This is hilarious. Veteran Senator Orin Hatch isn't radical enough for today's Republican Party. following its 2010 ousting of Utah Sen. Robert Bennett. the Tea Party is taken aim at Orin Hatch. Hatch is a Reagan Republican if there ever was one, and he's a close friend of of the Reagans. Hatch is facing the most serious challenge of his 36 year Senate career from a Tea Party backed challenger Dan Liljenquist a former GOP State Senator. Hatch has been targeted by a recent campaign of attacks from Karl Rove's Super PAC FreedomWorks.
GOP-On-GOP Attacks Leave Orrin Hatch Fighting Mad
The Former Boxer Fights Back
"These people are not conservatives. They're not Republicans," Hatch angrily responds. "They're radical libertarians and I'm doggone offended by it."
Then Hatch, a former boxer, turns combative. "I despise these people, and I'm not the guy you come in and dump on without getting punched in the mouth."
Here is a FreedomWorks ad attacking Hatch for the sin of bipartisanship:
You can get a idea of the kinds of vitriolic things Hatch is having thrown at him in the comments on this piece at the Daily Caller:
Orrin Hatch ‘doggone offended’ by ‘radical libertarians’ trying to take away his Senate seat
FreedomWorks has reportedly spent at least $670,000 attacking Hatch this cycle.
RoadtoSurfdom
He's the radical.
Big government freaking liberal. Get the hell out of office.
Mike
Hatch, Lugar, and their ilk need to and will be defeated--at the primary level. He can despise conservatives all he wants; he's just getting what he deserves for being a creature of Washington for way too long.
Pico Pandora
dagnabbit! Now that we've got Ted Kennedy's seat we're going to have to take Ted Kennedy's friend's seat!
juandos, hate liberals
Orin Hatch = worthless R.I.N.O whiner...
Amber
~insert evil laugh here~ Take that, Brother Hatch! Keep up the good work, ye doggone libertarians! You fight for liberty, and he fights for power. You know your cause is just.
VVV
Orrin Hatch is the poster boy for everything that is wrong with today's Republican "leadership" and why I no longer consider myself a Republican.
redstatewriter
Add McCain, Graham, Lugar, McConnell, Boehner, Snow, Collins to that poster. That's why I registered as undeclared. Just couldn't stand it anymore.
in reply to VVV
These are the people Hatch was saying he despises (along with Freedom Works) and the feeling is mutual.
Hatch has responded by setting up a formidable operation on the ground in Utah to win over enough delegates to the GOP state convention to reach a 60% majority that would enable Hatch to avoid a primary under state GOP rules (as Hatch has often done in past election cycles). Hatch is also making the most of Mitt Romney's endorsement since Mitt is very popular with Utah Republicans. Many Utah Republicans are wrestling with the question of whether to keep Hatch just to keep from losing his seniority he has built up in the Senate.