ABSTRACT

On May 8, 2012, after serving in the U.S. Senate for 36 years, Richard Lugar was defeated by State Treasurer and Tea Party champion Richard Mourdock in the Indiana Republican primary. That evening, the defeated Senator delivered a gracious concession speech, refl ecting on his years of service and looking to the future with optimism. The following day, however, Lugar released a sharply worded jeremiad that warned that Mourdock and his party must renounce rigid partisanship or face extinction (Lugar, 2012). Although the mainstream media praised Lugar for his statement and his civility (e.g., Dionne, 2012, p. A19; “Goodbye,” 2012, p. A18; Kane, 2012, p. A1), the Republican Party failed to heed his warning. Their repudiation immediately could be seen when Mourdock told CNN that his idea of “bipartisanship” was “Democrats joining with Republicans” adding, “you never compromise on principles” (as cited in O’Brien, 2013). Conservative commentators, including Rush Limbaugh (2012) and Charles Krauthammer (2012), echoed Mourdock’s sentiments and proclaimed that the era of the moderate Republican was over.