Former House Majority Leader and tea party promoter Dick Armey said on Face the Nation this morning that a proposed GOP purity test isn’t a purity test at all — but simply a reasonable way to measure whether a candidate fits with the Republican Party.
The Republican National Committee will consider a resolution in January that would require that if a candidate disagrees with the party line on three or more out of a list of ten key issues, they won’t receive money or official party support.
“It’s not a litmus test,” Armey said.
It’s a very reasonable thing to say if you want the support of the Republican Party, demonstrate some allegiance to the primary positions taken by the party. That’s not a litmus test. That’s just saying if you want us to give you our money, our support, our troops in the field, our endorsements, then demonstrate that you’re someone like us.
Ironically, Dede Scozzafava, a moderate Republican who dropped out of the NY-23 congressional election and backed a Democrat (who won) after national Republicans, including Armey, defected from her camp in favor of a Conservative Party candidate, was also a guest on Face the Nation. She said she would have only met 7 of the 10 criteria on the purity test — meaning no money or party support for a moderate candidate like her.
Late Update: Here’s the video.
