REPUBLICANS BAG ONE OF THEIR OWN – AT 7:24 P.M. ET:  Republican Senator Bob Bennett of Utah, a power among Senate Republicans, has failed to win his party's nomination for a fourth term.  From The New York Times:

Robert F. Bennett, an 18-year veteran Republican who had been seeking a fourth term this fall, was stripped of his party’s nomination on Saturday at the state convention, becoming one of the first Congressional victims of the surging ferment of discontent from the Tea Party-infused Republican right.

Mr. Bennett, 76, was outmatched in delegate votes by two relative newcomers despite an enthusiastic endorsement and convention speech from Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and local Utah hero, and a political pedigree of deep Mormon roots and public service.

COMMENT:  Bennett was apparently seen as too much an accommodationist, willing to work with moderates and liberals. 

I'm not so sure this is a wise move.  True, a fourth term is a stretch for any senator, and even the best of public servants wear out their welcome.  But Bennett always struck me as a solid guy, maybe not as conservative as some in Utah might have liked, but a respected Senate presence. 

We'll withhold final judgment until we learn who Bennett's replacement on the ticket will be, and examine his record.  The Republican nomination is tantamount to election, so there is little chance the seat will change party hands in November. 

Power must be wielded carefully.  The conservative movement within the Republican Party is going strong, but it risks making the party so narrow ideologically that it can turn into the Democratic Party of the last 30 years.  Not a good role model.  Be careful.

May 8, 2010