless desire to stick to conservative issues. 

Dave Brat’s victory was not totally due to his stance against immigration.  He won as a conservative that even though he was out spent, was able to overcome this funding inequality through a strong grassroots and volunteer effort.  This is our model for success in the upcoming  elections. 

1. Heine, Debra. Brat Wins in Virginia - Cantor Goes Down! www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, June 10, 2014. [Cited: June 12, 2014.] http://www.breitbart.com/InstaBlog/2014/06/10/Brat-Wins-in-Virginia-Cantor-Goes-Down.

2. Kraushaar, Josh. The Tea Party's Over. www.nationaljournal.com. [Online] The National Journal, March 18, 2014. [Cited: June 12, 2014.] http://www.nationaljournal.com/against-the-grain/the-tea-party-s-over-20140318.

3. Chumley, Cheryl K. Mitch McConnell on beating tea party: ‘We are going to crush them’. www.washingtontimes.com. [Online] The Washington Times, March 10, 2014. [Cited: June 12, 2014.] http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/10/mitch-mcconnell-beating-tea-party-we-are-going-cru/.

4. Isenstadt, Jake Sherman and Alex. How David Brat won. www.politico.com. [Online] Politico, June 11, 2014. [Cited: June 12, 2014.] http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/2014-virginia-primary-david-brat-107700.html.

5. CBS DC. Brat: ‘This Is A Miracle From God’. washington.cbslocal.com. [Online] CBS DC, June 11, 2014. [Cited: June 12, 2014.] http://washington.cbslocal.com/2014/06/11/brat-this-is-a-miracle-from-god/.

6. Deng, Boer. The Real Reason Immigration Got Cantor in Trouble. www.slate.com. [Online] Slate, June 11, 2014. [Cited: June 12, 2014.] http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2014/06/11/david_brat_painted_eric_cantor_as_pro_amnesty_to_illustrate_a_deeper_disconnect.html.

7. Lee, Esther Yu-Hsi. The Real Reason Eric Cantor Lost. thinkprogress.org. [Online] ThinkProgress, June 10, 2014. [Cited: June 12, 2014.] http://thinkprogress.org/immigration/2014/06/10/3447419/eric-cantor-david-brat-immigration/.

8. Tea Party Patriots. Dave Brat Powered to Victory Over Eric Cantor by Grassroots. www.teapartypatriots.org. [Online] Tea Party Patriots, June 11, 2014. [Cited: June 12, 2014.] http://www.teapartypatriots.org/all-issues/news/dave-brat-power-to-victory-over-eric-cantor-by-grassroots/.

9. Leahy, Michael Patrick. POLL: CANTOR'S LEAD CUT TO 52-39 OVER DAVE BRAT IN VIRGINIA PRIMARY. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, June 7, 2014. [Cited: June 12, 2014.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/06/07/New-Poll-Cantor-s-Lead-Cut-to-52-39.

10. Lachman, Samantha. So Who's The Guy Who Just Beat Eric Cantor? Meet Dave Brat. www.huffingtonpost.com. [Online] The Huffington Post, June 12, 2014. [Cited: June 12, 2014.] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/10/dave-brat-eric-cantor_n_5482610.html.