Posted on 02/05/2013 12:19:21 PM PST by cotton1706
That’s the plan for members of the Tuesday Group of moderate Republicans and the Blue Dog Democrats, Tuesday Group member Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) told reporters.
“It’s something we plan to do from time to time,” Dent said at an event hosted by the Republican Main Street Partnership, another group that represents GOP moderates.
Meetings across the aisle worked in the past to help build consensus, Dent said.
“That’s something else that we’re doing to try to help build a critical mass of people who want to try to get some things done together,” he said.
Dent pointed at a vote on an amendment on the House floor this week that would encourage the White House to adopt the deficit reduction ideas of the Simpson-Bowles commission if the White House’s forthcoming budget did not get the country’s deficit under control within 10 years as an example of bipartisan, centrist cooperation.
The ranks of both GOP moderates and congressional Blue Dogs have thinned in recent years. After the 2012 elections, the number of Blue Dogs fell from 27 to just 14. The group had more than 50 members after the 2008 election.
On the other side of the aisle, Republicans have lost a number of high-profile moderates including Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.) and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine). Dent, Rep. Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.) and former Rep. Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio) all bemoaned the relations between both parties, pointing at party primaries and non-competitive districts as the chief reason for increased gridlock and polarization.
“It’s an indictment of gerrymandering,” said Hanna, “You have parties moving towards their extremes, not towards the center.”
LaTourette blasted the primary process — from the presidential level on down — and redistricting for some of the tone
“You have you to continue feed red meat or hew to the base if you want to even make it to the November ballot,” LaTourette said. “The best example that I have of that is when Mitt Romney had to go through those [primary] debates with people who weren’t fit to be president of the United States in some instances. When you box your spokespeople in positions like that, that’s nuts.”
"The ranks of both GOP moderates and congressional Blue Dogs have thinned in recent years. After the 2012 elections, the number of Blue Dogs (liberals pretending to be conservatives) fell from 27 to just 14. The group had more than 50 members after the 2008 election."
Translation: they were smoked out by the people!
“You have you to continue feed red meat or hew to the base if you want to even make it to the November ballot,” LaTourette said. “The best example that I have of that is when Mitt Romney had to go through those [primary] debates with people who weren’t fit to be president of the United States in some instances. When you box your spokespeople in positions like that, that’s nuts.”
Oh, poor Mitt had to pretend to be a conservative or he was finished. If only he'd been allowed to be a moderate he would have won like McCain, oh wait, who was the last candidate to run as a moderate and win? Bush, no he ran as a conservative. Dole, no. Bush Sr. no he lost and before that he won running as a conservative like Reagan. Reagan, no he was definitely a conservative. Ford, no. Nixon, no both times he ran as a conservative. Goldwater, nope again. Nixon, nope he lost. Eisenhower, yeah that's it! Eisenhower ran as a moderate and won. But he was clearly more conservative than Dewey, who lost twice, he just wasn't as conservative as Bob Taft.
Gee, are there any moderates that have won as moderates, Steve LaTourette?? Nope!
I look forwared to seeing more moderates removed from the congress so the people know exactly where their elected leaders stand.
What’s a “moderate?” Who wants to be one?
In this day and age of militant aggression by the Left, you’d better not be namby-pamby about issues, or you’ll lose.
The definition of a moderate is: one who votes with democrats and is easily removed from office by a democrat.
I did some research, among all the senate seats won by the democrats in the last thirty years, only two conservative senators have been defeated by democrats: Sununu and Santorum (and even these two were in democratic wave elections). In all other cases, democrats have taken seats from moderate republicans or retiring republicans.
This is why both the republican and democrat parties do everything they can to prevent real conservatives from being nominated or elected. Because they’re hard to defeat because they’re unafraid to stand for something.
“The definition of a moderate is: one who votes with democrats and is easily removed from office by a democrat.”
Add Christie and Kasich to the list
This clown wasn't watching last year, evidently. The base made no secret of its detestation of Mutt Romney. He couldn't be more wrong.
There is no such thing as a Republican moderate. They are Democrats in disguise.
If that were true, it would be because moderates get elected in marginal or swing districts with many Democrats, while solid conservatives get elected in solidly conservative states with few Democrats (and rarely get elected in swing states).
But from what I can see it isn't actually true. George Allen? Conrad Burns? Jim Talent? John Ashcroft? I don't know all their records, but some of those guys may have been conservative.
delusional contry clubbers thinking they can still pretend like its 1977 and jimmy carter is president.
Yeah, I just thought of that too and just checked. I was working from the sitting democrats and who they defeated. I didn’t take into account the democrats that weren’t in office anymore and who THEY defeated. Allen screwed himself and like Talent was thrown out in a wave election. Burns was a moderate and Ashcroft lost to a dead guy.
The number of moderates or retirements is far higher, however.
Lines are being drawn, sides are being chosen.
Reclaim the language from the left.
“moderate” really means unprincipled Republican surrender monkey.
see also: democrat in training, RINO, in the way
Here's a pretty good PJ Media article about the surrender monkeys. Give them a nice banana, or promise one, and they become meek and mild.
Will they ever learn to fight like boys? Or like girls, which might be even more effective?
Tuesday Group bump.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.