The Hoffman Effect Rolls On

McClatchy's Ed Fletcher takes us to Placer County, California where the Great Purge of the GOP continues unabated.

In GOP-rich Placer County, the Placer County Republican Central Committee chairman views himself as a brand manager of sorts.

"We need to protect our brand," said Tom Hudson. "We need to stand for something."

Hudson, 42, takes pride in unmasking and ousting people he says are liberals posing as Republicans.

With the elected committee's backing, Hudson has drafted candidates to run against sitting GOP officeholders he views as not conservative enough, orchestrated a controversial endorsement during the primary for the 4th Congressional District seat, and played a role in the decision by two Placer County officeholders to drop their Republican Party membership.

"When you have Republicans that are supporting higher taxes and more fees and more salary for themselves … you have to say, 'What issues do they agree with us on?' " said Hudson.

In recent weeks, a quiet skirmish became much more visible in the county with the second-highest percentage of card-carrying Republicans in the state when two elected leaders – county Supervisor Jim Holmes and Rocklin City Councilman Peter Hill – left the party and reregistered as "decline to state."

Both men said the questioning of their party credentials contributed to their decisions.

They'd rather purify the party than win elections.  That says something about the Republican big tent these days, and what it says is that fanatics are now running the asylum.  More and more of these state-level purge actions are occurring, with the intent that it will eventually force the GOP to change on the national level.  Just imagine, a Republican party full of Bachmanniacs!

[UPDATE 12:17 PM]  Or imagine a GOP full of people like Republican Senate candidate Andy Martin of Illinois, running for a shot at Obama's old seat against primary opponent and current Congressman Mark Kirk:

Andy Martin, a conservative public interest lawyer, put out a spot on local radio in which he pushes a "solid rumor" that fellow Senatorial aspirant, Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), "is a homosexual."

"I helped expose many of Barack Obama's lies in 2008," the ad goes. "Today, I am fighting for the facts about Mark Kirk. Illinois Republican leader Jack Roeser says there is a 'solid rumor that Kirk is a homosexual.' Roeser suggests that Kirk is part of a Republican Party homosexual club. Lake County Illinois Republican leader Ray True says Kirk has surrounded himself with homosexuals."

"Mark Kirk should tell Republican voters the truth."

And keep in mind Mark Kirk is a Republican too.