God's Ways May Be the Tea Party's

Published on by D. G. Hart

We just don’t know.

The Republican primary for the Senate is entering its last week and our friend and confessional 2k Presbyterian, Ben Sasse, appears to be in the lead:

With less than two weeks to go until the Republican primary, Sasse has appeared to have moved to the head of a multi-candidate pack featuring two other major hopefuls. There’s a lot resting on the next 10 days not only for Sasse, but also for the likes of the Club for Growth, Senate Conservatives Fund, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and Sarah Palin, who have all joined Sasse in one of the most intense primary campaigns of 2014.

Sasse, the president of Midland University, may represent the best chance for the national tea party movement to claim victory in a contested Senate primary this year. While Republican senators have been swarmed by primary challengers, most have fizzled amid intense scrutiny and a robust attempt by the establishment to define them early as outside the mainstream candidates. The open race in Nebraska presents an opportunity for the tea party to claim an early win against that backdrop. . . .

To say the race has been nasty and personal would be an understatement. Osborn is casting Sasse as soft on Obamacare in a television ad campaign that Sasse’s campaign says takes his words out of context. In response, Sasse has launched a TV ad in which his daughters defend his opposition to the health-care law and say that they “always pray for the opposing candidates at breakfast.” . . .

What happens in Nebraska on May 13 could set a tone for other primaries happening soon. A Sasse loss is the last thing tea party groups need heading into a stretch of primaries during the next eight weeks including contests in Kentucky, Mississippi and Kansas, where insurgent conservatives remain underdogs in their quests to defeat incumbent Republican senators.

It would also prompt a fresh round of questions about endorsement criteria. Sasse once supported Medicare Part D, for example, which the Club for growth adamantly opposes.

But a Sasse win could light a fire under the national tea party movement. Tea party groups will soon have another opportunity in an open Oklahoma race, where they have begun to coalesce around former state House speaker T.W. Shannon (R) in a contest looking more competitive for him.

This Old Lifer is pulling for Sasse. But I also believe that Ben knows enough theology to understand that God’s ways will be served no matter who wins next week (or in November).

17 thoughts on “God's Ways May Be the Tea Party's”

  1. Is he a Presbyterian? I thought I’d read from MZ Hemmingway or Gene Veith that he is a Lutheran.

    Either way, I have to admit I wish I could cast a vote for the dude. Just trying to keep North Carolina afloat at this point.

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  2. Was listening to Roger Hedgecock on the radio yesterday and he was saying that Osborn said he’d rather the opposition won than for Sasse to take the seat. Sad state of affairs if that’s the case.

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  7. So, if he’s up for election this Nov., and if pro-life and family-values groups put out fliers outlining his views in comparison with his opponents, Old Lifers are good with Sunday distribution in their church parking lots, right? Not to mention pulpit exhortations reminding congregants of civic responsibility re:voting. But there was that one DGH post . . .

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  16. Erik,

    I’ve heard Lutherans called many things, but “hip” has never been one of them.

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