Ever since the emergence of the tea party in 2009, the media narrative has been pre-written and ready to deploy at opportune times. Embodying the intense frustrations of ordinary Americans with so-called limited-government Republicans who were forever raising taxes, increasing spending, and incurring more debt, the tea party demanded that their representatives keep their promises, and adhere to principle over politics. Otherwise, when the next election cycle rolled around, they would be fully prepared to throw the bums out.

Not only did this seismic shift ruffle the feathers of Democrats and those who wanted to expand government in perpetuity, it left many establishment Republicans, who had long enjoyed their unchallenged incumbency, understandably peeved. The response was swift and brutal.

You tea party whacko birds are ruining the Party. You’re handing the elections to Democrats. How dare you challenge incumbents in primaries? After all, whose side are you really on?

We’ve heard it over and over again, repeated ad nauseum in the echo chamber that is the mainstream media, even as we’ve scored amazing victories and elected some of the most incredible, principled candidates the Congress has seen in generations.

One of these figures is a young congressman from Michigan named Justin Amash. Steeped in the ideology of Austrian economics and a true belief in limited government, Amash has arguably been the single most principled, pro-liberty voice in the House of Representatives. You would think that the Republican Party would be proud to have so fiery an advocate for all the things they claim to stand for.

You would think wrong.

In fact, the Republican establishment in Michigan is lining up against Amash, along with big business and special interest lobbies, attempting to unseat the congressman who has fought more bravely than any other, in favor of just another traditional politician. Excuse me, but aren’t these the same people who have been saying that primarying a sitting Republican is tantamount to political treason?

It just goes to show that the mainstream assault on the tea party candidates has less to do with concern for the health of the Party, and is more about the quest for political power and self-enrichment.

Amash’s accomplishments during his short time in office are already legion. He authored an amendment to put an end to the NSA’s reported spying on American citizens. He has sponsored bills proposing amendments to the Constitution that would limit spending and require a balanced budget. He has co-sponsored three bills to repeal ObamaCare. And he is one of only two representatives in the House to have voted with FreedomWorks 100 percent of the time.

What sort of Republican would want to banish so courageous a leader from Congress? How could the Party possibly gain from his defeat? Guys like Amash are what we’ve been crying out for for years: someone who sticks to his guns and does what he says he’s going to do. Not only that, but he’s been a model representative to the voters in his district, making frequent trips home from Washington and holding numerous town hall meetings to listen to the concerns of his constituents.

The GOP delegation has tipped its hand in Michigan. When they try to take down one of the best incumbents the Party has because he is not willing to keep his head down and blindly follow leadership, you know that they no longer care about setting conservative policy.

So, the next time you see Republicans wringing their hands and claiming the primary challenges from the right are bad politics, rest assured that politics, not good government, not principled leadership, but politics alone, is all they really care about.