Republicans Slam Party-Purist Outfit

Some in the GOP have had it with the Club for Growth, an organization that identifies Republicans it deems weak on low-tax, small-government values, the Wall Street Journal reports. Party members argue that the Club backs Republicans too far right to win elections. “If their goal is to increase the Democrats’ numbers in Congress, they’re doing a very good job,” says a GOP congressman.

The Club is in the spotlight after Arlen Specter said its support for a rival Republican nudged him toward switching parties. Its leader says the Club’s not at fault for GOP troubles: “The Club focuses on issues that are the Republican brand. I don’t think we lost the majority because we stuck to those issues. We lost the majority because we strayed from those issues.” (More conservative stories.)