Cornyn quotes the Buckley rule in a statement:
“I appreciate the strong support from all of my Republican colleagues, and especially our 13 new Republican Senators, as we continue our campaign to win back a Senate Republican majority in 2012. Continuity at the NRSC is something we haven’t had in a while, and which we need to build on our victories in 2010. […]
“The key now is to build on that success, while applying lessons learned from the 2010 campaign. I believe Republicans are strongest when we stick together, and I continue to adhere to the words of William F. Buckley, who famously said: ‘I am for the most conservative candidate that can get elected.’ But I recognize that Republican primary voters choose our nominees, and I am committed to listening to the message voters sent this past year.
“The key now is to build on that success, while applying lessons learned from the 2010 campaign. I believe Republicans are strongest when we stick together, and I continue to adhere to the words of William F. Buckley, who famously said: ‘I am for the most conservative candidate that can get elected.’ But I recognize that Republican primary voters choose our nominees, and I am committed to listening to the message voters sent this past year.
Of course, 2010 proved that Cornyn didn’t always get it right–conservatives Pat Toomey and Marco Rubio proved to be electable, while Cornyn initially backed their opponents. And, of course, Cornyn also had a lot of recruiting successes, such as Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire and Dan Coats in Indiana, just to name two, and posted a good fundraising year.
With unanimous support for Cornyn today and McConnell joining the anti-earmark brigades yesterday, perhaps reports of GOP disunity are overblown.
