While party unity was the dominant theme at the annual Wisconsin Republican Convention in Milwaukee this weekend, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Burlington, promised in a speech to delegates that he and fellow conservatives were ready to fight the party’s moderates on an array of issues in coming years.

Although Vos began his address with a nod to conciliation, comparing the party’s differences to those of every family, Vos made clear to delegates that the Assembly's Republican leadership was advancing the agenda of the party's base, suggesting that their efforts were sometimes frustrated by Senate moderates.

“Every time you trust Assembly Republicans to lead, we will cut your taxes every time,” he said to whoops and cheers.

Vos also slammed the national Common Core education standards, a policy that has drawn fierce criticism from tea party activists who describe it as a federal takeover of local education.

“We don’t need Common Core because Wisconsin expects higher standards,” said Vos.