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Importance of Sen. Lugar's primary defeat in Indiana

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    Meaning for presidential race?

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To the fallout now from a political shake up in Indiana one of the longest serving US -- -- Just lost his bid to win -- seventh term.

We're talking about eighty year old Republican senator Richard Lugar are considered one of the leading experts on foreign policy in the US congress.

Tea Party backed candidate Richard Murdoch who defeated him in -- primary.

Will now face congressman Joseph Donnelly.

Try to win Lugar's seat in November.

But let's take a look at the big picture now with a Tea Party backed candidate ousting of Vietnam veteran senator Richard Lugar what does it mean for the presidential election.

Joining us now Mary Katharine Ham she's with the daily caller also a Fox News contributor.

And Marjorie Clifton former consultant to president Obama's campaign and the principle of Clifton consulting.

Mary Katherine does this mean that the death of the Tea Party the rumors of the death of the -- -- party have been greatly exaggerated.

-- -- I have always that that's the case the fact is that a lot of these folks who got involved maybe for the first time in politics in 2009 or ten.

Have figured out a lot of local level I can become a chair had our precinct patter of one of those kind of things really got involved a little bit local politics in the way they hadn't before.

An inside the party in a way they had before and I think you see that in things like this outside by Murdoch of -- a long standing senator and it.

It may be harder with -- Tea Party candidate a new -- to the political scene to keep that C although Indiana pretty red state.

But this is a message to folks have been in Washington a long time maybe don't come home too often they need to be -- -- Marjorie Clifton is it a message to President Obama and the Democrats.

No I I think that so far we've seen that the tea parties have effectiveness of the primary level but we haven't seen it at a greater level.

-- in the presidential primaries they really weren't able to organize and coordinate around one candidate so I don't think that we get an I think this is a unique election.

And that Lugar is one is an eighty year old man he's been he served six terms.

And frankly the -- the -- having not lived in the state for the past 36 years.

Meant that he sort of missed that organization of the farm team the people at home that that really -- the backing he needed I mean I think this is indicative of a general trend that's happening.

In both Republican and Democratic Party.

Towards that a moving away from the moderate -- an unwillingness to be more bipartisan to have those conversations across the aisle and I find that rather alarming to be quite honest.

Well Mary -- we have seen you know John Kerry for instance the one of the democratic icons in the senate lamenting Richard Lugar is defeat.

Vice President Biden sent out -- -- here let me read it to the senate lost a brilliant strategic -- mind a man.

With absolute integrity he will be missed if Democrats are lamenting this man's defeat is that a good thing or -- bad thing.

Like he was he was well respected and he was Smart about foreign policy had a lot of skills.

Those skills weren't easy to sell back home and that's why he lost by a pretty large margin and folks are looking at and I I think it's -- both Democrats and Republicans or Tea Party.

Is a very specific example.

Folks saying look this is old way of doing business you guys are all buddy buddy and you make these deals that cost us a lot of money.

-- -- somebody new to try to do things different way and I think I think that's the way things are going.

Yeah -- if if collegiality.

Has been the order of the day in the senate.

Marjorie I mean they're they're.

They're going to be sending somebody to Washington to replace him something's gonna have to get done maybe it'll just get done in a different way.

Well I don't know I think moving away from collegiality is never a good thing and I think the accident Olympia Snowe now aren't -- -- -- being contested.

And these are not good signals I think to the American people and I think it's been indicative of the larger conversation that's happening in the media but but in this -- But -- him and I mean the American people are electing people to represent them.

They are there organizing and different way and I think what's gonna be interesting to see I mean if we're looking at states like Wisconsin.

-- Barrett's -- it's it's it's a question of can people organize and who is the voter turnout.

And right now even in the same sex and amendment is passed in North Carolina who's turning out to vote and in general I think there's actually Ben.

I'd there's been a decline in the number of people that are turning out and the number of party members that are turning out in the sermon disillusionment I feel that happening.

-- deflection then you look at the actual numbers.

So I I think that in general the conversations I'm hearing in the starting with the cab driver in talking with people on the street is.

The complete disillusionment with the congress with their lack of their ability to get anything done that in itself is indicative of the downsides of not having bipartisan conversations not reaching across the aisle and not being willing to make deals what deals aren't getting done Mary -- your take on -- Well I think that the bottom line is that being friends of the bunch of really powerful people in Washington DC isn't enough.

To get elected in shouldn't be enough for you to take your election for granted you have to sell yourself to the people back home you have to make them believe that you're doing things -- -- I don't think that that's another thing.

That I think it is going on here is -- -- Martin says that the Tea Party maybe.

Not great at organizing around us a certain candidate in the presidential primary do you think that's true but I think they've been concentrating some of their efforts.

On things like this on senate fights and will continue to do that in the general election and we'll have an impact on senate house race Mary Katharine Ham and Marjorie Clifton thank you both.

Thank you -- but he --

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