CNS Congressman Says Moderate Colleagues Should Be 'Purged' From Party

Moderates 'betraying' Grassadellian people, congressman says

NEW DUBLIN, POG--With the Conservative Party facing a difficult election season this December, many are urging the party to move to the center to appeal to moderate swing voters.

But not Congressman Tanner Zannie of POG's 26th Assembly District, who is running for the CNS nomination for the Senate.

Zannie (pronounced "zaney"), appearing at a Conservative Party Senate debate Monday night, told fellow Conservatives that moderate members of Congress are "betraying the people they represent," and said they should be "purged" from the party.

"These people, that are out there proclaiming to be true Conservatives and campaigning as Conservatives, they're not any different than the Nationalists," Zannie said, in response to a question about the party's values. "They ought to be purged from the party. I really think we need a cleansing of our party. We need to get rid of the 'so-called Conservatives,' and bring in the real Conservatives."

Zannie's six opponents, who were also on-stage, were mostly unresponsive to his comments, with the exception of Assembly Majority Leader Mark Rolen, who scolded Zannie for his "hurtful" remarks.

"You know Congressman, I take exception to that. I really do. And I'll tell you why. Because our party is not an exclusive country club of far-right extremists," Rolen said. "The Conservative Party I know is a party that is welcoming to people of all walks of life and all backgrounds. The Conservative Party I know is one where people can agree to disagree but still hold the same values that all Grassadellians hold. The Conservative Party is a diverse group, and we should be encouraging that, not condemning it."

The Nationalist Party immediately jumped on Zannie's comments, saying his position is evidence that there is a "civil war brewing in the Conservative Party."

"Congressman Zannie's comments at tonight's debate illustrate what is wrong with the Conservative Party--the idea that only far-right, ultra-conservative people can be apart of the exclusive club," said Darren Christopher, a spokesman for the Nationalist Senate Campaign Organization (NSCO). "A party built on exclusivity and a twisted, far-right ideology is not what Grassadellians want, and it's not what they will choose in December."

Zannie addressed the comments after the debate, telling a local television station that he did not intend to bruise feelings.

"I know there are some members of my party that are more liberal than I am. I didn't mean to hurt anybody's feelings. But we are Conservatives. That's the name of our party. If you don't stand for freedom and conservative values, then get out of the party," he told reporters.

The POG Conservative Party declined to comment Monday night, as did the Conservative Senate Campaign Committee (CSCC).

Zannie is running in a competetive Senate primary, which includes five of his fellow Conservative congressmen. POG is a "delegate state," meaning the winner of the party nomination is determined by a series of small elections in each of the state's 122 counties, rather than one large state-wide primary election. Currently, Rep. Reuben Stykes of northern POG is leading the delegate count on the Conservative side, with 93 delegates. He is followed closely behind by Congresswoman Fran Habries of Canton, who has 92 delegates, and Congressman Bobby Hafen, of central POG, with 91.

On the NAT side, former Lieutenant Governor George Mercott is leading, with 145 delegates. He is followed by Rep. Deacon Busby with 138, and Congresswoman Jill Yateri, who previously ran for Senate in 2008, with 135 delegates.