Republican Party

[GreyICE]

Ooh, did Jonah Goldberg say that?

Really?

Let's quote it again.

Yeah, it's working so well that the Republican candidate just dropped out of the race.

If this is success, one wonders what failure must look like.

I looked up 'failure' in the dictionary, and it was just a picture of William 'wrong about everything' Kristol.

 

[Brainster]

I generally agree with Grayson's positions but have to agree with Grizzly that he too often reaches into the leftysergeant Grab Bag of Euphemisms for his rhetorical flourishes.

I don't think that word means what you think it does:

the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant;

In fact, LS and Grayson do the exact opposite.

 

[Darth Rotor]

Oh, my goodness, he supports faith-based initiatives? The horror! Let's all agree here and now that we will not support any candidate, Democrat or Republican, who supports faith-based initiatives! Are you with me?

I am with you. "Faith based initiatives" funding by the Feds is, IMO, one of the dumber ideas to ever cross the political bow.

I don't want the government messing about in the exercise of religion. Gov't funding of activities by church run charitable organizations, like any government program, inevitably comes with that annoying string attached. Analogy: used tampon. Follow that string and you run across yet another bloody mess.

Thin end of the wedge. Keep them out.

DR

 

[SezMe]

I don't think that word means what you think it does:

Putting the E in JREF. My mistake.

 

[gtc]

Putting the E in JREF. My mistake.

You were just using an euphemism.

 

[MikeMangum]

The "purge" meme might make more sense if the politics were different. From Rasmussen

There are more conservatives than Democrats in America, and there are more Democrats than Republicans.

One reason for this is that while Republican voters overwhelmingly consider themselves conservative, only 56% of conservative voters consider themselves to be Republicans. In other words, nearly half of all conservatives nationwide reject the Republican Party label.

This means that Republicans looking to broaden their party’s outreach cannot ignore the need to attract a large number of conservative voters along with some political moderates. Of all the non-Republicans in the nation, 31% consider themselves at least somewhat conservative while 37% say they’re political moderates.

...

It should be noted that Democratic Party dynamics are entirely different.

While a plurality (44%) of Democrats are politically liberal, nearly as many (35%) are moderate. So Democrats must make compromises within their party before reaching out. Also, the pool of available non-Democrats is very heavily on the moderate side.

Just nine percent (9%) of non-Democrats are even somewhat liberal while 29% are politically moderate. These non-Democratic political moderates are absolutely essential to Democratic candidates. That’s why Democrats are eager to suggest that situations such as NY-23 indicate a GOP rejection of moderates in favor of extremists.

 

[leftysergeant]

I think that Rassmussen makes a mistake by accepting too readily voters' self-identification. "Liberal" has taken on some menaings that it should not have because rightwing lunatics have been using the radio to re-shape the language.

 

[MattusMaximus]

I just don't like the idea of any party believing that there cannot be regional differences in how party members should believe. Yes, there should be a few core issues that all or most Republicans agree on, such as dealing with taxes, less government, regulations, etc etc. But to demand that ALL Republicans, from Texas to Maine to New Jersey to Oregon, all follow lock step on all issues, is asking for trouble. If they keep this up, they will end up forcing a mass defection to the Democrats, or the creation of a third party made up of socially moderate/liberal fiscal conservatives.
And that could cut the current Republican party in half.

Yup, and here's even more evidence that the GOP is heading down this very road...

Uncivil War: Conservatives to challenge a dozen GOP candidates

In what could be a nightmare scenario for Republican Party officials, conservative activists are gearing up to challenge leading GOP candidates in more than a dozen key House and Senate races in 2010.

Conservatives and tea party activists had already set their sights on some of the GOP’s top Senate recruits — a list that includes Gov. Charlie Crist in Florida, former Rep. Rob Simmons in Connecticut and Rep. Mark Kirk in Illinois, among others.

But their success in Tuesday’s upstate New York special election, where grass-roots efforts pushed GOP nominee Dede Scozzafava to drop out of the race and helped Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman surge into the lead on the eve of Election Day, has generated more money and enthusiasm than organizers ever imagined.

Activists predict a wave that could roll from California to Kentucky to New Hampshire and that could leave even some GOP incumbents — Utah Sen. Bob Bennett is one — facing unexpectedly fierce challenges from their right flank.

Yup, the GOP sure is unified!

More likely they are imploding, and it's a self-inflicted wound.

 

[AlBell]

Conversely, what is a "nightmare scenario for Republican Party officials" may be a blessing for people who actually would like to vote for a conservative candidate.

 

[Upchurch]

Conversely, what is a "nightmare scenario for Republican Party officials" may be a blessing for people who actually would like to vote for a conservative candidate.

and for those who don't, for that matter.

 

[tyr_13]

Didn't the Republican now former candidate back the Democrat when she dropped out?

 

[AlBell]

@Upchurch

The results in NY23 will be the first data point.

RINO McCain provided an earlier one that was to Democrat liking.

 

[SezMe]

Didn't the Republican now former candidate back the Democrat when she dropped out?

Yes.

 

[leftysergeant]

A few years ago the GOP in Washington State nearly split into two camps along rightwing/secular and ultra/right religious lines, partly under the "leadership" of Linda Smith. The result was that we got Brian Baird to represent that district. Bloody good riddance to Smith.

I would be THRILLED to see the ranting righties take their ball home.

 

[Upchurch]

The results in NY23 will be the first data point.

RINO McCain provided an earlier one that was to Democrat liking.

er...McCain was the zeroth data point, then?


[aside]

At what point can we finally refer to "RINO" as the "No True Republican" fallacy?

[/aside]

 

[MattusMaximus]

Conversely, what is a "nightmare scenario for Republican Party officials" may be a blessing for people who actually would like to vote for a conservative candidate.

True enough, but then there are the other 80-85% of us who just consider the general Tea Party/Constitution Party platform to be batsh8t crazy

The establishment Republicans are right for wishing to distance themselves from the likes of the CP. Were they to cave-in to those loonies, they'd be looking at life in the political wilderness for a loooooong time.

 

[AlBell]

You may be right. Or, conservatives may eventually notice "establishment Republicans" and Democrats seem to want the same things.

@Upchurch

Two data points, different election cycles.

And you can refer to RINO any way you like.

 

[leftysergeant]

You may be right. Or, conservatives may eventually notice "establishment Republicans" and Democrats seem to want the same things.

Of course they do. They want rational debate and government based on reality.

 

[Whiplash]

I think that Rassmussen makes a mistake by accepting too readily voters' self-identification. "Liberal" has taken on some menaings that it should not have because rightwing lunatics have been using the radio to re-shape the language.

You are rationalizing. "Conservative" has taken a hell of a beating as well the last 8 years.

 

[dudalb]

You may be right. Or, conservatives may eventually notice "establishment Republicans" and Democrats seem to want the same things.

@Upchurch

Two data points, different election cycles.

And you can refer to RINO any way you like.

What reality are you living in?