The Anti-Coopting Business

"I really think there’s two sides to politics,” said Mike Needham, the 29-year-old CEO of Heritage Action for America, at a Capitol Hill restaurant in April. “There’s getting the right people elected, and there’s holding them accountable.” Needham invoked Trent Lott—veteran of 16 years in the House, 18 years in the Senate, and numerous roles in Republican leadership—who warned in July 2010, shortly before several “Jim DeMint disciples” (aka hardcore conservatives) were expected to win seats and descend on Washington: “As soon as they get here,” said Lott, “we need to co-opt them.”

---

Needham and his colleagues see themselves as being “in the anti-co-opting business,” he said. And business is booming. As the political arm of the Heritage Foundation, Heritage Action has been lobbying members of Congress to push for the most conservative outcomes to the most critical legislative debates, including the recent debt ceiling standoff. That hardline stance has frustrated House speaker John Boehner and the rest of the GOP leadership. Heritage Action’s work alongside the Republican Study Committee (RSC, the caucus of House conservatives) and the Tea Party helped move the House debate further to the right. But the Heritage Foundation’s newfound influence in politics—not just policy—has rankled a few Republicans otherwise in good conservative standing, especially since Heritage Action announced it would be scoring certain votes. As any incumbent candidate knows, a “bad” score from an influential interest group is perfect campaign ad fodder for primary opponents. More....

---