Mitch McConnell is doing his best to walk back his comments about conservatives. He told the New York Times he intended to “crush them everywhere.” Now he says he was only talking about the Jim DeMint founded Senate Conservatives Fund and its candidates — candidates like Ben Sasse supported by Paul Ryan, Mike Lee, Club for Growth, RedState, National Review, and others.

Actually, Mitch McConnell has been pretty open in the past about his contempt for conservatives. He has referred to conservatives and the outside groups they fund, as traitors, bullies, drunks, and fringe. He claims conservatives “tear up every bar they walk into,” and he wants to “punch” the tea party “in the nose.”

Those are his words. And he has been pretty consistent over time. Back in 2009, McConnell’s associates famously put James Dobson in a terribly embarrassing spot when they lied about Rand Paul’s record. McConnell sent staff into Kentucky to defeat Rand Paul.

McConnell now says he only meant he wanted to crush the Senate Conservatives Fund, but back in 2009 and 2010, the Senate Conservatives Fund was the group standing with conservatives and Pat Toomey, Marco Rubio, Mike Lee, and Rand Paul against Mitch McConnell’s supported Arlen Specter, Charlie Crist, Bob Bennett, and Trey Grayson.

It is true that a number of McConnell’s remarks have focused on the Senate Conservatives Fund, but his remarks have also targeted groups like FreedomWorks, Club For Growth, and others. He is systematically targeting conservative organizations that do not follow the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s lead. What’s worse, he is enlisting a bunch of useful idiots on the right to do damage control for him and to protect him.

If you think Mitch McConnell needs protection and saving, consider that if McConnell had his way Trey Grayson would be in the Senate instead of Rand Paul; Charlie Crist would be in the Senate instead of Marco Rubio, David Dewhurst would be in the Senate instead of Ted Cruz; Arlen Specter would be in the Senate instead of Pat Toomey; and Bob Bennett would be in the Senate instead of Mike Lee.

When McConnell attacks FreedomWorks, Senate Conservatives Fund, Club for Growth, Madison Project, and even the tea party — he is attacking the conservatives who have saved the Republican Party from itself. He is attacking you. So you should defeat him.