“Crush them everywhere.” That is not Mitch McConnell’s expectation on beating the Democrats. That is not Mitch McConnell’s hope against Harry Reid and the Senate Democrats. This — “crush them everywhere” — is what Mitch McConnell tells the New York Times he intends to do to conservatives.

Across the country, as conservatives realize that to change America they must change Washington and to change Washington they must change the GOP, men and women are standing up, giving small dollar donations, and finding challengers to the Republican establishment.

The Republican establishment they fight is the one that gave us the foundation for Common Core in No Child Left Behind, the welfare state expansion of Medicare Part D, the ballooning of the national debt for domestic programs while hiding behind war spending, and then collaborating with the Democrats for TARP, the General Motors bailout, and banning the incandescent light bulb.

If Mitch McConnell and his friends win re-election, the Republican establishment that did those things will be the Republican leadership back in charge.

This is why I think, in truth, whether you as a conservative think you can sit this out or not, if conservatives do not beat McConnell, Thad Cochran, Pat Roberts, Shane Osborne, and others, the Republican establishment in Washington will finally conclude that conservatives are paper tigers who can be ignored.

They have been working toward that for a while. John Boehner has attacked conservatives. McConnell says he will “crush them everywhere.” Certainly there are some groups on the sidelines trying to stay out of the fight, but McConnell and Boehner together are lumping every conservative group together. They cannot crush this conservative uprising; they can only delay it. But if they do beat all challengers this cycle even the groups who haven’t stopped serving as lapdogs to the GOP Establishment will be marginalized around the leadership table. The Republican leadership is just looking for an excuse.

The Republican leaders prefer their billionaire donors with their cosmopolitan interests. These people just want carve outs for themselves. They are not asking for an actual shrinking of government like Main Street is. The GOP Leadership really needs an excuse to totally ignore Main Street and give Wall Street comprehensive immigration reform, tax breaks for big business, etc.

So all of you on the sidelines might as well write a check to Matt Bevin right now. And send some to the Senate Conservatives Fund, Madison Project, Club for Growth, and FreedomWorks. All four are under unyielding attacks from the Republican leadership. If the Republican leadership wins, they will view all of us — whether you engaged or sat on the sidelines — as unable to challenge them in either politics or policy.

Crush or be crushed — Mitch McConnell just clarified this election.