Ashford: GOP’s Terry has ‘Cantor lesson’ all wrong

Joe Jordan | Nebraska Watchdog

One day after the GOP’s Lee Terry opened the door to closing off compromises on Capitol Hill, Democrat Brad Ashford tells Nebraska Watchdog that Terry’s talk is “ridiculous, it’s disappointing.”

Following Eric Cantor’s tea party ambush on Tuesday, Terry, an 8-term incumbent, told CNN, “Do we compromise? How do we work together? All of this is now in question.”

Ashford says the “Cantor lesson” is just the opposite. “You can’t find solutions without working together,” says Ashford.

Terry, of course, is coming off his own Cantor-like primary—just last month Terry survived a threat from his right wing, defeating Republican Dan Frei 53-47.

According to many insiders, it was a hollow victory for Terry who outspent Frei 20-1: $900,000 to Frei’s $40,000.

But Frei’s defeat launched tea partyer Chip Maxwell’s 3rd-party run which will arguably find Maxwell siphoning conservative votes from Terry, opening the door to an Ashford win in November.

Team Terry tells Nebraska Watchdog, Terry’s “strong conservative base” will rally behind Terry, who was asked by CNN if Cantor’s defeat makes him less inclined to compromise.

Lee Terry: I think that’s one of the messages, is that first of all if you’re here, you’ve got a target, just because you’re here. You can do great work, but they’re still going to come after you. And number two, do we compromise? How do we work together? All of this is now in question.

CNN: So, is that a yes, are you more reluctant to compromise now?

Lee Terry: Well I think you have to really look at each issue, but yeah, I think the first thing you’re going to say is, ‘Is there political harm in having negotiations?’ Because negotiations is now a bad thing.”

But in an interview with Nebraska Watchdog, Ashford insists Washington needs more compromise, not less.

Brad Ashford: The Federalist Papers are full of compromise that’s how we started as a country. It’s too easy to relegate yourself to a a position that you’re never going to change or discuss with others, it’s just ridiculous, it’s disappointing.

Nebraska Watchdog: Don’t you think the lesson from Dan Frei’s finish in the primary is that there are plenty of Republicans who don’t want to compromise?

Brad Ashford: No, I think it’s the other way around. The Republicans I’ve talked to that voted for Dan Frei—and I didn’t talk to everyone of them—but the one’s I talked to indicated to me that they cannot stand the idea of shutting the government down, not reaching compromise.

If you’re wondering what lesson Frei takes from Cantor’s defeat look no further than his Facebook page.

“The Cantor loss proves that voters in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District can vote their conservative principles in November, ” says Frei. “Don’t ever believe the establishment when they tell you “this candidate can’t win, don’t waste your vote.”

Contact Joe Jordan at joe@nebraskawatchdog.org

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